North Lakes in brief
Planned from scratch
Lend Lease and Lensworth started North Lakes on a 1,000-hectare site in April 1999, with 8,500 houses projected. Stockland took over Lensworth in 2004, and North Lakes became its own suburb in 2006.
Designed around the sun
A 1999 agreement with CSIRO committed the developers to sustainable building, including solar passive houses oriented to the sun.
Pine plantation first
The land carried slash pine from the 1970s until the last harvest in 1994 and 1995.
Mostly houses
At the 2021 Census, 84.9% of occupied homes were separate houses. North Lakes had 23,030 people and a median age of 35.
What North Lakes homeowners usually ask about
Is it a defect or wear? Under Queensland's home warranty scheme, water getting into a home counts as a structural defect, covered if you first notice it within 6 years and 6 months of cover starting. Non-structural defects have a much shorter window: they must show up within 6 months of the work being substantially complete.
Homes past their cover. Houses from the early 2000s are well outside that window, so keeping the roof right is now the owner's job: valleys, flashings, sealant around penetrations and gutters. A roof inspection in Brisbane every few years catches small things early.
Solar on the roof. Rooftop solar is self-assessable building work in Queensland, but the panels still need to suit the roof. On steel, BlueScope recommends clearance commonly more than about 75 mm above the ribs so the area underneath can dry. Leaks around mounts are covered in our solar panel leak guide.
Repainting a newer steel roof. Overpainting COLORBOND voids BlueScope's warranty, and air-dried paint weathers differently from the factory finish. On a young roof, it's rarely worth it. See roof painting in Brisbane if you're weighing it up.
Our take for North Lakes
Keep the paperwork: contract, completion date and home warranty certificate. If a leak shows up in a younger home, we'd put it to the builder in writing before paying anyone else. For an older home, we'd book an inspection every few years and clear the gutters before summer storms.
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.