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Roof Repairs Melbourne

A leaking roof does not usually mean a new roof.

That’s the single most useful thing to know before you call anyone. Most leaks we are called out to come from failed pointing, a blocked valley, a cracked flashing or a handful of broken tiles. Those are repairs — hours or days, not weeks, and a fraction of the cost of replacement.

We have been repairing tiled roofs across Melbourne for over 60 years. We find the fault, tell you what it is, and fix it. If it genuinely does need more than a repair, we will say so and show you why.

We work on terracotta and concrete tiled roofs, across all of Melbourne, with most of our work in the south-eastern and eastern suburbs.

COMMON FAULTS

Most leaks come down to one of three things

Water rarely enters where the stain appears. It travels along battens and rafters before it drops, so the wet patch on your ceiling is often metres from the actual fault. In our experience the cause is almost always one of these.

  • Failed Pointing

    The mortar bedding your ridge and hip caps is the commonest fault by a wide margin. Once it cracks, wind-driven rain gets under the caps. This is why many roofs leak only in driving rain.

  • Valleys & Flashings

    Debris in the valley irons, or metal that has rusted through. Flashings around chimneys, skylights and wall junctions fail the same way and cause leaks that look like tile problems.

  • Cracked & Slipped Tiles

    Storm damage, foot traffic from a previous trade, or age. Individually replaceable and matched to your existing profile where possible.

WHAT WE REPAIR

What we repair

Failed pointing and bedding
Failed pointing and bedding

The mortar bedding your ridge and hip caps is the first thing to fail on most tiled roofs. We remove the failed material and repoint with flexible pointing rather than rigid mortar.

Cracked and slipped tiles
Cracked and slipped tiles

Replaced individually and matched to your existing profile where that profile is still available.

Valleys cleared or replaced
Valleys cleared or replaced

Debris cleared from the valley irons, and the metal replaced where it has rusted through. A common cause of leaks on roofs that sit under trees.

Flashings around penetrations
Flashings around penetrations

Chimneys, skylights, vents and wall abutments resealed or replaced. Failed flashings cause leaks that look like tile problems.

Storm damage
Storm damage

Tiles displaced by wind, and the water damage that follows. We can make a roof safe quickly and quote the full repair afterwards.

Repointing, section or whole roof
Repointing, section or whole roof

Sometimes one ridge line is enough. Sometimes the whole roof needs doing. We will tell you which, and why.

Repair, restore or replace

Repair if the structure and the bulk of the tiles are sound and specific things have failed. A leak, a section of pointing, storm damage. Days, not weeks.

Restore if the roof is intact but tired across the whole surface — cleaning, full repointing and recoating. See tiled roof restoration.

Replace if the sarking, battens or fixings have reached the end of their life, or repairs keep failing in new places. See re-roofing.

The honest rule of thumb: if the same area has leaked twice, the first diagnosis was wrong. If different areas keep leaking, the roof is telling you something. We inspect first and tell you which of the three applies — most of the time it is the cheapest one.

What repairs cost

Every roof is different, so we will not quote a figure we would have to walk back. What we can tell you is what moves the price: the extent of the failure, access to the roof, your tile profile, and occasionally what we find underneath. We photograph anything unexpected and talk to you before doing extra work, so you will not get a variation you have not heard about.

Heritage and period roofs

Melbourne’s inner east and south-east are full of 1920s and 1930s terracotta, much of it in heritage overlays. Repairs there need matching profiles, sympathetic pointing and an understanding of what a council will accept. Where a tile profile is still in production we can match it exactly, but many original Wunderlich and older Monier profiles are no longer made and we do not hold salvaged stock — see terracotta roof tiles.

Do not walk your roof

Tiles crack under foot, terracotta especially, and a roof that is already leaking is not a safe surface. Walking a roof to investigate a leak frequently causes more damage than the original fault. If you cannot place the leak from inside, that is what we are for.

Frequently asked questions

My roof only leaks in heavy rain. Is that serious?

It usually means failed pointing or flashings rather than broken tiles, because wind-driven rain gets pushed under caps and around penetrations that ordinary rain runs off. It is typically a repair, and it gets worse if left.

How do I find where a roof leak is coming from?

Water travels along battens and rafters before dropping, so the ceiling stain is often metres from the fault. Check whether it leaks only in wind-driven rain, look for staining on the sarking from inside the roof space, and note whether the stain sits near a chimney or skylight.

Is it cheaper to repair or replace my roof?

Almost always to repair, if the underlying structure and sarking are sound. Replacement only makes sense once the system beneath the tiles has reached the end of its life, or when repairs keep failing in new places.

Can you match my existing tiles?

Where your tile profile is still in production, yes. Many older profiles — including original Wunderlich and some discontinued Monier ranges — are no longer made, and we do not hold salvaged stock. Send us a photo and we will tell you what you have and what the options are.

Do you repair slate, metal or decramastic roofs?

No — we specialise in terracotta and concrete tiled roofs.

Do you do guttering?

Yes. We repair, replace and install guttering, and we clear gutters and downpipes as part of roof maintenance. Blocked or failed guttering is a common cause of water getting into a roof, so it is often part of the same job.

Got a leak, or not sure what is wrong?

We will find the fault, tell you what it is, and quote the repair. No replacement quote unless your roof actually needs one.

Free roof inspection and obligation-free quote
03 9888 7088 — Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Or request a quote below.

Related Services

Related Services

New Roofing

Being the roofing specialist Melbourne, we aim to deliver exceptional services and provide support for quality living.

Re-Roofing

We value the customers and provide quality services to maintain the roof for a longer duration.

Roof Maintenance

Regular Roof maintenance is essential
for longevity.

Get A Free Quote

Camberwell Potteries Roofing is happy to provide you a free quote for your roof repair. Fill in the form below and we will contact you, or call 03 9888 7088 Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm.