What shapes a re-roof in Canberra
Suburbs that have burned
On 18 January 2003, the firestorm reached Duffy at about 3 pm and moved on through Rivett, Chapman, Kambah, Higgins, Hawker and Cook, destroying about 488 houses by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience's count. In 2020 the Orroral Valley fire brought an emergency warning for Tharwa and the southern suburbs. On the bush edge, a new roof is a chance to shut out embers.
No coastal limits on steel
BlueScope doesn't class the ACT as salt marine, since Lake Burley Griffin isn't salt marine in nature. The 100 m and 200 m surf distances that rule out some steels on the coast don't apply.
Heritage precincts limit the shape
In the Braddon garden city precinct, the original roof of an identified home must not be replaced with a different form, and the heritage rules encourage restoring non-original roofs to their original form. Check the ACT Heritage Register before you plan a new shape or material.
Asbestos and Mr Fluffy
A Canberra home built before 1990 may have asbestos cement roofing, and only a licensed removalist may take any of it off, with five days' notice to WorkSafe ACT. On a Mr Fluffy affected property, building work is limited to what's essential for health, safety or reasonable living conditions, or demolition.
The ACT steps for a new roof
Building approval and a certifier
ACT Planning says replacing a roof needs building approval. You appoint the building certifier, not your builder, and a contract over $12,000 can't hand the builder that choice.
A builder licensed for the work
Work that needs building approval has to be done by a licensed builder in the right class. If the builder is a company, ask who the licensed nominee supervising your job is, and look them up on the Access Canberra register.
Insurance before work starts
For work over $12,000 on some homes, the builder needs residential building work insurance or a fidelity fund certificate before applying for a commencement notice. Get a copy and check the price and builder's name are right.
A written contract and sensible payments
ACT law doesn't require a written contract or a cooling-off period, but ACT Planning strongly recommends one. There's no cap on deposits, and insurance only pays back up to $10,000 of one, so keep the deposit modest and pay each stage once it's done.
Your warranty
Approved residential building work of $12,000 or more carries a statutory warranty of 6 years for structural elements, including weatherproofing, and 2 years for the rest, even if the contract doesn't mention it.
Tile or steel near the bush
Both work. Monier says terracotta and concrete tiles count as non-combustible under the NCC, and BlueScope says Colorbond steel roofing, gutters and downpipes can form part of a compliant system right up to BAL-FZ, the highest bushfire attack level. What matters most is the detail: sealed gaps, ember-proof ridges and sarking. The NSW Rural Fire Service suggests sarking with a flammability index of no more than 5 whenever roofing is replaced. Our Colorbond in Canberra page and Colorbond vs tile guide compare the two.
Questions for a Canberra builder or roofer
- Who holds the builder licence for this job, and what class is it?
- Will you give me the residential building work insurance certificate before I pay anything beyond the deposit?
- Who's arranging the building approval, and which certifier am I appointing?
- Is my block bushfire-prone, and how will the roof keep embers out?
- Who tests for asbestos, and is licensed removal in this price?
- What are the stage payments, and what has to be finished before each one?
Where we'd start
We'd confirm the roof really is past restoring, then line up the approval and a licensed builder before falling for a colour. On the bush edge, we'd spend on ember sealing and good sarking before upgrades you can see. And we'd never sign without the insurance certificate in hand. The national roof replacement page explains the job itself, and the Canberra hub covers local background.
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.