Three Northern Beaches, roof-wise
The beachfront strip
Suburbs like Manly, Dee Why, Collaroy, Narrabeen, Mona Vale and Avalon Beach face the ocean. In June 2016 a storm left a row of houses on Pittwater Road at Collaroy without backyards and at risk of collapse, and waves over 5 m hit Collaroy again in February 2020. Council lists Collaroy-Narrabeen, Bilgola and Basin Beach at Mona Vale as erosion hotspots.
The bushland suburbs
The RFS names 10 areas of concern from North Head to Cottage Point, and the district averages 48 bush fires a year, with the season usually running October to March. In January 1994 a fire starting at Cottage Point destroyed 30 houses. Canopy in suburbs such as Belrose, Bayview and Allambie Heights is in the 40 to 100% range.
Slopes and cliffs
The RFS describes rugged headlands, sandstone sea cliffs and steep slopes, with land rising from sea level to 216 metres. Steep blocks make roof access harder and usually mean more safety gear on the job.
Who lives here
The area stayed rural until the 1960s, when better roads brought faster growth. At the 2021 Census, 57.3% of homes were separate houses, 33.4% flats or apartments and 8.8% semis or townhouses.
The job that usually comes first
On the beachfront it's corrosion and product choice. BlueScope names Manly beach as surf, and surf carries its strictest rules: standard COLORBOND beyond 200 m, COLORBOND Ultra beyond 100 m, and SUPERDURA Stainless closer in. Screws, flashings and gutters usually show salt damage before the sheets do, so that's where to have a roofer look.
In the bushland suburbs it's gutters and gaps. The RFS says 85% of houses lost in bushfires go from ember attack, and its building guidance calls for non-combustible roofing, sealed gaps, and non-combustible leaf guards installed to AS 3959. For homes already built that's a strong recommendation from the RFS rather than a legal requirement. Ember guards covers what to ask for.
On a lot of 1960s to 1980s homes, the roof or eaves may hide asbestos. NSW says a house built before 1990 probably has asbestos-containing materials somewhere.
Before anyone cleans or cuts an older roof
If your roof, eaves or gutters might be asbestos cement, don't drill, cut, water-blast or walk on them. Have a sample tested first. Is my roof asbestos? explains how to tell and what to do next.
Where we'd start on the Beaches
Work out which of the three you are. Beachfront: get the fixings and gutters checked for salt and pick any new metal by measured distance. Bushland: clear gutters before October and ask about non-combustible guards. Older house: test for asbestos before anyone cleans or cuts. Then tell us the job and your postcode. If we have a licence-checked roofer for your part of the Beaches, they alone will get it, and if we don't, you'll hear that from us 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.