Free roof inspection and an obligation-free quote.
Roof Restoration Toorak
Terracotta tiled roofs in Toorak and South Yarra — restored, repaired and matched by roof tilers who have been working with these tiles since the 1930s.
We will start with what we do not do, because in Toorak it matters more than anywhere else we work.
A lot of Toorak is slate, and we do not do slate
The grandest Toorak houses — the Victorian Italianate villas and many of the Arts and Crafts and Federation houses after them — were roofed in slate. Mandeville Hall, Toorak House, Avalon and a long list of others.
Slate is a different trade and we are not it. If your roof is slate you want a slate specialist, 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 is the tiled roofs, and Toorak has a great many of them.
The interwar Old English houses
Between the wars Toorak filled with Old English and Tudor Revival houses, and this is where the tiled roofs are. Robert Hamilton, the Klingenders and others built through here in the 1920s and 30s, and the roof is the defining feature of the style: big steep gables, sweeping forms, eaves curved out at the bottom.
Many are roofed in terracotta shingles rather than the standard Marseille pattern — a flatter, smaller tile that gives that particular texture. Avington in Illawarra Crescent and Glenholme in Hopetoun Road are both listed examples. Carn Brae over in Malvern is another.
Those shingle profiles are largely out of production, and matching them is a genuinely specialised question rather than a routine one. Send us a photo before you accept anyone’s replacement quote — knowing exactly what you have changes the options considerably.
Big roofs are their own problem
A Toorak roof is often two storeys, steeply pitched, with multiple gables, valleys, chimneys and level changes. Three things follow.
The access is most of the cost. Scaffolding a large steep two-storey roof safely takes considerably longer to set up than a single-storey job, and any quote that has not accounted for it will be revised later. Ours accounts for it.
More junctions, more leaks. On these roofs the tile is almost never the fault. It is the valley irons, the flashings around chimneys and the junctions where a roof plane meets a wall.
A partial repair can look worse than none. On a prominent, highly visible roof a patch in a slightly wrong colour is obvious from the street. This is the situation where relocating sound tiles from a hidden elevation to the front of the house earns its keep.
Heritage overlay
Much of Toorak sits under Stonnington’s heritage overlay, some as individual listings. Like-for-like replacement attracts far less scrutiny than changing material or profile. We can tell you what is likely to be acceptable before you spend money on an application, though we are not planning consultants.
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 Toorak roof needs attention
On these roofs the tile usually outlasts everything holding it down.
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Damp around a chimney or a wall junction
On these roofs the tile is almost never the fault. The junctions are.
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A patch that does not match
Visible from the street on a prominent roof. Relocating tiles usually beats patching.
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Cracked mortar along the ridge and gable lines
Visible from the ground. On its own it is a repair, not a new roof.
WHY US
Why call us for a Toorak roof
We will tell you if it is slate
We know terracotta shingles
We quote the access honestly
Tile only, and we say so
Related Services
Roof Restoration Toorak
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether my roof is slate or tile?
Slate is thinner, flatter and usually a grey or purple-grey, laid in overlapping courses with a slightly irregular surface. Terracotta shingles can look similar from the street but are warmer in colour and more uniform. Send us a photo and we will tell you — and if it is slate we will say so rather than quote for it.
My roof is terracotta shingles. Can they be matched?
It is the hardest matching question we get. Most of those profiles are long out of production. Sometimes a current tile sits close enough; sometimes the right answer is relocating sound tiles from a less visible elevation to the front of the house. We will tell you honestly which applies rather than promise an exact match we cannot deliver.
Why is a Toorak quote higher than the same work elsewhere?
Usually access rather than materials. A steep two-storey roof with multiple gables takes considerably longer to scaffold safely than a single-storey house, and that time is real. We include it up front rather than revising the price mid-job.
Can I just patch the front section?
You can, but be careful on a prominent roof — a patch in a slightly wrong colour is visible from the street and can look worse than the original problem. Relocating sound tiles from a hidden elevation to the visible one is often the better answer.
My house is in a heritage overlay. What can I do?
Like-for-like replacement usually attracts far less scrutiny than changing material or profile. We can tell you what Stonnington is likely to accept before you apply, though we are not planning consultants.
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, and Toorak’s larger steeper roofs sit at the longer end of that.
Do you cover South Yarra and Hawksburn?
Yes, along with Armadale, Malvern, Prahran and Kooyong. We are based in Burwood and work across the eastern and south-eastern suburbs.
Tiled roof in Toorak that needs looking at?
If you have a tiled roof in Toorak or South Yarra and you want it assessed honestly — including being told if it is 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.
