Windsor's setting
Heritage at every turn
Listed places include St Matthew's Anglican Church (consecrated 1822), the Macquarie Arms Hotel, the Thompson Square Conservation Area, the Johnston Street terraces and a group of North Street houses.
A flood town
Infrastructure NSW counts around 130 moderate to major floods in the valley since the 1790s. The March 2021 flood peaked at 12.9 metres at Windsor, nearly 7 metres below 1867. The RFS says most of the Hawkesbury's urban area is prone to at least a 1 in 100 year flood.
Cold nights
Nearby Richmond averages 17 nights a year below 0 degrees and 38 below 2 degrees, while Sydney's CBD has never recorded frost.
Bushfire country
The Hawkesbury district averages 265 bush fires a year. Black Christmas fires at Yarramundi and Blaxlands Ridge destroyed 14 homes, and the 2019 to 2020 Gospers Mountain fire destroyed 90 homes across four council areas including the Hawkesbury.
Homes
At the 2021 Census, 77.1% of homes in Windsor were separate houses and 13.9% semis or townhouses. 41.6% were rented. Canopy is in the 10 to 20% range.
Working on an old or listed building
In NSW, some minor work can go ahead without planning approval as exempt development. A July 2023 state fact sheet says that can include repairing or replacing roof tiles and sheeting. It doesn't apply to land on the State Heritage Register, to heritage items, or in heritage conservation areas. If your place is listed or near Thompson Square, talk to Hawkesbury City Council before work starts.
The NSW Government's heritage maintenance schedule says to avoid walking on brittle roof tiles and to avoid replacing original roof coverings unnecessarily. A roofer used to heritage work will repair what's there before reaching for something new. Slate and heritage roofs goes into more detail.
When the river's up or a storm has hit
Stay out of any room where the ceiling is sagging. If water is near lights or power points, turn the power off at the switchboard. For storm or flood damage emergencies, call the SES on 132 500. Don't go up a ladder in the wet; wait for a roofer once it's safe.
Our take for Windsor
For a heritage-listed or conservation-area home, we'd ring council first and choose a roofer who'll repair like with like. For everyone else, a check of gutters, downpipes and flashings after each big storm or flood keeps small problems small. When you're ready, tell us the job and your postcode. If we have a licence-checked roofer covering Windsor, your contact details go to just that roofer; if we don't, we'll tell you 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.