What matters for gutters in Hobart
Storms that end in claims
Not all of that came through roofs, but gutters that overflow back into the eaves are one of the ways a storm gets inside a house.
Rust comes first near the water
Gutters hold water and wet leaves against thin steel, so they usually corrode before the roof does. Within 200 m of breaking surf or exposed water, BlueScope doesn't list Zincalume or Colorbond Classic. It lists Colorbond Ultra from 100 m and SUPERDURA Stainless closer in.
The Derwent below the bridge is exposed
BlueScope's coastal table puts the Derwent south of the Tasman Bridge in its exposed class, and Clifton Beach on the South Arm in surf. That covers Sandy Bay, Bellerive and Kingston, so gutters within 200 m of the shore there need the tougher steel. Upriver of the bridge isn't named, so have your roofer confirm it for your street.
Old cottages have their own shapes
On Battery Point cottages and Hobart's Georgian and Victorian homes, the gutter profile is part of the look. Lysaght's Ogee gutter, for example, has a scalloped profile it describes as suited to heritage homes. A good roofer can match the existing shape instead of fitting whatever's on the truck. See gutter profiles.
Repair or replace?
A leaking joint or one rusted corner can be patched. Rust along the whole run, gutters that hold water days after rain, or brackets pulling away from soft fascia boards mean it's time for new ones. If the fascia behind is rotten, it needs replacing at the same time. Our national page on gutter replacement walks through the job.
Gutters only work as well as the downpipes they feed. The building code says each downpipe may serve no more than 12 m of gutter, so a long run into one old downpipe will overflow however wide the gutter is.
What to ask before you agree to new gutters
- What size and profile are you quoting, and will it carry heavy rain off this roof?
- How many downpipes will there be, and are you adding any?
- Which steel or Colorbond product, and what distance from the water is it rated for?
- Is the fascia sound, and is fixing it included if it isn't?
- Will you match the profile on an older house?
- Is taking away the old gutters in the price, and what's your licence number?
Our take
If the gutters are going, we'd go up a size or add a downpipe while the scaffold or ladders are there, because Hobart's worst rain arrives fast. Match the steel to how far you are from the water, and on an old cottage, match the profile too. A cheap like-for-like swap just buys you the same overflow in the next big storm.
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.