Ivanhoe's roofs, and what shapes them
Built between the wars
Victorian Places dates Ivanhoe's main residential growth to 1910 to 1930, with the outer streets filling after the war. A.V. Jennings built its first estate, Beaumont, on Melcombe Road in 1938, and Beauview in 1941.
Marseilles terracotta
In the Ivanhoe Views estate (HO118), built mostly in the 1930s, Banyule's guidelines describe hipped and gabled Marseilles terracotta roofs with tall chimneys dominating the streets.
What doesn't fit
The same guidelines list cement roof tiles, and corrugated galvanised iron or zincalume, as materials that aren't complementary to the estate.
Trees and slopes
Views from the estate take in the heavily treed slopes rising to Upper Heidelberg Road, and the old town hall sits on a hilltop. Banyule puts tree protection overlays on all its residential areas.
A mix of homes
At the 2021 Census, 52.8% of occupied homes were separate houses, 22.2% townhouses and 24.6% flats. Ivanhoe West has Housing Commission dwellings.
The jobs that suit an Ivanhoe roof
Terracotta repairs. On an interwar roof, the usual work is replacing cracked tiles with matching Marseilles profiles, rebedding and repointing the ridges, and checking the valleys and the flashings around those tall chimneys. See terracotta roof restoration.
In a heritage overlay, a planning permit is needed for works that change a building's appearance or don't use the same materials, so keep it terracotta and confirm with Banyule first.
Gutters under trees. On leafy streets, gutters and valleys fill quickly. If a tree over your roof needs trimming, check Banyule's permit rules before anyone cuts. See gutter cleaning in Melbourne.
Quotes that should make you pause
- Replacing terracotta with concrete tiles or bare metal on a heritage-overlay house, with no mention of council
- A full replacement recommended when only a handful of tiles are cracked
- No mention of chimney flashings on a roof with tall chimneys
- An offer to cut back a protected tree as part of the roof job
Where we'd start in Ivanhoe
Keep the terracotta and fix what's around it. On most interwar roofs we'd rather see broken tiles matched, ridges rebedded and chimney flashings redone than a new roof. If a replacement really is needed, we'd keep it in terracotta and stay on the right side of the heritage 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.
