What changes from one Geelong suburb to the next
Timber cottages in Geelong West and Newtown
Gutters on these single-storey timber houses are screwed into timber fascia boards, and Lysaght describes its scalloped OGEE profile as suited to heritage homes if you want something in keeping. Where a gutter has leaked for years, the fascia behind it may have rotted, and new gutter on rotten timber won't hold. Get the fascia checked as part of the quote.
Terraces in short rows
Geelong's terrace houses come in short runs, and where two roofs meet there may be a shared or box gutter (a gutter built into the roof rather than hung off the edge). Replacing your end can affect next door's, so talk to the neighbour early. Our box gutters page explains why they fail.
Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads
On the Bass Strait side, distance to the surf decides the gutter material as much as the roof. For eave gutters, downpipes and fascia, BlueScope recommends ZINCALUME and COLORBOND steel more than 200 m from salt marine influence and COLORBOND Ultra more than 100 m, so a house closer than that needs something rated for it.
Norlane, Corio, North Shore and East Geelong
Much of this housing dates from the 1950s on, and ASSEA lists asbestos cement gutters among old roofing products. On a house that age, check what the gutters and eaves lining are made of before anyone cuts, drills or rips old brackets out.
Repair or replace?
A single leaking join or a loose bracket is a repair. Rust holes you can see inside the gutter, sections that hold water after rain, or a run that has pulled away from the fascia all point to replacement. If the old gutters are galvanised under a COLORBOND or ZINCALUME roof, BlueScope warns they can corrode early and recommends steel gutters to match.
Once you're replacing the front of the house, it's often sensible to price the whole house. New gutter joined to old rarely looks right, and if the other side is the same age it may not be far behind. Ask for both prices and decide from there.
Questions for whoever quotes your Geelong gutters
- Which gutter profile are you quoting, and does it suit the age of my house?
- Is the fascia behind the gutter sound, or does it need replacing too?
- On a terrace, how will you join the new gutter to my neighbour's?
- Which material suits my distance from the water?
- Are new downpipes and taking the old gutters away included in the price?
Our take
If more than a couple of joins drip and you can see rust inside the gutter, we'd replace the run rather than keep patching. On an old timber house we'd always have the fascia checked at the same time, because it's cheaper to fix while the gutter is off. For a guide to shapes, see quad and half-round gutters, and for the job itself, gutter replacement.
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.