What does each job actually fix?
A restoration works on the parts that wear out on a roof that's otherwise fine. A roofer cleans it, swaps broken tiles, rebeds and repoints the ridge capping (relaying the mortar that holds the caps down, then sealing over it) and usually finishes with a coating. On metal, it's rust treatment, fresh screws where the old ones have failed, and a recoat.
A replacement strips the old covering off and starts again: battens where needed, new sarking (the membrane under the roof), new tiles or sheets, flashings and often gutters. It's the only real fix when the covering itself is the problem.
What a restoration can't do is make a failing tile or a rusted-through sheet sound again. Monier, the tile maker, says respraying a roof is aesthetic only and won't repair it, and that repainting concrete tiles does nothing for their waterproofing.
Signs the covering is still worth keeping
- Leaks trace back to the ridge, a valley or a handful of cracked tiles, not the whole roof
- Tiles look faded or mossy but aren't crumbling, and they've only cracked where someone walked
- Metal has surface rust or a chalky, faded coating, but no holes letting light through
- The roof line is straight when you look along it from the street
- You like the material and look, so there's no other reason to change it
Signs you're past restoring
- Tiles cracking, flaking or going soft all over, not just in one patch
- Metal rusted through in several places, or rust running along every lap and screw line
- Leaks that come back after each repair, and in different rooms
- A sagging roof line, which points to the frame rather than the tiles or sheets
- Repair quotes that keep arriving every winter and adding up
Asbestos cement roofs are a different decision
If the roof is old cement sheeting on a house built or renovated before 1990, it might be asbestos, and an ordinary restoration is off the table because it starts with a pressure clean. ASSEA, the national asbestos agency, says putting high-pressure water on asbestos materials is illegal in every state. Nobody should clean, cut or walk on that roof until it's been tested. Our guides on whether your roof is asbestos and painting an asbestos roof explain what's possible.
How long will each option give you?
Published lifespans vary a lot, so treat them as rough guides. The NSW Government's heritage maintenance schedule puts terracotta roof coverings at around 40 years and steel roofs at 20 to 40 years, while Monier says terracotta often gives more than a century of service. Both can be true, because a good tile outlasts the mortar, sarking and flashings around it.
A restoration resets the parts that wear first, and the coating comes with its own warranty. That's a coating warranty, not a roof warranty. Dulux, for example, offers up to 15 years on some Acratex systems, depending on the product and on a professional applying it, and it covers the coating rather than the tiles or sheets underneath.
If you're staying for many years and the roof is borderline, replacing usually makes more sense. If you're selling soon and the covering is sound, a restoration presents well for a fraction of the cost.
What paperwork comes with each?
Restoration is repair and maintenance. Victoria's Building Regulations exempt that kind of work from a building permit when it uses materials commonly used for the job and doesn't affect the structure, and Tasmania treats like-for-like repairs as low-risk work with no council notification.
Changing material is another matter. The City of Monash in Victoria says swapping tiles for Colorbond isn't like-for-like and needs a building permit. In WA, Building and Energy says a covering of a different weight or shape will likely need one, and in the ACT replacing a roof needs building approval.
Weight matters for safety too. Building and Energy found that in Perth about half the roofs lost in storms were lightweight metal that had replaced heavy tile or asbestos roofing, so a lighter new roof needs its tie-downs checked. A bigger job also tends to cross the dollar thresholds where states require a written contract, cap the deposit and require home warranty insurance. Our guide to roofing quotes sets those out state by state.
Restore or replace, side by side
| Restoration | Replacement | |
|---|---|---|
| What it fixes | Ridge mortar, broken tiles, rust spots, a faded coating, moss | The lot, including a worn-out covering, sarking and battens |
| What it can't fix | Tiles or sheets failing right across the roof | Sagging in the frame, which needs its own assessment |
| Permit | Usually none for like-for-like repairs | Often needed if the material changes |
| Suits | A sound roof that just looks tired | A roof at the end of its life, or a change of material |
How to make the call, step by step
Find out what's up there
Note the roof material and roughly when the house was built or last re-roofed. If it's cement sheeting from before 1990, treat it as possible asbestos and get it tested before anything else happens.
Look from the ground
With binoculars, look for cracked or slipped tiles, rust lines, sagging and heavy moss. Check the ceilings inside for stains. Stay off the roof itself.
Get it inspected, with photos
A roofer can walk the roof safely, lift a few tiles or check the screws and laps, and tell you whether the covering is sound. Ask for photos of what they found.
Think about timing
Weigh how long you'll stay, whether you want a new look or material, and whether solar panels are going on.
What you can check, and what needs a roofer
You can
- Find out when the house was built or last re-roofed
- Look over the roof from the ground with binoculars
- Check ceilings for water stains after rain
- Try our restore or replace tool to see which way it leans
- Ask for both options in writing
Leave to a roofer
- Walking the roof and checking tiles, screws and laps
- Deciding whether the covering is sound
- Any cleaning, coating or rebedding
- Asbestos sampling, through a licensed removalist or assessor
- Checking tie-downs when the material is changing
Where we'd land
If the roofer's photos show a sound covering and the trouble is at the ridge, the valleys or the coating, we'd restore and keep the difference. If tiles are breaking all over, metal is rusting through in several places, or the roof is asbestos cement, we'd stop spending on it and replace. And if a restoration salesperson can't say which tiles they'll swap and why, we'd get a second opinion before paying any deposit.
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.