Why Bundaberg roofs need fixing
Storms with little warning
Bundaberg Regional Council says severe thunderstorms mostly come between January and March, are also likely in April, November and December, and can arrive with little warning. Small faults are best fixed in the quieter months, before the season starts.
Wet months that find every gap
January averages 167.3 mm and December 123.6 mm. A slipped tile or a lifted screw that does no harm in August, the driest month, turns into a ceiling stain by Christmas.
Tornadoes and wind
The Oswald tornadoes of 26 January 2013 tore roofs off at Bargara, Burnett Heads and Coonarr. Wind damage tends to start where a roof is weakest: the edges, the ridges and any sheet whose fixings have worked loose.
Older roofs, older tie-downs
The QRA says homes built before the mid-1980s are generally at greater risk of cyclone damage. When a repair means new sheeting, the QBCC suggests owners in cyclone areas consider upgrading tie-downs across the whole roof, battens included, and a building certifier can advise.
Salt near the beach
For homes near the ocean at Bargara and Burnett Heads, Lysaght points to COLORBOND Ultra steel 100 to 200 m from breaking surf and SUPERDURA stainless closer in. Replacement sheets, screws and flashings should suit that exposure, or the repair rusts out first.
Patch it, or bring it up to standard?
In Queensland, repairs that affect structural parts of a building need building approval, though minor like-for-like work can be exempt, such as replacing a roof beam that carries up to 5 square metres of roof. Repair work generally has to meet current building codes.
In a real emergency that endangers life or the building, work can start without the usual approvals, but council has to be told in writing as soon as practicable.
Above $3,300, you need a QBCC-licensed contractor, a written contract and home warranty cover, which includes roof repairs.
What you can do after a storm, and what you can't
You can
- Call the SES on 132 500 if the roof is open to the weather
- Look for wet patches on ceilings and around the manhole with a torch
- Photograph damage from the ground before anything is moved
- Clear branches and rubbish away from downpipe outlets in the yard
Leave to a roofer
- Re-screwing or replacing lifted sheets
- Replacing broken tiles and rebedding ridges
- Checking battens and tie-downs, with a certifier where needed
- Anything up on a wind-damaged roof
Questions to ask a Bundaberg roofer
- What's my home's wind classification, and does this repair suit it?
- Are the battens and tie-downs sound where you've opened the roof?
- Are the screws and flashings you're using rated for salt air at my distance from the beach?
- Is this storm damage or wear, and will you say so in writing for my insurer?
- Does the job need building approval, and who arranges it?
- What's your QBCC licence number and class?
If it were our roof
We'd fix storm damage quickly, but on a house built before the mid-1980s we'd also ask the roofer to look at the battens and tie-downs while sheets are off. Sorting it while the roof is already open is far less upheaval than doing it after the next big blow. The national roof repairs page explains the work, and our Bundaberg page has more on local weather.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.