Springvale's roofs, decade by decade
An early-1960s boom
Victorian Places dates Springvale's clearest post-war growth to the early 1960s, with rapid building after that. Planned estates with formed roads and services replaced the earlier unserviced subdivisions.
Springvale South, a little younger
Springvale South is described as a suburb of the 1960s and 1970s, so its roofs can be a little younger than those nearer the station.
Still mostly family houses
At the 2021 Census, 69.4% of occupied homes were separate houses and 48.2% had three bedrooms, the classic post-war layout. 39.2% were rented and 31.7% owned outright.
Where the water goes
Greater Dandenong applies a Special Building Overlay where storm water runs overland once underground drains are full. Melbourne's heavy showers also tend to fall in narrow bands over the south-eastern suburbs, which is hard on gutters and downpipes.
Restore or replace a 1960s roof?
| Restore | Replace | |
|---|---|---|
| Makes sense when | Most tiles are sound and the trouble is ridge mortar, moss, a faded coating and the odd cracked tile | Tiles are cracking right across the roof, the battens are tired, or it leaks in several places |
| Watch for | A coating sold as the cure for a roof that's already finished | Asbestos in old sheeting, eaves or flues, which changes the job and the price |
Other jobs worth knowing about
Gutters and downpipes. Gutters that have been up since the 1960s may be rusting at the joins or too small for a sharp storm. If water pours over the front edge in heavy rain, ask a roofer to check the fall, the outlets and the downpipes. See gutter replacement in Melbourne.
Asbestos. Homes built before 1990 are likely to have some asbestos in them, according to EPA Victoria. If your eaves, a carport roof or an old shed are fibre-cement, have them identified before anyone cuts, drills or water-blasts. Our asbestos guide covers what to look for.
Ridge capping. On tiled roofs, the mortar holding the ridge caps usually lets go first. More on rebedding and repointing.
If it were our Springvale roof
Get one roofer to look at the whole roof and tell you honestly how much life is left in the tiles. If they're sound, a restoration is good value. If they're cracking everywhere, we'd put the restoration money towards a new roof instead, and we'd want any asbestos sorted before anyone starts.
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.
