Roof Replacement near you

The National Construction Code points metal roofing at AS 1562.1, and in wind regions B, C and D applies the cyclonic provisions of the Housing Provisions on top of it. Tiles are bedded and pointed with flexible pointing to AS 2050 and fixed at a density set by the wind class. Both are mainstream, well-supported choices in Australia; the decision is usually driven by the existing structure, the site exposure and what the roof is expected to feed.

Weight is the first real difference. Concrete and terracotta tiles are heavy, and the roof structure of a tiled house was designed for that load. Going from tile to sheet reduces the load, which is straightforward, but the battens, their spacing and sometimes the top plate detail all change, so a tile-to-metal conversion is a bigger job than swapping one sheet profile for another. Going the other way, from sheet to tile, is a structural question that needs someone qualified to answer, not an assumption.

Exposure decides the rest. In a cyclonic wind region the roof is part of a continuous load path, and the Housing Provisions are explicit that the anchorage system connects the roof through the walls to the footings by a chain of connections in which every connector must carry the uplift force, because the building's resistance is governed by its weakest link. That reality favours systems whose tie-down can be engineered and inspected. On bushfire prone land the assessed bushfire attack level, not the material in the abstract, governs the whole assembly and its junctions, since ember entry through gaps is the mechanism that matters.

Then the quieter differences: a sheet roof is faster to strip and lay and sheds water at lower pitches, while a tile roof is repairable tile by tile and forgiving of foot traffic damage in a way a creased sheet is not. If the roof feeds a rainwater tank, ask about the catchment surface and, critically, about what the gutters and flashings are made of, because the Code prohibits lead in a roof forming part of a drinking water catchment.

It begins with two determinations that belong on the quote. The wind classification for the site, established under AS 4055 for housing within its geometric limits or under AS/NZS 1170.2 otherwise, sets the fixing pattern, the batten spacing and the tie-down. The bushfire status of the address, and if it is bushfire prone, the assessed attack level, determines whether the roof, its junctions and its openings must be built to AS 3959 or to the NASH steel framed construction standard for bushfire areas. Both apply to Class 1 houses and their associated Class 10a buildings and decks.

The physical sequence then runs: isolate and remove anything mounted on the roof, including solar arrays and, where the roof feeds a tank, divert the tank inlet so demolition debris does not go into your drinking water; strip and dispose of the old covering; expose, inspect and repair battens, rafters and any timber that has been wet; install sarking to AS 4200.1 where it is required; lay and fix the new covering to the fixing pattern for the wind class; then reinstate flashings, valleys, capping, guttering, downpipes and everything that was removed.

Ask two questions that separate serious quotes. What happens, in writing, if damaged timber is found once the covering is off, since nobody can see it beforehand and it is the most common variation. And who is doing the roof plumbing, under which licence, because in several states guttering, downpipes, flashings and roof coverings are a distinct licensed class of work from the roofing itself.

Replacing a covering with the same material is often treated as repair or maintenance, but the answer changes as soon as anything else changes. Altering the roof form or pitch, changing the structure, converting between tile and sheet so the load changes, working on a heritage-listed property, or building on designated bushfire prone land can all bring the work into the approval system. Your council or a private building surveyor gives the definitive answer for your address, and that is a phone call worth making before you sign, not after the covering is off.

Licensing is separate and sits with your state. Queensland requires a QBCC licence for building work above its threshold and for plumbing and drainage at any value, and issues roof tiling, roof and wall cladding, and metal fascias and gutters as distinct trade classes. New South Wales requires a contractor licence for general building work above the Home Building Act threshold, and the Act carries substantial penalties for unlicensed work. Western Australia registers builders through the Building Services Board, supported by Building and Energy. Victoria registers building practitioners and licenses plumbing work by class through Consumer Affairs Victoria's framework.

LokalMatch is the sourcing step. You describe the re-roof once, including the existing covering, the number of storeys, the approximate roof area, whether there are solar panels or a rainwater tank, and whether the site is bushfire prone or coastal, and matched roofers respond to you directly. They pay for the requests they receive. LokalMatch does not carry out roofing, does not set prices and does not vet, rank or endorse anyone, so the licence check and the approvals question stay with you.

A re-roof is usually large enough to trigger your state's statutory scheme, and these have no overseas equivalent, so read this part carefully. In Queensland the Home Warranty Scheme covers residential construction work above its threshold, with the contractor paying the premium based on the insurable value and building it into the price. In New South Wales, home building compensation cover must be in place for contracts above the scheme threshold, and the deposit is capped at 10 per cent of the contract price for both small and large jobs. In Victoria, domestic building insurance is required above the contract threshold, the builder must take it out, and the certificate of currency must be given to you before any deposit or other money is taken; it responds to structural defects for six years and non-structural defects for two.

Underneath the statutory schemes, the Australian Consumer Law guarantees the ACCC enforces apply regardless of what the contract says: the service must be provided with acceptable care and skill, must be fit for any purpose you made known, and must be supplied within a reasonable time where none was agreed. Telling the contractor in writing that the purpose includes feeding a drinking water tank, or surviving a specific wind classification, makes that purpose part of the guarantee.

Keep the certificate of cover, the contract and variations, the product and coating specification, the wind classification used, any bushfire attack level assessment, and the manufacturer's material warranty together. Manufacturer warranties on coated steel are commonly conditional on the correct coating class for the location and on maintenance such as washing down unwashed areas, so the specification document is the one that decides a claim years later.