Mona Vale at a glance
A surf beach
Mona Vale's main beach has several surf breaks, and The Basin to the north has a concentrated shore break popular with body boarders. Its listed elevation is about 10 metres.
An erosion hotspot
Northern Beaches Council says Basin Beach at Mona Vale is one of three beaches the NSW Government classes as coastal erosion hotspots, with Collaroy-Narrabeen and Bilgola.
Houses, units and townhouses
At the 2021 Census, 53.6% of occupied homes were separate houses, 29.1% were flats or apartments and 16.0% were semis or townhouses.
Greener to the west
NSW Government mapping puts Mona Vale's tree canopy in the 20 to 30% range, while neighbouring Bayview is in the 40 to 100% range.
Bush fire prone land
The NSW RFS says bush fire prone land covers most of the 52 suburbs in the Northern Beaches council area.
How close is too close to the surf?
The building code (NCC) sets minimum steel coatings by distance from breaking surf. Within 100 m it rates metallic-coated and painted steel as not suitable, and from 100 m to 200 m it calls for heavier AZ200 or AM150 coatings. BlueScope lines up with that: COLORBOND Ultra for severe marine sites, typically 100 to 200 m from breaking surf, and SUPERDURA Stainless within 100 m. Beyond 200 m, standard COLORBOND is fine.
If you're nearer Pittwater than the beach, it's less clear-cut. Pittwater isn't one of BlueScope's named examples, and its calm class covers protected salt water such as bays and estuaries, so have the roofer tell you which class they're applying to your address and why.
Gutters on the leafy side
Monier suggests cleaning gutters, downpipes and valleys at least once a year, twice in tree-lined areas. On bush fire prone land, the NSW RFS says gutter and valley leaf guards should be non-combustible and installed to AS 3959, so ask for that by name. Ember guards explains the options.
What you can do, and what to leave to a roofer
You can
- Hose salt off the eaves and walls from the ground now and then.
- Watch the gutters from the ground in heavy rain and note where they spill.
- Check your bush fire prone status with the RFS online tool or your Section 10.7 certificate.
Leave to a roofer
- Any work above gutter height.
- Checking screws, flashings and gutters for salt corrosion.
- Choosing and installing roofing or gutter guards suited to your distance from the surf.
Where we'd start in Mona Vale
If the house has been yours for a long time, we'd begin with a roof inspection and get the corrosion and gutter picture in writing. If you're re-roofing near the beach, we'd settle the product by measured distance before talking colour. Send us the job and postcode and we'll pass it to one licence-checked local roofer if we have one for Mona Vale; if we don't, we'll let you know straight 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.