What Wahroonga roofs live with
Mansions, Federation houses and a few cottages
The suburb took off after the railway reached Milsons Point in 1893: grand mansions and big Federation houses for the well off, and small, mostly weatherboard cottages for the people who worked for them. Few cottages survive. Infill spread out from the station from the 1920s right through to 1980.
Roofs designed by architects
Heritage listings include Highlands (1891), John Horbury Hunt's timber house in the Shingle Style, Purulia (1913) and the Rose Seidler House (1948 to 1950). Roofs like these need a roofer who has worked on similar ones.
Gums, bush and heavy rain
Wahroonga keeps a bushland setting through its streets, and a patch of Blue Gum High Forest survives at The Glade. Nearby Turramurra averages about 1,400 mm of rain a year, among the highest in Sydney.
The January 1991 storm
On 21 January 1991, winds reached 145 km/h and 37.5 mm of rain fell in six minutes at Fox Valley. The same day, hail up to 7 cm fell from Warrawee and Turramurra to Duffys Forest, damaging more than 7,000 houses.
What Ku-ring-gai's heritage controls say about roofs
- Slate roofs are conserved, repaired and kept wherever possible, and fully replaced only when necessary.
- Profiled terracotta, slate and other original materials are appropriate. Replica flat slate and concrete tiles aren't permitted.
- Where concrete tiles replaced the originals, council encourages going back to unglazed terracotta Marseilles.
- Chimneys stay. Street-facing dormers and 'pop-top' roofs visible from the street don't, and skylights must sit low and flush.
- On original buildings, new roofing matches the old in texture, pattern and colour.
The jobs most likely on a Wahroonga roof
Repairs to slate and terracotta. The NSW heritage inspection schedule gives terracotta roofing a life expectancy of 40 years and slate 50+, with a check every 7 years. A roofer who knows these materials can replace broken pieces, refix slipped ones and renew flashings. See terracotta roof restoration.
Gutters and valleys under big trees. Heavy rain and constant leaf fall make blocked valleys a common source of water inside. Gutter cleaning in Sydney covers how often, and what a good clean includes.
In a conservation area, concrete tiles won't be on the table.
If it were our Wahroonga house
We'd find out first whether the house is a heritage item or in a conservation area, then ask a roofer who works with slate and terracotta to quote repairs before anything else. On houses like these a full re-roof is the last resort, and when it comes, it should match what's there.
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.