Roofing in Puketapapa: Postwar Tile Roof Restoration
Tile roof restoration, re-roofs and spouting around Puketapapa (Mount Roskill) postwar homes and units.
Roofing in Puketapapa
- Mostly 1940s-70s homes
- Many rentals
Puketapapa is the Maori name for the volcanic cone better known as Mount Roskill, and it also describes the wider area of family suburbs around it, between Three Kings, Hillsborough and Dominion Road. It is diverse, busy and largely residential, with schools, churches, parks and a strong community feel. From the roof, the view is mostly modest postwar houses, many of which are now reaching the point where their original roofs need serious attention.
Homes in Puketapapa
Most homes in the area were built between the 1940s and the 1960s, during a large burst of state and private housing development. Expect single-storey weatherboard and brick bungalows on quarter-acre sections, many since subdivided. Blocks of brick-and-tile units from the 1960s and 70s are common too. Since the 2010s, infill townhouses and multi-unit developments have been going up behind and in place of older homes, particularly near main roads.
The roofs we work on here
Concrete tile dominates the older homes, with some Marseille-pattern clay tile, corrugated iron and decramastic in the mix. Clay tiles can last a very long time but break if walked on carelessly, and their ridges and valleys often fail before the tiles do. Concrete tiles lose their coating and soak up water, becoming heavier and growing lichen. Spouting from this era is often worn out, with leaking joints and rusted outlets. We typically restore tile roofs with repairs, rebedding and recoating, or replace them with long-run steel.
Weather and exposure
The area is inland, with the maunga and surrounding ridges giving some homes a bit of elevation and wind. It is not salt-exposed, so the main enemies are moisture and time. South-facing tile slopes grow moss and lichen readily, and large trees in older gardens fill gutters each autumn. Heavy rain shows up any blocked downpipes or undersized spouting very quickly.
Typical roofing jobs in Puketapapa
- Restoring a concrete tile roof on a 1950s bungalow with tile replacement, rebedding and a new coating.
- Replacing broken Marseille clay tiles and resealing valleys on an older brick home near the maunga.
- Re-roofing a block of 1960s brick-and-tile units in long-run steel for multiple cross-lease owners.
- Fitting new continuous spouting and downpipes to a postwar weatherboard house with failing original gutters.
Services most asked for here
- Roof RestorationCleaning, ridge re-bedding and re-coating tired concrete and clay tile roofs.
- Roof ReplacementTile-to-metal re-roofs when tiles are porous, brittle or beyond economic repair.
- Roof RepairsCracked tiles, slipped ridges, worn valleys and leaks around chimneys and flues.
- Gutters & SpoutingReplacing original spouting and downpipes that have rusted, sagged or split.