What a Canberra restoration runs into
Repeated designs from the early years
From 1920 to 1940 the government built most new Canberra homes, repeating a small number of designs in Arts and Crafts, Federation, Interwar Californian Bungalow and Interwar Georgian Revival styles. Braddon's first stage, from 1921 to 1922, used pitched roofs and red face brick.
Heritage colour rules
Nine early garden city precincts are on the ACT Heritage Register, including Reid, Forrest, Barton and Kingston/Griffith. In Braddon's precinct, any finish applied to a tiled roof must keep the original roof colour. A bright new coating colour may not be allowed, so check before you choose.
Hot summers and frosty winters
Canberra Airport has topped 44.0 °C and averages about 95 frosts a year. Monier says ridge pointing cracks and loosens with weather and should be redone in modern flexible compounds, and Canberra roofs get plenty of both extremes.
Moss on the shady side
Afternoon humidity at Canberra averages 47% across the year and drops to 37% in midsummer. Where moss and lichen do build up, it's usually on shaded slopes and under trees. Monier says it grows more readily on terracotta and only affects the surface, so it's a cleaning job, not a sign the tiles are failing.
Asbestos changes what a restorer can do
The ACT Asbestos Advice Notice says a home built before 1990 may contain asbestos. WorkSafe ACT counts sealing or painting bonded asbestos sheeting as minor routine maintenance, but cleaning any asbestos material with high pressure water or air isn't minor work, and ASSEA says it's illegal in every state. So an asbestos cement roof can't be water-blasted before a coating. If you're not sure what your roof is made of, our painting an asbestos roof guide explains the safe options.
What a restoration covers, and when to skip it
A full tiled restoration usually means cleaning, replacing cracked tiles, rebedding and repointing the ridge caps (relaying the mortar that holds them, then sealing it), and a membrane coating. Monier warns against pressure washers on tiles because they can damage them, so ask how the roofer plans to clean yours.
Skip it if tiles are cracking right across the roof, if hail has broken many of them, or if the battens underneath are failing. That's a replacement, and in the ACT a full replacement needs building approval and a licensed builder. If you're on the fence, try our restore or replace tool.
Ask before you sign a restoration quote
- Is my house in a heritage precinct, and does the coating colour you're quoting match the original?
- Could any part of this roof be asbestos cement, and how will you confirm that before cleaning?
- How many cracked tiles are you allowing for, and where will matching tiles come from?
- Is the ridge being fully rebedded, or only repointed?
- Which coating are you using, how many coats, and what warranty comes with it?
Our take
If the tiles are sound and the problem is mortar, moss and faded colour, we'd restore rather than replace, and book it for the warmer months between the frosts. We'd check the heritage register first in the inner north and south, and we wouldn't let anyone water-blast a roof that might be asbestos. The national roof restoration page explains each step, and the Canberra hub covers local rules.
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.