Wantirna at a glance
One main building wave
Wantirna was known as Bayswater West until 1913. Orchards spread after subdivision in the early 1900s and a cool store opened in 1919. In the 1970s, brick veneer houses on curved streets replaced the remaining orchards.
Family-sized homes
At the 2021 Census, 90.3% of occupied homes were separate houses and 49.0% had four or more bedrooms. There were virtually no flats.
Creek and bushland
The suburb sits on Dandenong Creek. Koomba Park, a large native bushland park opened in 1982, runs between the creek and EastLink.
Flood risk
VICSES lists Wantirna and Wantirna South as Knox flood-risk locations in its Blind Creek catchment guide, after riverine and flash flooding that included a significant flood in February 2011.
The decisions Wantirna owners face
Restore or replace. A roof from the 1970s has had decades of sun, wind and rain. If the tiles are still sound, a roof restoration swaps broken tiles, rebeds and repoints the ridges and can add a coating. If tiles are cracking right across the roof, the money is better spent on a new roof.
Rule out asbestos first. EPA Victoria says homes built before 1990 are likely to have some asbestos, and ASSEA lists roof sheeting, ridge capping, gutters and eaves among the places to look outside. Only a lab test confirms it, and pressure cleaning asbestos is illegal, so test before anyone starts.
Thinking of Colorbond? Going from tiles to metal is more than like-for-like repair, and Victoria's building regulations only exempt repairs that use materials commonly used for the same purpose. Ask Knox or your roofer whether you'll need a building permit before you sign.
Restore or replace a 1970s tiled roof?
| Restore | Replace | |
|---|---|---|
| Makes sense when | Tiles are sound and it's the mortar, colour and moss letting you down | Tiles are cracking or porous across the roof |
| Permit | Usually not needed for like-for-like work | Can be needed if the material changes |
Our view on Wantirna roofs
We'd get one honest inspection with photos before choosing between restoration and replacement, and ask the roofer to show you the cracked tiles rather than just tell you. If the house is pre-1990, settle the asbestos question first. When you're ready, send us the job: we'll pass it to one licence-checked roofer covering Wantirna if we have one, and be straight with you if we don't.
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.
