What's different about Ringwood roofs
Roofs from several eras on one street
Subdivisions released over 1100 sites between 1924 and 1930, then 450 houses were built and occupied between 1946 and 1950. In the 1960s the orchards were sold off and building spread to Heathmont and North Ringwood. An inter-war roof and a 1960s one can sit side by side.
Mostly houses, with apartments growing
At the 2021 Census, 76.0% of Ringwood's occupied homes were separate houses and 13.0% flats or apartments. Apartments keep growing around Eastland and Ringwood Lake, where a nine-storey development was approved in 2009. In a block of flats, the roof is usually common property.
Flash flooding is on the list
VICSES says Maroondah gets riverine and flash flooding, including a significant event in February 2011, and names Ringwood and Ringwood East among its at-risk locations. It also warns there may be little time to respond, so gutters and downpipes need to be clear before the rain, not after.
A big storm in June 2021
When the storm of 9 to 10 June 2021 hit, VICSES took over 10,000 requests for help, and the Maroondah unit passed its average yearly total.
The jobs most likely to come up in Ringwood
Ridge rebedding on older tiled roofs. The mortar under the ridge caps (the rounded tiles along the top) cracks as it ages, and water gets in. Monier lists cracked ridge bedding as a common cause of leaks. Rebedding and repointing relays that mortar without touching the rest of the roof.
Gutters and downpipes before the wet months. With flash flooding a known risk, one blocked downpipe can push water back under the roof edge in minutes. A gutter clean and a check that every downpipe runs freely costs far less than a stained ceiling.
Changing roof material. Maroondah's permit guide lists swapping corrugated iron for Colorbond, or for concrete or terracotta tiles, as work that needs a building permit. The council calls its table a guide only, so have your roofer confirm with Maroondah before work starts.
If it were our roof in Ringwood
We'd start with the gutters and downpipes, then have the ridge lines checked while someone's up there anyway. If you're thinking of trading an old iron roof for Colorbond or tiles, get the permit question answered first. Send us the job and your postcode. Where we have a licence-checked roofer working in Ringwood, we'll pass it to that one roofer, and where we don't, we'll say so straight away.
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.
