Lake Illawarra
A ceiling mark, a gutter that overflows every downpour, or water somewhere it should not be. Tell us what you have noticed and we will trace it properly, then give you a free written quote for whatever it actually needs.
- Tile and metal roofs
- 10+ years experience, fully insured
- Free written quotes
Close to open water, so we check the metalwork hard
The suburb of Lake Illawarra sits on the southern side of the lake entrance, and at only around two square kilometres, a large share of homes here are within a few streets of open water.
We do not assume the water has damaged anything, and you should be sceptical of any roofer who does. What we do is check the components that weather reaches first on a Lake Illawarra home: the flashings, the valleys, the gutter falls and the fixings holding everything down.
Valleys and flashings first
These are the components that fail quietly and cost the most to ignore, because by the time it shows on your ceiling the water has been getting in for a while.
Gutter falls and outlets
Overflow near the lake is often a fall or capacity problem rather than a blockage. Replacing gutters at the same fall just repeats it.
Metal roof fixings
Where a metal roof is on, we check laps, fasteners and penetrations rather than judging the sheets from the ground.
Leaks that follow the weather
If yours only appears in wind-driven rain from one direction, that is a strong clue and worth telling us.
We also work nearby in Mount Warrigal, Warilla and Oak Flats.
The stain inside is not the hole
This is the single most common misread we deal with. Water runs along battens, underlay and framing before it drops, so the mark on your ceiling is frequently some distance from where it is getting in. Chasing the spot directly above the stain is how people end up paying for a tidy repair that does not stop the leak.
What genuinely narrows it down: which room and where in the ceiling, when it first appeared, how long the rain had been falling, and whether there was wind about. A leak that only shows in driving rain from one direction is telling you something quite specific, and it is worth mentioning when you call.
Leaks start where the roof changes direction
Almost every leak we find is at a junction rather than out in the middle of a roof. So we start where the geometry changes and work outward.
Flashings
Where the roof meets a wall, a chimney or anything cut into it. The most common leak point on Shellharbour roofs and one of the cheapest to fix before it wets a ceiling.
Valleys
Where two roof planes meet and dump their water into one channel. Valleys carry more water than anything else on the roof, so a rusted or packed one is a genuine problem.
Gutters and outlets
Where it all ends up. A drainage fault and a roof fault can look identical from inside the house, which is why we check the whole path rather than the obvious bit.
Repair, restore or replace
Repair
When we can point at the failed component and the roof around it is sound. The quote names the part, the work area and what happens if something unexpected turns up. See roof repairs.
Restore
When several jobs have stacked up on a roof still worth keeping. Cleaning, repairs, repointing and coating together, for roughly a quarter to a third of a replacement. See roof restoration.
Replace
When repairs keep coming back or the covering itself is finished. Bigger project, and we will show you why it is the better spend rather than just asserting it. See roof replacement.
Not sure whether it is the roof or the gutters? We will trace it properly.
New gutters at the same fall give you the same problem
Overflow is one of the most common calls we get near the lake, and it is very often not the gutters themselves. It can be the fall, the outlet size, or a valley discharging a large roof area into one short run. Replace the gutter without fixing that and you have bought newer metal with the identical fault.
So before we quote, we work out which roof planes are feeding that spot, whether the water is being concentrated on the way down, and where it is supposed to discharge. If the answer is a clean or a repair, that is what we will quote you. Our gutter replacement page covers where each option applies.
From your phone call to a written quote
1. Tell us what happened
Timing, how long it had been raining, whether it was windy, which room, and any photos you can take safely from the ground or inside.
2. We trace it
We work back from the symptom through the roof planes, junctions, valleys and outlets until we find the actual entry point rather than a plausible one.
3. You get it in writing
What is included, what is not, and what happens if we find something unexpected. Agreed before we start, not negotiated once the roof is open.
Lake Illawarra roofing questions
What should I write down when a leak appears after rain?
The room and where in the ceiling, when the mark first showed, how long it had been raining and whether it was windy. Add safe photos from the ground of any overflow. It will not prove where the water is getting in, but it narrows down where we look considerably.
Does an overflowing gutter mean it needs replacing?
Often not. Overflow is frequently a fall or outlet problem, or a valley concentrating a lot of roof into one short run. Replacing the gutter at the same fall repeats the fault, so we check the whole water path before quoting.
Why is the leak nowhere near the stain on my ceiling?
Because water travels. It runs along battens, underlay and framing before it drops, so the entry point can be metres uphill of the mark. Tracing that back is the part you are actually paying a roofer for.
Do you work on both tile and metal roofs here?
Yes, both, on homes and commercial buildings. What we recommend depends on the material, the geometry, the access and the condition we find on the day.
Should I get up and look before calling?
No. Please do not. Roofs are the leading cause of serious falls around the home, and anything you could safely see from the ground is enough for us to start with.
Is the quote free?
Yes. If the roof needs investigating before we can price the work properly, we will tell you that upfront rather than guessing at a number.
Does living near the water make my roof fail faster?
Exposure varies a lot street to street, and honestly it is not something worth guessing about. Rather than blaming the lake, we check the flashings, valleys, gutters and fixings, which is where weather does its work. If they are sound we will tell you the roof is fine.
My gutters overflow whenever it rains heavily. Is that the gutters?
Sometimes, but often it is the fall, the outlet size or the valley discharging into them. That distinction matters, because replacing gutters at the same fall gives you the same problem with newer metal. We check the whole water path first.
Tell us about your roof
Describe when the problem shows up, where you can see it and the roof material if you know it. We will come and look, explain what we find in plain English, and give you a free written quote. Prefer to talk? Call (02) 4215 8188.