Free roof inspection and an obligation-free quote.
Roof Restoration Prahran
Terracotta and concrete tiled roofs in Prahran and Windsor — restored, repaired and matched by roof tilers who have been working with these tiles since the 1930s.
We will start with the awkward part, because in Prahran it decides whether you should call us at all.
A lot of Prahran is not tiled
Prahran and Windsor are dense Victorian suburbs. The terraces and workers’ cottages that define them were overwhelmingly roofed in corrugated iron or slate, not tile. Neither is our trade.
If your house is a single-fronted Victorian terrace off Chapel Street or High Street, there is a fair chance we are not the people you need, and we would rather tell you on the phone than send someone out to write a quote we should not be writing.
What we do work on here is the later stock: Federation and Edwardian houses, the interwar bungalows and flats on the bigger streets, and the postwar and modern infill. Those are tiled, and there is more of it than people assume.
Dense sites change the job
Where we are working on a Prahran roof, the constraint is almost never the tiles. It is getting to them.
Party walls and no side access. Terraced and semi-detached houses share walls, and many have no gap down the side at all. Scaffolding often has to go up from the front or over a neighbour, which has to be arranged rather than assumed.
Parapets and box gutters. A lot of the older Prahran building stock hides its gutters behind a parapet wall. A box gutter that blocks does not spill over the side of the house — it spills inward. That is the most damaging and most preventable fault in this sort of housing.
Flats and shared roofs. Where a building has been converted or built as flats, the roof is common property and the work usually needs owners corporation agreement. We are used to quoting in a form that can be circulated and voted on.
Heritage
Stonnington’s overlay covers a great deal of Prahran and Windsor, much of it as precincts rather than individual listings. The rule is the same as everywhere: like-for-like attracts far less scrutiny than changing material or profile. We can tell you what we think is acceptable before you spend on an application, though we are not planning consultants.
What usually fails first here
Box gutters and parapet flashings, for the reasons above.
Valley irons, where there are valleys at all.
Ridge capping mortar, which cracks and drops out. On its own it is a repair.
Sarking at the end of its life on the oldest tiled roofs. The one fault a restoration cannot fix, and we will tell you if we find 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 Prahran roof needs attention
On these roofs the tile usually outlasts everything holding it down.
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A stain inside after heavy rain
On a parapet building this is often the box gutter overflowing inward, not a tile fault.
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Damp along a party wall
Failed flashing where the roof meets the shared wall.
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Cracked mortar along the ridge lines
On a tiled roof, visible from the ground. On its own it is a repair.
WHY US
Why call us for a Prahran roof
We will tell you if it is not tile
We plan the access first
We know box gutters
Tile only, and we say so
Related Services
Roof Restoration Prahran
Frequently asked questions
My house is a Victorian terrace. Can you do my roof?
Probably not. Most Prahran and Windsor terraces and cottages are corrugated iron or slate, and neither is our trade. Send us a photo and we will tell you straight away rather than send someone out.
How do I know whether my roof is tile?
Tiles are individual overlapping units with a visible repeating profile, usually terracotta orange or a coated concrete grey. Iron is sheet, with long continuous ridges. Slate is thin, flat and grey-purple. A photo from the street is usually enough for us to tell you.
There is no space down the side of my house. Can you still work on it?
Generally yes, but scaffolding has to go up from the front or over a neighbour, and that needs arranging in advance. We raise it at the quote rather than on the day.
What is a box gutter and why does it matter?
It is a gutter behind a parapet wall rather than on the roof edge, common on this sort of housing. If it blocks, the overflow goes into the building instead of over the side. It is the most damaging fault in dense older stock and the easiest to prevent.
Our building is flats. Who approves the work?
Usually the owners corporation, since the roof is common property. We are used to providing a quote that can be circulated and voted on.
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 where access is difficult.
Do you cover Windsor and South Yarra?
Yes, along with Armadale, Toorak, Elwood and St Kilda East. We are based in Burwood and work across the eastern and south-eastern suburbs.
Tiled roof in Prahran that needs looking at?
If you have a tiled roof in Prahran or Windsor and you want it assessed honestly — including being told if it is iron or slate 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.
