Free roof inspection and an obligation-free quote.
Roof Restoration Armadale
Terracotta and concrete tiled roofs in Armadale and Hawksburn — restored, repaired and matched by roof tilers who have been working with these tiles since the 1930s.
Armadale has a roofing problem most suburbs do not: a large share of its roofs are no longer owned by one person.
When the mansions became flats
Armadale was built as a suburb of large houses. After the First World War the economics changed, and across Toorak, Armadale and Malvern the mansions were converted into flats and rooming houses, demolished outright, or kept while their gardens were subdivided into smaller lots.
Armadale carries more of the conversions than most. Walk the streets off Orrong Road and High Street and you will find substantial period houses that are now four, six or eight dwellings behind one original roof.
Why that changes the job
A converted house has one roof and several owners, and that has practical consequences we deal with constantly:
The decision is not one person’s. Roof work on a converted property usually needs owners corporation agreement, which takes longer than a homeowner deciding on a Saturday. We are used to quoting in a form that can be circulated and voted on, and to waiting while that happens.
Access often crosses someone else’s property. Scaffolding a large roof on a tight Armadale block frequently means setting up over a neighbouring courtyard or driveway. That needs arranging in advance, and it belongs in the quote rather than appearing as a surprise.
The leak and the damage are rarely in the same dwelling. Water enters at a valley or a parapet and appears in a flat two doors along. Diagnosing that means looking at the whole roof, not the unit that reported the problem.
What Armadale roofs are made of
The original houses are Victorian and Edwardian, with large complex roofs, multiple valleys, chimneys and parapets. Some are slate — we do not do slate, and we will tell you rather than quote for it.
The houses built on the subdivided garden lots are largely 1920s and 30s, and that is where the terracotta is. Those profiles are long out of production, so matching is the part that decides the job.
Later infill and rear additions are usually concrete tile, which loses its surface coating long before it loses strength — a strong candidate for restoration rather than replacement.
What usually fails first here
Valleys and parapet flashings. Dense blocks, shared walls and parapets mean more junctions, and junctions are where water gets in.
Box gutters, common on the older buildings and unforgiving when blocked, because there is nowhere for the overflow to go except inside.
Ridge capping mortar, which cracks and drops out. On its own it is a repair.
Sarking at the end of its life. The one fault a restoration cannot fix, and we will tell you if we find it rather than coating over it.
We work on terracotta and concrete tiled roofs only — no metal, no Colorbond, no slate.
Some of our recent projects
WHAT FAILS FIRST
Signs an Armadale roof needs attention
On these roofs the tile usually outlasts everything holding it down.
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A stain in one flat and nothing above it
Water travels before it drops. The fault is usually a valley or parapet elsewhere on the roof.
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Overflow from a box gutter
Unforgiving when blocked, because the only way out is inside.
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Cracked mortar along the ridge lines
Visible from the ground. On its own it is a repair, not a new roof.
WHY US
Why call us for an Armadale roof
We work with owners corporations
We plan the access first
We can identify what you have
Tile only, and we say so
Related Services
Roof Restoration Armadale
Frequently asked questions
Our building is flats. Who has to approve the work?
Usually the owners corporation, since the roof is common property. We are used to providing a quote in a form that can be circulated and voted on, and to waiting while that runs its course. Tell us at the inspection and we will set it up that way from the start.
The leak is in my flat but the roof looks fine above me. Why?
Because water rarely enters where it appears. It runs along battens and rafters before it drops, so a failed valley or parapet flashing at one end of the building commonly shows up as a stain two dwellings away. We look at the whole roof rather than only the unit that reported it.
Can you get scaffolding onto a tight block?
Generally yes, but it often means setting up over a neighbouring courtyard or driveway, which has to be arranged in advance. We would rather raise it at the quote than surprise you with it on the day.
Can you match the terracotta on a 1920s Armadale house?
Usually. Wunderlich and early Monier profiles are out of production, but we hold both current brands and know which modern tile sits closest to each older pattern. Where nothing matches well enough we will say so before you commit.
Do you work on slate?
No. A number of the grander Armadale houses are slate, and if yours is one you want a slate specialist. We work on terracotta and concrete tiled roofs only and we will tell you rather than quote for it.
How long does the work take?
A straightforward repair is often an hour. Re-bedding and repointing is generally a day. A full restoration runs to two or three days. A complete re-roof is one to two weeks — longer on a large converted building with difficult access.
Do you cover Hawksburn and Toorak?
Yes, along with Malvern, Prahran, South Yarra and Caulfield. We are based in Burwood and work across the eastern and south-eastern suburbs.
Tiled roof in Armadale that needs looking at?
If you have a tiled roof in Armadale or Hawksburn and you want it assessed honestly, we will come and look at it — including if it is a converted building and you need something the owners can vote on.
Free inspection and obligation-free quote. Call 03 9888 7088, Monday to Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm. Safety is always our first priority — hand-rail, scaffolding or a roof harness is used on every job and included in the quote.
