| Region | the Northern Beaches |
|---|---|
| Work we do here | Roof Repairs, Roof Replacement, Metal & Colorbond Roofing, Roof Restoration, Gutter Repair & Replacement, Storm & Emergency Roof Repairs, Roof Inspections & Reports |
| Inspection & quote | Free, no obligation |
| Enquiries | (02) 8000 1949 |
Beacon Hill occupies high ground between Narraweena, Cromer, Frenchs Forest and Allambie Heights. The views are the reason people live here and the reason roofs here work harder than roofs in the valleys below.
Wind does the damage, not salt
Beacon Hill is far enough inland that salt is a background factor rather than the main event. What the ridge position does bring is wind. There is nothing upwind to slow a southerly or an onshore gust, so the roof takes mechanical loading at exactly the points designed to shed water, not to resist uplift:
- Ridge and hip capping. Repeated loading works caps against their bedding until the pointing fractures and falls out. Then water enters at the highest point on the roof.
- Barge and verge flashings. The windward gable edge is the first thing to lift, and once an edge is loose, wind gets underneath the covering.
- Sheet ends and fixings on metal roofs. Uplift cycles fatigue fasteners and open up the seal around them.
- Whirlybirds and vents. Poorly fixed ventilators become a leak and sometimes a projectile.
The housing is largely 1950s and 60s brick and tile
Which means most roofs here are now on their original bedding, or on a repoint that was itself done decades ago. The honest options are usually restoration where the tiles are still sound, or replacement where they have gone porous and you are chasing a new leak every winter.
Many of these houses also have no sarking, which was standard practice at the time. On an exposed ridge that matters more than it does in a sheltered street, because a tile lifted or cracked by wind has nothing beneath it.
After a windy spell, look for this
A ridge cap slightly out of line. A fragment of pointing lying on the roof surface or in the gutter. A tile in the garden. A barge flashing with a lifted edge. None of these leak in light rain, and all of them leak in the next heavy one. If something has already come through, see storm and emergency roof repairs.
Get it checked
Call (02) 8000 1949 or request a free quote. We also cover Narraweena, Allambie Heights and Frenchs Forest. Full service area list.