A Gold Coast roof is usually due for replacement when leaks appear in several places or keep returning after repairs, steel sheets are rusted through rather than just at fixings, concrete tiles crumble or have gone porous across the roof, the roof line sags, or battens and sarking in the roof space are rotten or failing. One isolated problem is normally a repair.
Repair or replace: the general rule
A roof that has one problem in one place needs a repair. A roof that has several problems in several places, or the same problem coming back, is telling you that the materials have reached the end of their life. The signs below help you work out which situation you are in. Most can be checked from the ground with binoculars, from inside the house after rain, and from the roof space with a torch. Leave the roof surface to a contractor.
Sign 1: Leaks in more than one place, or leaks that return
Water stains on ceilings, peeling paint near cornices, a musty smell in a room, or drips in heavy rain all point to water getting in. If stains appear in different rooms, or a repaired leak comes back in the next storm, the roof has more than one weak point. On older tile roofs this often means ridge mortar and tiles are failing all over. On steel roofs it often means corrosion at laps and fixings across the roof.
Watch ceilings after each big storm in the October to March season and note which rooms are affected and which way the wind was blowing. That helps a contractor trace the source.
Sign 2: Rust through steel, not just on it
Surface rust at screw heads and cut edges can sometimes be treated. Rust that has eaten through the sheet, showing as pinholes of daylight from the roof space, flaking holes along laps, or sheets that flex and crack, cannot be patched effectively. Near the beach, from Coolangatta to Main Beach, the underside of overhangs and areas not washed by rain go first. Look at the gutters too: if gutters and valleys are rusting out, the sheets are often close behind.
Sign 3: Tiles that are porous, crumbling or slipping
Concrete tiles lose their surface coating over decades. Once that happens they absorb more water, grow lichen readily and become brittle. Signs include:
- tiles that look chalky, faded and patchy from the street;
- broken pieces in gutters and on the ground;
- tiles slipping out of line;
- a roofer reporting that tiles crack when walked on.
Terracotta lasts very well but can crack from impact and movement. A few broken tiles is a repair; widespread cracking is not.
Sign 4: Ridge and hip capping keeps failing
Ridge caps sit on mortar bedding sealed with pointing. Re-pointing is routine maintenance. If caps are loose again soon after work, or bedding is crumbling along every ridge, the problem may be movement in the roof or failing battens, which points towards replacement.
Sign 5: The roof line sags
Stand across the street and look along the ridge and the edge of the roof. It should be straight. A dip in the ridge or waves along the gutter line can mean broken battens, rotten rafters or a frame overloaded by heavy tiles. Get this inspected promptly: it is a structural issue, not just a weatherproofing one.
Sign 6: Problems in the roof space
With a torch, from the hatch or walking only on joists:
- Water stains on rafters and battens, or dark streaks running down timber.
- Daylight visible through the roof.
- Damp or compressed insulation.
- Rotten, split or soft battens.
- Torn or perished sarking, or none at all.
- Rusty nails and fixings, which suggest condensation or leaks.
- Mould on timber or the back of the ceiling.
Several of these together suggest the roof has been letting water in for a while.
Sign 7: Storm damage on an already tired roof
After a storm, an insurer or roofer may find that damage is only part of the story. If a roof was already near the end of its life, patching storm damage may not be worth it. Discuss the options with your insurer and the contractor.
Sign 8: Asbestos cement that is weathered or damaged
Older fibro and corrugated cement roofs may contain asbestos. If they are cracked, heavily weathered or storm-damaged, have them assessed. Do not drill, cut or pressure-clean them. Removal is regulated by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland; see asbestos roof replacement.
Sign 9: Rising repair bills
If you have paid for several repairs in a few years and the problems keep coming, add them up. A contractor can tell you how the cost of continuing to patch compares with replacement.
Signs that are usually just maintenance
- A single cracked tile or lifted ridge cap after a storm.
- Leaves and sand in gutters and valleys.
- Light lichen on an otherwise sound tile roof.
- A failed silicone seal around a vent.
- Surface rust spots from swarf on a new steel roof.
What to do next
Note what you have seen and when, then get an inspection. Ask the contractor to photograph what they find, explain whether repair or replacement is the better option, and give a written quote. Our inspection checklist helps you prepare, and roof restoration vs replacement explains the middle path. For prices, see the cost guide.
General information about roofs on the Gold Coast, not advice about your roof. Rules, products and programs change; check with the body named (QBCC, City of Gold Coast, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland) before you act.