Roof leak repairs and roofing in Sydney, 24/7

Finding where the water gets in

Most leaks don't come in where the water drips. It runs along a batten or rafter first, sometimes a couple of metres, before it finds a way through the ceiling. So we go into the roof space, follow the water back to where it's getting in, and fix that spot.

We work on terracotta and concrete tiles, and on Colorbond® and corrugated iron. That covers houses, terraces, townhouses and small strata blocks.

Make-safe repairs

When it's raining, or the proper fix needs materials we don't have with us, we make the roof safe first. That might mean covering a cracked tile, sealing a rusted valley or a split gutter joint, or tarping the area so no more water gets in.

A make-safe is a temporary fix. Once the roof is dry we come back and do the permanent repair, and you get photos of both.

Signs your roof is leaking

• Brown or yellow stains on the ceiling or cornices
• Drips or puddles when it rains
• A damp, musty smell inside or in the roof space
• Mould on the ceiling or high up on walls
• Paint bubbling or peeling near the ceiling
• Cracked, slipped or missing tiles you can see from the street
• Rust or lifted screws on a metal roof

What usually causes it

• Cracked or slipped tiles, often after a storm, hail, or someone walking on the roof
• Cracked bedding cement under the ridge capping, or old, perished pointing
• Rusted flashings around chimneys, skylights, vents and walls
• Blocked valleys and gutters overflowing back under the tiles
• Rusted sheets or loose, worn screws on metal roofs
• Southerly storms driving rain sideways under the tiles

How the job works

1. You call usAny hour. We'll ask a few questions and tell you what to do until we arrive.
2. We make it safeIf it's raining or we need materials, we tarp or temporarily seal the spot to stop the water.
3. We find the causeWe check the roof and the roof space to see where it's actually coming in.
4. We do the permanent repairNew tiles, re-bedded ridges, new flashing or new sheets, depending on what we find.
5. You get photosBefore and after shots plus a short write-up. Your insurer will usually want these.

Roof Leak Repairs FAQs

What's included

• Leaves and sludge cleaned out of all gutters and box gutters by hand
• Rubbish bagged and taken away
• Every downpipe flushed and checked
• Gutter fall, joints, outlets and brackets checked
• A look over the roof: tiles, ridge capping, flashings and valleys
• Before and after photos sent to you

How often should gutters be cleaned?

For most Sydney homes, every 6 to 12 months. If you've got big trees nearby (gums, jacarandas, figs, plane trees) or you're close to the beach, it's more like every 3 to 6 months.

If you're near bushland, get them cleared before bushfire season. Dry leaves in a gutter can catch from embers.

Why it's worth doing

• Stops the overflows that cause roof and ceiling leaks
• Keeps water off fascias, eaves, walls and footings
• Gutters last longer when wet leaves aren't sitting in them rusting them out
• Fewer mosquitoes and nesting birds
• We often spot small roof problems while they're still cheap to fix

Gutter Cleaning FAQs

What happens when a gutter blocks

Water that can't get down the downpipe backs up. On a lot of houses it ends up running back under the roof edge and into the eaves or the ceiling. Box gutters on terraces are the worst for this, because when they overflow the water goes straight inside.

Quite a few of the ‘roof leaks’ we get called to turn out to be a blocked gutter or downpipe.

Signs of a blocked gutter

• Water spilling over the front of the gutter in rain
• Weeds or grass growing in the gutter
• Gutters sagging or pulling away from the fascia
• Stains or rot on the fascia boards and eaves
• Water pooling around the house
• Downpipes that gurgle or drain slowly
• Ceiling stains near the outside walls

What we do

• Clear leaves, sludge and rubbish out of gutters and box gutters by hand
• Unblock and flush downpipes, including packed-in blockages
• Fix leaking joints, corners, outlets and brackets
• Re-hang gutters that hold water because they've lost their fall
• Replace rusted or undersized gutters, box gutters and downpipes
• Fit gutter guards so it happens less often

Blocked Gutter Repairs FAQs

Signs it might be time for a new roof

• Leaks keep coming back, in different spots
• A lot of the tiles are cracked, porous or crumbling
• Metal sheets are rusted through
• The roof line has started to sag
• It's an original roof that's 50 or more years old and repairs aren't holding
• You're renovating or going up a storey
• There's asbestos sheeting, which has to come off with a licensed asbestos removalist

Roofing materials

• Colorbond® steel: light, tough and quick to put on, in plenty of colours. The usual choice for tile to metal
• Terracotta tiles: the classic Sydney roof. Lasts a very long time and the colour won't fade. Suits Federation and older homes
• Concrete tiles: a cheaper tiled roof, with a range of profiles and colours

How a re-roof works

1. Inspection and quoteWe look at the roof and frame and give you a free, itemised written quote with material options.
2. ApprovalsWe check whether the house is heritage listed or in a conservation area and whether you need approval.
3. Strip and check the frameThe old roof comes off in sections, and any frame repairs get done.
4. New roof goes onSarking and battens, then the new roof, flashings and ridges.
5. Gutters and clean-upNew gutters and downpipes if you need them, a full clean-up, and photos of the finished roof.

Roof Replacement FAQs

Tiling work we do

• Replacing cracked, broken and slipped tiles
• Matching tiles on older terracotta and concrete roofs
• Re-bedding and re-pointing ridge capping with flexible pointing
• Replacing old or torn sarking under the tiles
• Replacing rusted valley irons
• Replacing old and leaking skylights
• Hip and ridge repairs after storms
• Full re-tiles and re-roofs
• Roof restorations: clean, repair, re-point and coat concrete tiles

Re-pointing or re-bedding?

Ridge caps sit on bedding cement with pointing over the top. Re-pointing puts a fresh layer of flexible pointing over the old cement. That's fine when the cement underneath is still solid.

Re-bedding is the bigger job. We lift the caps, knock off the old cement, lay them on new bedding cement and then point them. If the cement is cracked or loose, re-pointing on its own won't last. We'll show you photos so you can see which one your roof needs.

Sarking replacement

Sarking is the sheet under the tiles. It catches any water that gets past them and carries it down to the gutter. Old sarking goes brittle and tears, and some older roofs never had any. We lift the tiles, lay new sarking and battens, and put the tiles back.

Valleys and skylights

Valleys are the metal channels where two roof slopes meet. They carry a lot of water, so when one rusts through the leak is usually a big one. We lift the tiles either side, put in a new valley iron and re-lay the tiles.

Most skylight leaks come from the flashing around the skylight, not the glass. We reseal or replace the flashing, and replace old or cracked skylights with new ones.

Terracotta and concrete tiles

Plenty of older Sydney houses still have their original terracotta tiles, especially Federation and inter-war homes. The tiles can last a hundred years. The ridges, valleys and flashings around them don't, so that's where most of our tiling work is. We use matching materials so the roof still looks the way it should.

Roof Tiling FAQs

Metal roof repairs

• Rust spots cleaned back and sealed before they rust through
• Rusted sheets replaced
• Loose and worn screws replaced
• Ridge capping and flashings replaced
• Leaks around vents, pipes and skylights fixed

New metal roofs

Colorbond® is light, strong and comes in plenty of colours. It's the usual choice when an old tiled roof gets replaced, and it suits a lot of renovations and extensions.

We take off the old roof, check the frame, put down sarking or an insulation blanket and battens where needed, then fix down the new sheets, ridges and flashings.

Gutters and downpipes

Gutters usually rust from the inside, where wet leaves have been sitting in them. We replace gutters, box gutters and downpipes in Colorbond® steel and set them with the right fall, so the water runs to the outlets instead of sitting in the gutter.

Flashings

Flashings seal the roof where it meets chimneys, walls and vents. When they rust or come loose, water gets in at the edges. We replace them in Colorbond® steel.

Whirlybirds

• Whirlybird roof vents fitted to tiled and metal roofs
• Broken or noisy whirlybirds replaced

Looking after a metal roof

Near the beach, salt speeds up rust, especially in spots the rain doesn't wash clean, like under overlaps and around gutters and flashings. A check every year or two catches rust while it's still just a spot.

Metal Roofing FAQs