The storms behind Newcastle's roof repairs
April 2015: 30 hours of gales
Gusts reached 135 km/h at Newcastle and Norah Head, described as the highest April gusts ever recorded in NSW, and gale-force winds blew along the coast for about 30 hours. More than 250 houses across the Hunter suffered major damage or were destroyed.
June 2007: wind, then water
The Pasha Bulker storm brought a 124 km/h gust and 164.6 mm of rain in six hours. Around 10,000 Newcastle properties flooded. That matters for repairs, because Moneysmart says flood has its own definition and may be excluded from a policy, while storm damage usually isn't.
June 2016: another winter low
Storms on 3 to 5 June 2016 brought gusts up to 125 km/h in Newcastle and Sydney. A storm like that is a hard test for any roof that was only patched after the last one.
Heritage streets need the right materials
In Cameron's Hill, the council lists corrugated metal and terracotta tile roofs among the details to retain, and Cooks Hill has its own rules for parapets and mansard roofs. A July 2023 NSW fact sheet says roof repairs can be exempt development, but not in heritage conservation areas, so check with council before changing materials.
How wind gets into a roof
Tiles lift at the edges and ridges first. Monier says storm-damaged tiles can be replaced one at a time, and that tiles are clipped to battens and ridge caps held with flexible pointing so they cope with high winds. If your ridge caps sit on old cement mortar that's cracking, strong wind can shift them. See ridge capping repairs.
Metal sheets peel back where screws have rusted or worked loose, usually at the edges and laps. Once one sheet lifts, the wind gets under the next.
Flashings, the metal strips sealing joins at walls and chimneys, can bend or pull out, and wind-driven rain then gets in sideways. These are often the hardest leaks to spot.
Once the storm has passed
Look, don't climb
Check from the ground and from inside. Look for gaps in the roofline, tiles in the garden, and stains on ceilings.
Tell your insurer before spending
Moneysmart says to contact your insurer as soon as practical and talk to them before paying for temporary repairs. Many insurers can arrange a tarp. For storm emergencies, call the SES on 132 500.
Watch out for storm chasers
The Insurance Council of Australia warns about people knocking on doors after storms, often unlicensed, offering quick fixes or saying they represent an insurer. In NSW, roof work worth more than $5,000 needs a licensed contractor and a written contract.
Questions for a Newcastle roofer
- What's your NSW licence number, and does it cover roof tiling or roof plumbing, whichever my roof needs?
- Can you photograph and write up the storm damage for my insurer?
- Will you clip or screw the surrounding tiles or sheets, not just replace the broken ones?
- Is my house in a heritage conservation area, and will the repair use matching materials?
- If the job tops $5,000, will I get a written contract?
Our take
We'd get the roof watertight within days of a storm, insurer first, and then have the whole roof checked, not just the obvious damage, because a low that lifts one row often loosens the next. If the same roof keeps failing in every winter low, the national roof repairs page helps you decide when to stop patching, and the Newcastle page covers the local background.
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.