Thomastown's homes and history
Post-war growth
Thomastown stayed farmland until Melbourne spread after World War II. An ex-service housing cooperative at Lalor, 2 km north, formed in 1947, housing soon followed in Thomastown, and new schools opened in 1961, 1962 and 1971.
Three-bedroom family houses
At the 2021 Census, 84.3% of occupied homes were separate houses and 62.9% had three bedrooms. 42.7% were owned outright.
Built by migrants
After the German settlers of the 1850s, most later arrivals were Italian, Greek and Macedonian, and manufacturing grew through the 1960s and 1970s.
Westgarthtown's bluestone
Ziebells Farm on Gardenia Road dates from the early 1850s and is on the Victorian Heritage Register. Its bluestone farmhouse has a steeply pitched hipped roof, and its barn a hipped roof of iron shingles.
Storm season
The City of Whittlesea lists strong winds, flash flooding, large hail and lightning as storm hazards, and asks residents to clear gutters and downpipes and trim branches near the house before storms.
Common jobs on an original Thomastown roof
Repair, restore or replace. If the tiles are mostly sound, rebedding the ridges and swapping broken tiles may carry the roof for years. If it leaks in several places, read up on restoration versus replacement before spending on coatings.
Asbestos. EPA Victoria says houses built before 1990 are likely to contain some asbestos. Eaves, garage roofs and backyard sheds from the 1950s to 1970s are worth checking before any work, and shouldn't be drilled, cut or water-blasted.
Gutters and downpipes. Original gutters can rust through at the joins and corners, and once they do, replacement is worth pricing. See gutter replacement in Melbourne.
What you can check, and what to leave
You can
- Look over the roof from the street with binoculars for slipped or broken tiles
- Check ceilings and eaves for stains after heavy rain
- Keep downpipe outlets and stormwater grates clear at ground level
Leave to a roofer
- Anything at height, including gutters on a two-storey house
- Any sheeting, eaves or shed roof that might be asbestos cement
- Work on a heritage-listed Westgarthtown building
What we'd do in Thomastown
If you've owned the house for decades, get one thorough inspection and a written list of what the roof needs now and what can wait. That way you can spread the cost, and nobody talks you into a full restoration the roof doesn't need.
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.
