Free roof inspection and an obligation-free quote.
Roof Restoration Malvern
Terracotta and concrete tiled roofs in Malvern, Malvern East and Kooyong — restored, repaired and matched by roof tilers who have been working with these tiles since the 1930s.
Malvern is two suburbs laid on top of each other, and which one your house belongs to decides what your roof needs.
The mansion estates, and what happened to them
The high ground in the north-west of Malvern was where the wealthy built. Whernside, Flete, Moorakyne and Stonington all stood there, Stonington itself serving as the Victorian Governor’s residence between 1901 and 1927.
After the First World War the cost of running places like that became prohibitive. The estates were carved up, the gardens sold off as suburban lots, and the streets that replaced them frequently kept the old property names. Some of the original houses survive inside what is left of their gardens.
So a single Malvern street can hold a grand Victorian or Edwardian house alongside 1920s and 30s homes built on what used to be its lawn. Two completely different roofs, two different jobs, often within a few doors of each other.
What that means for your roof
The original houses have large, complex roofs with multiple hips, valleys and chimneys. On these the failure points are the valley irons and the flashings around chimneys and parapets, not the tiles. They also tend to sit under a heritage overlay, which affects what you are allowed to put back.
The subdivision houses from the 1920s and 30s are where most of Melbourne’s original terracotta went. Wunderlich supplied a great deal of it. Those profiles are long out of production, which is why matching is the whole job on a Malvern re-roof rather than an afterthought.
Later infill is generally concrete tile, and concrete of that age has usually lost its surface coating rather than its strength — a good candidate for restoration rather than replacement.
Heritage overlay, in practical terms
Large parts of Malvern sit within Stonnington’s heritage overlay, some as individual listings and much of it as precincts.
The practical rule is consistent: replacing like with like attracts far less scrutiny than changing material or profile. Terracotta back to terracotta in the same pattern is a different conversation from tile to metal. We are not planning consultants, but we can tell you what is likely to be acceptable before you spend money on an application, and we can tell you what your existing tile actually is.
What usually fails first here
Valley irons. On a complex roof with several valleys, this is the commonest source of a leak, and the stain inside usually appears nowhere near the fault.
Flashings around chimneys, parapets and wall abutments. Period houses have more of these than modern ones, and each is a potential entry point.
Ridge capping mortar, which cracks and drops out. On its own it is a repair, not a new roof.
Sarking at the end of its life on the oldest roofs. It is 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 a Malvern roof needs attention
On these roofs the tile usually outlasts everything holding it down.
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Stains that appear far from any obvious fault
On a roof with several valleys, water travels a long way before it drops.
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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.
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Damp around a chimney or parapet
Usually failed flashing rather than a tile problem. Period houses have more of these.
WHY US
Why call us for a Malvern roof
We can identify what you have
Heritage overlay experience
Complex roofs are normal for us
Tile only, and we say so
Related Services
Roof Restoration Malvern
Frequently asked questions
My house is in a heritage overlay. What can I actually do?
Like-for-like replacement usually attracts far less scrutiny than changing material or profile. Terracotta back to terracotta in the same pattern is straightforward; tile to metal is where owners run into objections. We can tell you what Stonnington is likely to accept before you apply, though we are not planning consultants.
Can you match the terracotta on a 1920s Malvern 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 rather than after the roof is half done.
Why does my roof leak when my neighbour’s does not?
Often because the two houses are different ages. Malvern streets frequently mix an original house with homes built later on its subdivided garden. A big Victorian roof with several valleys and chimneys has far more potential leak points than a simple 1930s hip roof.
My roof is concrete tile. Restore or replace?
Almost always restore, if the structure is sound. The colour on a concrete tile is a surface coating that chalks and washes off long before the tile loses strength. A clean, repoint and recoat gets you a roof that looks new for a fraction of a replacement.
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, depending on size, pitch and access — and Malvern’s larger period roofs sit at the longer end.
Do you cover Malvern East and Kooyong?
Yes, along with Armadale, Toorak, Glen Iris and Caulfield. We are based in Burwood and work right across the eastern and south-eastern suburbs.
Do you work on slate roofs?
No. We work on terracotta and concrete tiled roofs only. Some of the grander houses through this part of Melbourne are slate, and if yours is one of them you want a slate specialist — we will tell you rather than quote for it.
Tiled roof in Malvern that needs looking at?
If you have a tiled roof in Malvern, Malvern East or Kooyong and you want it assessed honestly, 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.
