What sets Sunbury's roofs apart
The satellite town that stalled
Paynes Properties pitched Sunbury as a satellite town for 40,000 people, but the scheme collapsed after the 1961 credit squeeze. Houses on the Paynes estate, south-east of Gap Road and Elizabeth Drive, are mostly weatherboard and/or fibro cement.
Growth from the 1970s
Cheap land brought rapid growth from the 1970s, including the Goonawarra estate in the 1980s, and the Housing Commission built here in the early 1970s too. The population went from 5,099 in 1971 to 18,533 in 1991 and 33,062 in 2011.
Up in the foothills
Sunbury sits at 309 m on Jacksons Creek, in the foothills of the Macedon Ranges. Creek valleys and slopes mean some blocks need extra access gear for roof work.
Grass fire country
Hume City Council says Hume has a long history of fast-moving grass fires during the declared fire danger period, and asks residents to remove dead leaves and old branches.
Before anyone touches fibro or old roof sheeting
Asbestos Victoria says a home built or renovated before 1990 likely contains asbestos, in places like eaves, wall cladding, corrugated roof sheets and ridge capping. Don't drill, cut, sand or water-blast it, and don't walk on it. Using high pressure water on asbestos materials is illegal in every state, so a roof like that should never be pressure cleaned. Only a lab test confirms what it is.
The jobs most likely on a Sunbury roof
Asbestos roof and eave replacement on older homes, by people licensed to remove it. See asbestos roof replacement.
Restoration and rebedding on 1970s and 80s homes from the growth years, where the roof is sound but tired. See roof restoration in Melbourne.
Gutter clearing before the fire danger period, especially on the grassland edge. See gutter cleaning in Melbourne.
Our advice for Sunbury
If your home is on the Paynes estate or was built before 1990, we'd get a sample of the eaves or sheeting tested before asking for any roof quote. ASSEA reports that pressure cleaning asbestos roofs has led to clean-ups costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, so a test is cheap by comparison. For newer homes, it's gutters before summer and ridges before winter.
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.
