What Newcastle roofs bring to a restoration
Federation and inter-war roof shapes
The Glebe Road cottages, a row of single-storey Federation homes built between 1909 and 1915, list pyramidal, hip and gable roofs as defining features. Hamilton South's garden suburb has detached bungalows and cottages from about 1913 to 1940. Restoring rather than replacing keeps those shapes intact.
Damp air and moss
Afternoon humidity at Nobbys averages 67%, and there are 92.2 rain days a year. That's good growing weather for moss and lichen. Monier says growth is more common on unglazed terracotta and only affects the surface, so it's a cleaning job rather than a sign the tiles are failing.
Salt near the beaches
Homes near Merewether, Bar Beach, Nobbys or Stockton's ocean side get salt spray. Monier says its concrete and terracotta tiles are salt safe and won't corrode, but metal fixings, flashings and gutters on the same roof may not be.
Heritage areas set the rules
City of Newcastle covers nine heritage conservation areas, including Cooks Hill, Cameron's Hill, Hamilton South and The Hill. In Cameron's Hill, terracotta tile and corrugated metal roofs are among the details the council wants kept, so restoring what's there sits more comfortably with those rules than switching material.
What a good restoration fixes
The ridges. Monier lists cracked cement mortar under the ridge and hip caps as a common leak cause, and says repairs should use modern flexible pointing. On a roof that's been through East Coast Low winds, this is usually the most important part. See rebedding and repointing.
Broken tiles. Swapped one for one, matched as closely as possible. On a heritage cottage, ask where the replacements are coming from.
Cleaning without damage. Monier advises against pressure washers on tiles, so ask how the roofer plans to clean. On a terracotta roof, Monier doesn't recommend painting, because the colour is fired in and painted terracotta needs ongoing recoating. Concrete tiles are different, and a coating can bring back their look. See terracotta roof restoration.
Restoration quotes that should worry you
- No NSW licence number on a quote worth more than $5,000, or a licence that doesn't cover roof tiling
- A deposit of more than 10 percent, which NSW law doesn't allow
- A plan to water-blast an older roof without first checking whether it's asbestos cement
- Painting a sound terracotta roof as the main selling point
Ask before you say yes
- Is the ridge being fully rebedded in flexible pointing, or only touched up?
- How many cracked tiles are you allowing for, and will they match?
- How will you clean off the moss without damaging the tiles?
- Is my street in a heritage conservation area, and does that change anything?
- If the price is over $20,000, when will I get the insurance certificate and contract?
If it were our cottage
If the tiles are sound, we'd restore rather than replace, and put the money into the ridges, broken tiles and a gentle clean. On terracotta we'd skip the paint. We'd book it for spring or summer, well clear of the wet May and June months. The national roof restoration page covers the process, and the Newcastle page explains the local conditions.
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.