Skilled Roof Services & Repairs in ACT

This is a common misconception, spread by people that either have limited knowledge about roof tiles or are marketing their services to respray your roof. Concrete, by its very nature, will always absorb water. It is science, backed up by the CSIRO.

This causes no issues at all provided nothing porous is touching the underside of the tiles, such as ceiling batts. Your roof tiles will get damp to touch on the underside during long periods of rain, this is perfectly normal and the way the tile is designed to function. 

Roof respraying is only for aesthetics and nothing more. Keep that in mind when looking at the prices for this service, sometimes it is more cost-effective to install a new roof.

No, once fascia cover is installed there is no chance of water getting inside, not in any damaging quantities. Timber only rots if exposed to constant moisture (such as a leaking gutter end). Once the cover is installed, timber dries out and does not keep degrading.

Yes, you can, however in most cases, ordinary quad style gutter is more than capable of handling 99% of our rain events. What dictates the amount of overflowing is quantity and placement of downpipes, correct gutter fall and a clear flowing stormwater system. 

Bear in mind that no stormwater system is capable of handling the extreme storms we occasionally get, and neither is your gutter. If the stormwater system in the street is overflowing then don’t expect your guttering to cope any better. Anything larger than standard quad gutter can make your house look a bit industrial too.

There is a common practise in ACT for people to convert from roof tiles to Colorbond® on the belief that they are getting a superior roof. This is not the case. If a roof is installed and maintained properly the difference between these two roofing types simply comes down to aesthetics – what looks better to you. 

What I find is that roofers that supply this service are not telling customers the full story. To convert to the metal roof from tiles legally requires certification and approval from your local building authority (ACTPLA). Failure to do so will result in an unapproved structure scenario, which is not good news if you are trying to sell and the building report notes this. 

Also, not good if you go to make an insurance claim and you are knocked back because of this. The reason is the way the roof is tied down to the rest of the house. Metal roofs being lighter, have tighter building requirements for tie-downs required. 

I see many roofers doing this type of conversion without changing anything on the roof framing or bothering to get it approved. It is just pure luck that we haven’t had a major wind storm in Canberra and roofs been blown off.

Because all concrete/cement based products absorb water, it is very important to install weep holes when renewing the ridgecapping. If not installed, the ridge cap itself will absorb water over long periods of rain, and with no way to escape, it builds up behind the bedding mortar and can run over the top of the roof tile and into your roof space.

Nearly all roofs I have seen that have been re sprayed, have had these weep holes covered over. This is a leak waiting to happen.