What sits under Marrickville's roofs
A valley on the Cooks River
Most of Marrickville lies in a valley in the Cooks River basin, on the river's northern bank. The Gumbramorra swamp on its eastern edge was only drained in the 1890s. On low ground, gutters, downpipes and the pipes that carry roof water away deserve as much attention as the tiles.
Housing built in a hurry for brickworkers
From the late 1880s, market gardens became brick pits. By 1888 Johnston Brothers alone was turning out up to 300,000 bricks a week, and big estates were cut up quickly into cheap housing for the workers. Many of those cottages are small, close together and well over a century old.
Terraces next door to bungalows
Older terraces stand beside Federation bungalows on the same street, while units and townhouses fill old factory and service station sites. At the 2021 Census, 18.5% of homes were terraces, semis or townhouses and 47.2% were flats or apartments.
Slate in the Porter's Brickworks Estate
This heritage conservation area, between Wardell Road and Marrickville Park, was subdivided off the old brickworks in 1928. Inner West Council says many of its bungalows keep their original slate roofs and chimney detailing. It calls one 'scalped' roof, rebuilt as a lower hip, effectively irreversible.
The roof jobs Marrickville homes need most
Slate repairs rather than slate removal. Refixing slipped or cracked slates and renewing the flashings around chimneys keeps an old roof working. The NSW Government's heritage inspection schedule gives slate a life expectancy of 50+ years and suggests a check every 7 years. Slate and heritage roofs covers what that work involves.
Terrace roofs that meet at the party wall. On a row, your roof joins your neighbour's, so water that shows up in your ceiling can start on their side. A quick word over the fence before the roofer arrives saves time.
Restoring tiled bungalows. Where the tiles themselves are sound, a restoration is usually better value than a new roof. See roof restoration in Sydney.
Approval before a re-roof. NSW lets some roof tile and sheeting replacement go ahead as exempt development, but that doesn't apply in heritage conservation areas. Check with Inner West Council before you change materials.
Real slate, or asbestos cement?
Not every grey 'slate' roof is slate. Asbestos cement slates about 4 mm thick were made in Australia from the late 1800s to the 1980s, often to copy the look of real slate, and only a NATA accredited lab test can confirm what you have. Until you know, nobody should cut, drill, water-blast or walk on it.
Questions to ask a Marrickville roofer
- Is this natural slate, and how can you tell?
- Where will matching slates or tiles come from?
- Is my house in a heritage conservation area, and does this job need council approval?
- Which NSW licence do you hold for this work: roof slating, roof tiling or roof plumbing?
What we'd do with a Marrickville roof
If your house still has its original slate, we'd keep it and pay for repairs, not a new roof. Have the slates, chimney flashings and gutters checked in one visit, with photos of anything that needs work. If you're in a heritage area, we'd ring Inner West Council before signing anything that changes how the roof looks from the street.
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.