Roof Repairs
Leak repairs, broken and slipped tiles, flashing, and ridge caps across Wollongong's diverse mid-century housing stock.
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More services
Explore our other services
Metal & Colorbond Roofing
Marine-grade Colorbond installations for coastal and industrial-south properties — Port Kembla, Warrawong, Thirroul, Austinmer, and Coledale where salt-air corrosion demands a purpose-rated finish.
Learn more →Roof Restoration
Ridge repointing, re-bedding, sealing, and resurfacing for the terracotta and concrete tile roofs that dominate Corrimal, Fairy Meadow, Bellambi, and Towradgi's mid-century streets.
Learn more →Gutter Guard & Leaf Guard
Purpose-fitted leaf guard for escarpment-foot suburbs — Mount Keira, Keiraville, Figtree, Mangerton — and the escarpment-village strip (Coledale, Austinmer, Bulli) where eucalypt and rainforest litter blocks gutters year-round.
Learn more →Roof Leak Detection & Repair
Systematic leak tracing and repair across all roof types; fast response for Wollongong homes following Illawarra storm events.
Learn more →Skylight Installation
Skylight supply and installation on tile and metal roofs throughout the Illawarra, with weatherproofing suited to the escarpment-coast climate.
Learn more →When a roof has reached the end of the road
There's a point where patching stops paying off. The leaks move around. The fixings have rusted through and won't hold. The sarking under the tiles has gone brittle and the battens are soft. When an Illawarra roof reaches that stage — and decades of salt air and escarpment storms get them there — a full replacement is cheaper over its life than chasing the next leak.
Illawarra Roofing Co re-roofs homes right across Wollongong, in both tile and marine-grade Colorbond. We start with a free inspection so the decision to replace is based on what's actually happening up there, not a sales pitch. Call (02) 4210 5297 to arrange yours.
Signs your roof is past repair, not past restoration
A few honest tells that a re-roof — not another patch — is the right call:
- Leaks that move. A new stain in a new spot after each storm means the roof is failing in multiple places, not one.
- Brittle sarking and soft battens. Once the timber and membrane under the cover have gone, fixings have nothing sound to hold to.
- Widespread corrosion. On metal, rust streaking and pinholing across whole sheets — common within a kilometre of the surf and around Port Kembla — is end-of-life, not a touch-up.
- Crumbling mortar on every ridge. When pointing grits out across the entire roof, you are restoring a structure that is already letting go.
- Asbestos-cement (fibro) sheeting. Older fibro roofs on post-war Illawarra homes are best replaced, not disturbed, and must be removed by a licensed remover.
What a re-roof involves
A full replacement is a bigger job than a restoration, and we run it methodically:
- Strip — the old tiles or sheets, and failed sarking and battens, come off and are removed from site (asbestos-cement, where present, removed by a licensed asbestos remover).
- Structure check — we inspect the rafters and trusses while the roof is open, and flag any timber that needs attention before the new roof goes on.
- Sarking and battens — fresh anti-condensation sarking and new battens are laid to the correct falls (sarking matters on the coast, where condensation under metal is a real moisture source).
- New roof — tile or Colorbond installed with fixings rated for your exposure; valleys, flashings and cappings renewed, not reused.
- Clean-up — gutters cleared, debris removed, site left tidy.
Choosing the right material for your exposure
This is where Illawarra geography decides the spec. A home a few streets back from the surf at Thirroul or Austinmer, or anywhere in the salt-and-industrial belt around Port Kembla and Cringila, takes a hammering that standard galvanised fixings cannot survive. For those elevations we recommend marine-grade Colorbond with corrosion-rated screws and cappings — BlueScope positions COLORBOND Ultra for severe marine zones (roughly 100 to 200 metres from breaking surf) and stainless products closer again.
Further inland — West Wollongong, Figtree, Dapto — exposure eases and the choice is more about budget and the look you want. Tile suits the established streetscapes; Colorbond is lighter, faster to lay and low-maintenance. We give you the honest pros and cons for your roof, not a one-size answer.
Straight talk on cost
Replacement cost depends on roof size, pitch, the material you choose, access, and whether the structure needs work once it is open. A simple single-storey Colorbond re-roof in Dapto sits at one end; a steep two-storey tile roof on a tight escarpment block at Keiraville sits at the other. Industry guidance for an average Wollongong home tends to fall in a broad 12,000 to 35,000 dollar range, with tile-to-Colorbond conversions often around 20,000 to 25,000 dollars — but those are starting points, not quotes. What pushes a job up:
- Two-storey and steep pitch — more scaffolding, edge protection and slower work.
- Tight escarpment blocks — restricted access at Mount Keira, Keiraville and Mangerton adds setup time.
- Asbestos-cement removal — licensed removal and disposal is a separate, regulated cost.
- Structural repairs — rafter or truss work only visible once the roof is stripped.
We do not quote blind — we inspect, then give you a real, itemised figure. Call (02) 4210 5297 to book your free inspection.
Local, licensed and accountable
We are an Illawarra team and every re-roof is licensed and insured with a workmanship warranty. We also handle roof restoration and metal and Colorbond roofing if replacement is not the answer — and we cover the whole service area, including Wollongong, Port Kembla and Thirroul.
Ready to find out whether your roof needs replacing? Call (02) 4210 5297 for your free inspection.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Should I repair my roof or replace it?
If the structure is sound and damage is localised, a repair or restoration is usually the cheaper, smarter call. Replacement makes sense when a roof is past its service life, leaks keep returning in different spots, the battens or sarking are failing, or salt has eaten through fixings and sheeting across the whole roof. As a rough guide, once you are spending on the third or fourth separate repair in a few years, a re-roof often works out cheaper over the life of the roof. We inspect first and tell you honestly which one your home actually needs.
Tile or Colorbond for a re-roof in the Illawarra?
Both work here, but exposure drives the choice. Ocean-facing and industrial-south homes — Port Kembla, Thirroul, Warrawong — usually do best in marine-grade Colorbond rated for salt corrosion. Sheltered streets inland can stay in tile if you prefer the look. We will walk you through the trade-offs for your specific elevation.
How long does a re-roof take?
Most single-storey homes are re-roofed in roughly one to two weeks, weather permitting — which in the Illawarra means planning around East Coast Low rain. Larger or two-storey homes, steep pitches and tricky escarpment-block access take longer. You get a realistic timeframe with your quote.
How much does a roof replacement cost in Wollongong?
There is no honest fixed price — it depends on roof size, pitch, the material you choose, access and whether the structure needs work once it is open. As a broad guide, full re-roofs on an average Wollongong home commonly land somewhere in the rough range of 12,000 to 35,000 dollars, with tile-to-Colorbond conversions often quoted around the 20,000 to 25,000 dollar mark. Asbestos-cement removal, two-storey access and steep escarpment blocks push it higher. We inspect and give you an itemised figure rather than a sight-unseen number.
Do I need to remove an old asbestos or fibro roof first?
Some post-war Illawarra homes still carry asbestos-cement (fibro) roofing or eaves. If yours does, that material must be removed and disposed of by a licensed asbestos remover under NSW rules before the new roof goes on — it is not a DIY strip. We flag it at inspection and factor safe removal into the plan so the job is done legally and cleanly.
Will a new roof add value when I sell?
A sound, modern roof is one of the first things buyers and building inspectors look at, and a tired or leaking roof is a common price-chip in the Illawarra market. We will not promise a dollar figure — that is between you and the market — but replacing a failing roof removes a major objection and the ongoing repair bills that come with it.
Free, no-obligation