Free roof inspection and an obligation-free quote.
Roof Restoration Beaumaris
Terracotta and concrete tiled roofs in Beaumaris and Black Rock — restored, repaired and matched by roof tilers who have been working with these tiles since the 1930s.
Beaumaris has two completely different kinds of house on the same streets, and only one of them is our work.
The modernist houses are usually not tiled
Beaumaris was mostly built after the Second World War, and it drew architects. More than fifty of them lived here in the 1950s in houses they designed for themselves — Robin Boyd, Peter McIntyre, David Godsell, Mockridge Stahle Mitchell and others. The result is one of the best collections of mid-century modern housing in Melbourne, now protected by Bayside heritage overlays.
Those houses characteristically have flat or shallow-pitched roofs clad in lightweight sheeting, not tiles. If that is your house, we are not the right trade and we will tell you on the phone rather than send someone out to write a quote we should not be writing.
The other Beaumaris, which is very much ours
Alongside the architect-designed houses, the conventional post-war house went up here in large numbers: brick veneer, L-shaped plan, hipped roof clad in tile. It was the standard suburban house of the 1950s and 60s right across Bayside, and there is a great deal of it in Beaumaris.
Those roofs are now sixty to seventy years old. That is exactly the age where the pointing has gone, the valley irons are corroding and the concrete tiles have lost their surface coating — and exactly the age where owners start being told they need a new roof when they usually do not.
Concrete tile loses its colour long before it loses its strength. A clean, repoint and recoat gets you a roof that looks new for a fraction of a replacement.
Salt, and no railway station
Fired clay and concrete do not corrode. Salt-laden air does very little to the tiles. What it attacks is the metal — valley irons, flashings, gutters and fixings. On a sixty-year-old Beaumaris roof the metal is usually the thing that has actually failed.
The other Beaumaris quirk: there is no railway station, so it is a car suburb, and carports and garages are everywhere. Those roofs age too, and a tiled carport or pergola roof matched to the house is work we do — see pergola, patio and carport roofing.
What usually fails first here
Ridge and hip pointing on a roof that has not been touched since it was built.
Valley irons, corroded by salt long before the tiles show age.
Surface coating on concrete tiles, chalked and faded while the tile underneath stays sound. This is what a restoration is for.
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, and no lightweight sheet roofing.
Some of our recent projects
WHAT FAILS FIRST
Signs a Beaumaris roof needs attention
On these roofs the tile usually outlasts everything holding it down.
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Pointing that has never been touched
On a 1960s roof that has had no work, the ridge mortar is usually first to go.
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Concrete tiles gone chalky and faded
The surface coating has broken down, not the tile. This is what a restoration is for.
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Rust streaks in a valley
Salt attacks the metal, not the tiles. Usually the thing that has actually failed.
WHY US
Why call us for a Beaumaris roof
We will tell you if it is not tile
Post-war concrete is our bread and butter
We inspect the metal first
Tile only, and we say so
Related Services
Roof Restoration Beaumaris
Frequently asked questions
I have a mid-century modern house. Can you do my roof?
Usually not. Most of the architect-designed Beaumaris houses have flat or shallow-pitched roofs in lightweight sheeting, which is a different trade entirely. If yours is tiled we can help; if it is sheet we will tell you on the phone rather than waste your time.
My 1960s roof looks tired. Does it need replacing?
Almost certainly not. At that age what has usually failed is the pointing, the valley irons and the surface coating on the tiles — not the tiles themselves. A clean, repoint and recoat gets you a roof that looks new for a fraction of a replacement. We check the sarking before quoting, because that is the one thing that would change the answer.
Does salt air damage roof tiles?
Not really. Fired clay and concrete do not corrode. Salt attacks the metal — valleys, flashings, gutters and fixings — which is generally what has actually failed on a sixty-year-old bayside roof.
My house is in a heritage overlay. Does that affect the roof?
It can. Bayside has moved to protect much of the mid-century housing here. Like-for-like replacement attracts far less scrutiny than changing material or profile. We can tell you what is likely to be acceptable, though we are not planning consultants.
Can you do the carport as well?
Yes. Beaumaris has no railway station so nearly every house has a carport or garage, and a tiled carport roof matched to the house is work we do regularly.
How long does the work take?
A straightforward repair is often an hour. Re-bedding and repointing is generally a day. A full restoration with pointing and coating runs to two or three days. A complete re-roof is one to two weeks.
Do you cover Black Rock and Cheltenham?
Yes, along with Sandringham, Highett, Mentone and Mordialloc. We are based in Burwood and work across the eastern and south-eastern suburbs.
Tiled roof in Beaumaris that needs looking at?
If you have a tiled roof in Beaumaris or Black Rock and you want it assessed honestly — including being told if it is sheet and not our work — we will come and look at it.
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.
