Roof replacement and re-roofing, North Shore
Roof patched again, and still leaking?
Another storm, another bucket in the hallway, and another repair that held until the next one. When the sheets are rusted through or the tiles have had it, patching only buys time. We look at the whole roof and tell you straight whether to fix it or replace it.
- No charge to measure up a new roof
- Our own roof plumbers, not subcontractors
- Upfront pricing, agreed before we start
- Licenced and insured, licence 227192C
Sound familiar?
- "We've had it patched three times and it still leaks." Each repair fixes one spot. When the whole roof is going, the water just finds the next one.
- "The sheets are rusted through." Rust streaks, pinholes and screws rusted into the sheet. Once an old iron roof gets to that point, there is nothing sound left to patch.
- "The tiles are cracked and the pointing is falling out." An old tile roof reaches a point where every repair costs more than the last.
- "The house is an oven in summer." A tired tile roof holds heat into the night. New metal with insulation straight under the sheet does not.
What happens if you leave it
Water in the roof space soaks the insulation, stains and cracks the ceiling, and rots the battens and rafters. A ceiling that stays wet long enough comes down.
The longer it goes, the more of the frame has to be replaced along with the roof.
How it goes
Looked at, priced, replaced, cleaned up
- Book a site visit. No charge to measure up a new roof. If water is coming in now, ring us and we will make it safe first.
- Repair or replace, a straight answer. We go up on the roof and tell you whether a repair will hold or the roof is done, with photos so you can see what we saw.
- You get the price and a program. Removal, frame repairs, the new roof, flashings, gutters and downpipes, all in the quote. About a week for an average house.
- Off and on in sections. The roof is opened a section at a time and covered with tarpaulins overnight, so the house stays dry and lived in. The old roof goes away and the yard is left clean.
One of our jobs
A leaking roof, past patching, replaced
Repair it or replace it? A straight answer
A roof that can be repaired should be. We will tell you when it cannot.
When a repair is right
- The damage is in one place: a cracked tile, a lifted flashing, a rusted valley
- The rest of the roof is sound
- It has not been patched before for the same leak
When it is time to replace it
- Rust is through the sheets across the roof, not in one spot
- The tiles are cracking and porous all over
- It has been patched and keeps leaking somewhere new
- The battens or the frame under it are failing
Our favourite job
Tile to Colorbond
Taking off a tired tile roof and putting on Colorbond changes the look of a house straight away, and it performs better in our weather.
- Cooler than tiles, and it does not hold heat into the night
- Insulation goes straight under the sheet
- Lighter on the frame than tiles
- No bedding and pointing to maintain
- If you tire of the colour, it can be resprayed
Before you book
What people ask us
What will it cost?
It depends on the size and pitch of the roof, what comes off and what goes on. There is no charge to measure up, and you get the price in writing before anything starts. Upfront pricing, agreed before we start.
What is in the price?
Removing and disposing of the old roof, frame repairs where they are needed, the new roof, flashings, valleys and ridges, and the gutters and downpipes. Leaf guard, skylights and tank connections if you want them.
Do we have to move out?
No. The roof comes off a section at a time and is covered overnight and whenever the weather turns, so you stay in the house the whole time.
What if you find rot under the old roof?
You cannot see the battens and rafters until the roof is off. If we find rot or termite damage, we stop, show you, and price it before carrying on.
Roofs on the North Shore since 2007
Our job records run from 2016. Since then we have done more than 30 re-roofs, from a rusted skillion over a side passage to whole houses taken from tile to Colorbond. Licenced roof plumbers, contractor licence 227192C.
From our Google reviews
Ewan did what 3 other roof plumbers failed to achieve and sealed a leak in our roof!
Glenn Crouch, Google reviewSTS have managed both my home and business renovations and fixed roofing leaks in severe weather and they have never leaked again.
Bridget Knox, Google reviewAlways replied to emails and texts, were good at communicating timings. Knowledgeable and easy to speak with. Great local business.
Tia H., Google reviewTired of chasing leaks? Book a site visit.
No charge to measure up. We tell you whether to repair or replace, and give you the price before we start.
Common questions about roof replacement
How does quoting a roof replacement work?
For a replacement we come and measure it up, and there is no charge for that visit. Chasing down an existing leak is different work, because finding it can take a while and it is skilled time rather than a measure-up. Leak investigation starts from $440, and that buys you a proper look rather than a guess from the ground.
How long does a roof replacement take?
An average house is about a week. A complicated roof, or one where we find something underneath, takes longer and we will tell you before we start rather than partway through.
Can we live in the house while the roof is off?
Yes. The roof is opened in sections and covered with tarpaulins overnight and whenever the weather turns, so the house stays dry and lived in.
What happens if it rains?
We plan around the forecast and the tarpaulins do the rest. Severe weather can still slow a job down, and in a bad storm a small amount of water can find its way in. We would rather say that up front than pretend it never happens.
I have been given a cheap quote. What should I watch for?
A poorly laid roof copes with ordinary rain and fails in the storm that matters, by which time the money is spent. The tell-tale signs are misaligned screws, rough cuts between sheets, flashings that do not sit down properly, and a quote that does not say what happens to the old roof.
Can I do some of the work myself to save money?
Not the roof itself. Working at heights is covered by Work Health and Safety law and it is our licence and our insurance on the line, so the roof work is ours from start to finish.
What can go wrong once you open it up?
The two we see are rot in timbers that nobody could see under the old roof, and termites. Neither is common but both are possible, and if we find either we stop, show you, and price it before carrying on.
What warranty do I get on a new roof?
There are two warranties on most jobs and they are not the same length. The workmanship is ours and we stand behind it: if something is not right after we have left, ring us and we come back and put it right at our cost. The product warranty comes from whoever made the material, and that varies a great deal depending on what goes in. Because the two differ job to job, we set both out in your quote rather than advertise one number that would be wrong half the time.
Do you subcontract the work?
No. Our own trained staff do it. If a job genuinely needs another trade we will tell you who and why.
Word gets around
Neighbours telling neighbours. Give us a call and spread the word.
Thinking about a new roof?
Book a site visit. We will go up on the roof, tell you whether it is worth repairing, and come back with a price to replace it. No charge to measure up.
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm.
A photo of the roof, and of any stain on the ceiling inside, helps us see it before we arrive.