Coogee's roofs, block by block
Mostly apartments
At the 2021 Census, 79.9% of Coogee's occupied homes were flats or apartments and 54.5% were rented. Free-standing houses made up just 10.6%.
Art Deco and older
By the 1920s and 1930s, villas and terraced gardens were giving Coogee an Art Deco feel, and many of its heritage-listed houses date from the nineteenth century.
Berwick Street's Marseilles tiles
Randwick City Council describes the mid-1920s Berwick Estate houses as excellent Inter-war examples, with Marseilles terracotta roof tiling and dark brick and stone. After a demolition proposal and an interim heritage order in 2022, two were listed as heritage items in December 2023.
Listed houses
Heritage-listed homes include Ocean View, a two-storey Federation mansion built in 1916 on Alison Road, and Roslyn, a large Italianate house in Arcadia Street.
A surf beach in a bay
Coogee Beach has its own surf club at the southern end. BlueScope's examples don't name Coogee, so ask your roofer which coastal class applies before choosing steel.
The jobs that come up in Coogee
Strata roof repairs. In an apartment block, a ceiling leak goes through the strata. Report it to your strata manager with photos, and ask for a roofer's written findings, not just a patch. Roof leak repair in Sydney explains how leaks are traced.
Keeping original terracotta. Monier says terracotta's colour is fired in and won't fade, and that it can give more than a century of service. Broken tiles can be replaced one at a time, and reclaimed tiles can help match an older profile.
Gutters and fixings in sea air. BlueScope says gutters, downpipes and fascia in standard Colorbond should be more than 200 m from salt marine influence, and Colorbond Ultra more than 100 m.
What to ask before work on a Coogee roof
- Are you quoting for the strata or for me, and who approves the work?
- Can the broken tiles be matched, and where will they come from?
- Is the building heritage listed, or in a conservation area?
- Which steel grade suits our distance from the beach?
Our view on Coogee roofs
If your house still has its 1920s terracotta, we'd repair it tile by tile rather than replace it. In an apartment block, we'd ask the strata to have one roofer inspect the whole roof and report back with photos, then fix the cause instead of the stain.
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.