Hornsby's roof conditions
The Bushland Shire
In September 2023 the Mayor said Hornsby Shire is among the most bushfire prone areas in Australia, with nearly 20,000 properties in areas mapped as Bush Fire Prone, 34% of the Shire.
Gums on the ridges
Timber-getters first came for the blue gums and ironbarks along Hornsby's ridges. Today many streets west of the railway still have bushy surrounds close to regional and national parks.
Federation streets
The Roberts family's Mount Errington subdivision grew into a prestige estate of Federation style houses; Birklands, built in 1902 in Dural Street, is heritage-listed. Hornsby West Side is one of six heritage conservation areas in Hornsby's local environmental plan.
Rain and hail
Storms that began on 12 February 2010 dropped 88 mm on Hornsby in one hour. On 21 January 1991, hail up to 7 cm caused significant property damage across the Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai and former Warringah council areas, damaging more than 7,000 houses.
Apartments by the line
At the 2021 Census, 59.1% of occupied homes in Hornsby were flats or apartments and 35.3% were separate houses, with high-rise built next to the railway in recent years.
Getting a Hornsby roof ready for fire and storms
Embers first. For bush fire prone properties, the NSW RFS points to non-combustible, properly sealed roofing, non-combustible gutter and valley guards installed to AS 3959, and avoiding box gutters. Its guide to upgrading existing homes suggests sealing gaps over 3 mm or covering them with mesh of no more than 2 mm aperture in steel, bronze or aluminium. See ember guards.
Gutters that can take a cloudburst. When 88 mm can fall in an hour, a half-blocked gutter or valley overflows into the eaves. Clear them before summer storms and after the big autumn leaf drop. If water pours through the ceiling in heavy rain, read roof leaking in heavy rain.
Keep the Federation roof. Federation houses were often roofed in terracotta or slate, and both can last a long time with repairs. The NSW Government's heritage inspection schedule gives terracotta a life expectancy of 40 years and slate 50 or more, with inspections every 7 years. Talk to council before changing the material in a conservation area. More on slate and heritage roofs.
If we lived in Hornsby
We'd find out first whether the house is on bush fire prone land, because that decides the gutter guard, the sealing and what goes under any new roof. On a Federation home, we'd repair the original terracotta or slate rather than replace it, and check with council before any change you'd notice from the street. Send us the details and your postcode: one licence-checked roofer for Hornsby gets the job if we have one, and if we don't, we'll say so right 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.