Free roof inspection and an obligation-free quote.
Roof Restoration Hampton
Terracotta and concrete tiled roofs in Hampton and Hampton East — restored, repaired and matched by roof tilers who have been working with these tiles since the 1930s.
If you want to see what Melbourne’s interwar roofing boom looked like, walk the streets inland from Hampton Street. This is our era.
Hampton is an interwar suburb, and that is the whole point
Brighton was largely built before Hampton started. Hampton filled in through the 1920s and 30s, and it filled in with exactly the housing that defined that period: Californian bungalows, Spanish Mission villas and English Revival cottages. The interwar stock here is extensive and increasingly heritage-protected.
Those houses are the reason Camberwell Potteries exists in the form it does. We were manufacturing terracotta from 1930, and the Marseille-pattern terracotta that went onto Hampton’s bungalows is the tile we have spent ninety years working with.
That gives a Hampton roof a specific character. The pitch is generous, the gables are prominent, and the roof is a large part of what the house looks like from the street. Which means a bad match shows.
Matching is the job here
Most of the original interwar profiles are long out of production. Wunderlich supplied a great deal of this stock, and so did the early Monier ranges.
We hold both current brands and we know which modern tile sits closest to each older pattern. Where nothing matches closely enough, the honest options are a close-match current profile, or relocating sound tiles from a less visible elevation to the front of the house and putting the new tiles where nobody looks.
On a prominent bungalow gable facing the street, that second option is very often the right answer. Send us a photo before you accept anyone’s replacement quote.
The bayside part: salt attacks the metal
Fired clay and concrete do not corrode. Salt-laden air does very little to the tiles themselves. What it attacks is the metal — the valley irons, the flashings, the gutters and the fixings.
On an interwar bungalow with prominent gables and the valleys that come with them, the valley irons are the shortest-lived part of the roof by a wide margin. On a Hampton inspection we spend most of our time on the metal.
What usually fails first here
Valley irons, corroded by salt long before the tiles show any age.
Ridge and gable pointing, which cracks and drops out. On its own it is a repair, not a new roof.
Flashings where a roof plane meets a wall or a chimney.
Sarking at the end of its life. On a roof approaching a hundred years old this is a real possibility, and it is the one fault a restoration cannot fix. 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 a Hampton roof needs attention
On these roofs the tile usually outlasts everything holding it down.
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Rust streaks in a valley
Salt attacks the metal, not the tiles. On a gabled bungalow the valleys go first.
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Cracked pointing along the ridge and gables
Visible from the ground. On its own it is a repair, not a new roof.
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A previous patch that does not match
Obvious on a street-facing gable. There is usually a better answer than patching again.
WHY US
Why call us for a Hampton roof
Interwar terracotta is our era
We inspect the metal first
We will tell you when not to patch
Tile only, and we say so
Related Services
Roof Restoration Hampton
Frequently asked questions
Can you match the terracotta on a 1920s Hampton bungalow?
This is the question we get most here, and usually the answer is yes to a close match rather than an exact one. The original profiles are largely out of production. We hold both current brands and know which sits closest. Where nothing is close enough, relocating sound tiles to the street-facing gable and putting new tiles at the back is often the better answer.
Does salt air damage roof tiles?
Not really. Fired clay and concrete do not corrode. Salt attacks the metal — valley irons, flashings, gutters and fixings — which on a bayside roof fail long before the tiles do.
My roof is nearly a hundred years old. Does it need replacing?
Not on age alone. Terracotta of that vintage is frequently still sound. What has usually reached the end of its life is the pointing, the valleys and possibly the sarking underneath. We inspect before quoting and tell you which of those applies.
My house is heritage-protected. What can I do?
Like-for-like replacement attracts far less scrutiny than changing material or profile. Hampton’s interwar stock is increasingly covered, so it is worth checking before you plan anything. We can tell you what is likely to be acceptable, though we are not planning consultants.
Is a patch going to be obvious?
On a bungalow gable facing the street, potentially yes — which is exactly why we suggest moving sound tiles to the visible elevation rather than patching it. We would rather raise that at the quote than have you unhappy afterwards.
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, depending on size, pitch and access.
Do you cover Hampton East and Highett?
Yes, along with Brighton, Sandringham, Cheltenham and Moorabbin. We are based in Burwood and work across the eastern and south-eastern suburbs.
Tiled roof in Hampton that needs looking at?
If you have a tiled roof in Hampton or Hampton East and you want it assessed honestly, we will come and look at it — and tell you what your tiles actually are.
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.
