Why Is My Roof Leaking in Winter? Common Causes and Fixes for Sydney Homes
You notice a small stain on the ceiling in the hallway. It’s not dripping, not yet, but it’s definitely there, and it wasn’t there last
Baulkham Hills has been one of the Hills District’s most established suburbs for decades. It’s a suburb that grew quickly through the 1970s, 80s and 90s, which means there’s now a large stock of homes in that 30 to 50-year age range. That’s not a problem in itself, but it does mean a lot of roofs in the area are entering the period of their life where they need real attention.
The suburb sits within the Hills Shire Council jurisdiction and covers a wide range of property types, from older brick veneer homes on quarter-acre blocks to newer infill developments closer to Old Windsor Road and the commercial precinct around The Hills Shopping Centre. There’s also a mix of light commercial and retail along the main corridors, which is worth noting if you manage a commercial property in the area.
Ivy Roofing has been servicing Baulkham Hills for over 20 years. We’ve seen every roof type this suburb has to offer, and we know the common failure points that come with each of them.
The bulk of homes in Baulkham Hills were built with either terracotta or concrete tiles, and a reasonable number have since had Colorbond re-roofs. Each type has its own maintenance requirements, and the age profile of the suburb means a lot of those roofs are at the point where small problems are starting to develop into bigger ones.
Cracked or slipped tiles after storms. Mortar that’s crumbling at the ridge cap. Gutters that are either undersized for today’s rainfall events or have been patched repeatedly without being replaced properly. These are the things we see regularly in Baulkham Hills.
Our residential services in Baulkham Hills include:
Baulkham Hills homeowners often come to us after a leak has shown up inside the home. By that point, water has usually been getting in for longer than it looks. Roof problems don’t announce themselves early, which is why a proactive inspection every few years is worth doing, particularly on homes over 25 years old.
Baulkham Hills has a solid commercial base, with retail strips, office buildings, medical centres and light industrial premises spread across the suburb, particularly along Mercer Road, Seven Hills Road and near the Old Windsor Road corridor. Commercial roofs in this area tend to be either flat or low-pitch membrane systems, metal sheet, or older fibreglass arrangements, and they all have different maintenance needs.
Strata managers and facilities managers in Baulkham Hills use Ivy Roofing regularly because we understand the operational realities of commercial roofing work. We can work outside business hours where needed, we produce documentation for maintenance records, and we provide clear scopes of work before starting anything.
Our commercial services in Baulkham Hills cover:
If you’re a strata manager or building owner in Baulkham Hills with a roof that’s been flagged in a maintenance report, or one that hasn’t been properly inspected in a few years, call us before it becomes an emergency repair. The difference in cost between planned maintenance and reactive repair is significant, and not in a good way.
We’re not a company that sends a labourer to patch a roof and move on. Every inspection and quotation is done by an experienced tradesman who can actually tell you what’s going on. That’s something a lot of our competitors skip in the interest of speed, and it’s also why those customers end up calling us when the same problem comes back.
20 years in the Hills District. Fully licensed and insured. HIA member. We quote upfront, we show up on time, and we document our work with photos so you know exactly what was done.
Baulkham Hills is a suburb we know well. If you’re looking for a roofer who will give you a straight answer and do the job properly, get in touch.
All coloured materials will change colour when exposed to UV light – the paint finish on your car, the clothes on your line, and so on. When it comes to steel building materials, the extent of colour change is influenced by factors such as the colour itself, the aspect, the design of the structure and the environment. Dark colours are inherently prone to more noticeable colour change than lighter colours. Individual perceptions also come into play. How you see colour can differ greatly to someone else.
For COLORBOND® steel and ZINCALUME® steel, BlueScope Steel offers a warranty against corrosion to perforation by weathering in the natural elements for a period of up to 36 years* from the date of installation. BlueScope Steel also warrants that the paint system on COLORBOND® steel will not flake or peel due to natural weathering for a period of up to 20 years* from the date of installation.
The 36 year* COLORBOND® steel and ZINCALUME® steel for Roofing Warranty only applies providing all of the following conditions are met:
– Installed pitch of the roof is equal to or greater than 5 degrees above the horizontal.
– The roof is fully lined and does not contain exposed eaves or other areas sheltered or unwashed by natural rainfall.
– The roof is located more than 5km from salt water.
– All fasteners used for fixing the product to be in accordance with BlueScope Steel recommendations and comply with Australian Standard AS3566: Class 4 where applicable.
* Warranty terms and conditions apply. Warranties are not available for all products and applications. The duration and terms and conditions of available warranties vary according to product use and application.
It is a smart idea to clean your gutters every time you experience severe weather conditions, but if you can’t commit to that then aim for at least once a year. Like roof inspections, gutter maintenance is something that you can easily outsource to the professionals, like us here at Ivy Roofing. We’ve been installing internal box gutters and external gutters around Sydney for over 20+ years and know how to repair or replace gutters that have rusted, started leaking, been poorly installed or are suffering from general wear and tear.
No. In summer a lightweight roof made from COLORBOND® steel or ZINCALUME® steel causes less heat to be radiated into your home because it cools down faster at night. And in winter, the same steel roof, properly insulated, helps keep the heat inside. This can result in reduced cooling and heating costs.
For COLORBOND® steel and ZINCALUME® steel, BlueScope Steel offers a warranty against corrosion to perforation by weathering in the natural elements for a period of up to 36 years* from the date of installation. BlueScope Steel also warrants that the paint system on COLORBOND® steel will not flake or peel due to natural weathering for a period of up to 20 years* from the date of installation.
The 36 year* COLORBOND® steel and ZINCALUME® steel for Roofing Warranty only applies providing all of the following conditions are met:
– Installed pitch of the roof is equal to or greater than 5 degrees above the horizontal.
– The roof is fully lined and does not contain exposed eaves or other areas sheltered or unwashed by natural rainfall.
– The roof is located more than 5km from salt water.
– All fasteners used for fixing the product to be in accordance with BlueScope Steel recommendations and comply with Australian Standard AS3566: Class 4 where applicable.
* Warranty terms and conditions apply. Warranties are not available for all products and applications. The duration and terms and conditions of available warranties vary according to product use and application.
It is a smart idea to clean your gutters every time you experience severe weather conditions, but if you can’t commit to that then aim for at least once a year. Like roof inspections, gutter maintenance is something that you can easily outsource to the professionals, like us here at Ivy Roofing. We’ve been installing internal box gutters and external gutters around Sydney for over 20+ years and know how to repair or replace gutters that have rusted, started leaking, been poorly installed or are suffering from general wear and tear.
COLORBOND® steel and ZINCALUME® steel are thermally efficient roofing materials, radiating less heat into your home as they cool down faster at night. Lighter coloured roofs, irrespective of material, reflect more heat than darker shades. The result of this being less heat available to be radiated into your home. To reduce the transmission of heat into a building, insulation can be easily incorporated during the installation of the steel roof sheeting.
There are two types of insulation commonly used during the installation of steel roof sheeting. They are:
– Reflective foil, commonly referred to as ‘sarking’:
Reflective foil laminates which are commonly used to provide heat insulation under roof sheeting can serve a dual function as a vapour barrier, simply by thoroughly sealing the foil overlaps with moisture impervious adhesive tapes. The laps should be about 100mm and kept in close contact when positioning the laminate so the tape can be readily applied. The laminate must be allowed to drape between the roof supports so the cold temperature of the roof sheeting will not be transmitted to the laminate by contact. If this were to happen condensation could form on the underside of the laminate and may drip into the ceiling space.
– Combined foil and glass/wool insulation blanket:
This blanket should be installed over the battens with the glass/wool insulation facing up in temperate zones and facing down in tropical zones. For advice appropriate to your area, please phone BlueScope Steel Direct on 1800 022 999. There should be no sagging between battens to avoid air spaces between the fibreglass and the underside of the roof sheeting.
This information is intended as a guide only.
HIA: 1311978
ROOF TILER/PLUMBER LICENCE: 374716C
You notice a small stain on the ceiling in the hallway. It’s not dripping, not yet, but it’s definitely there, and it wasn’t there last
A tenant calls to say there’s a damp patch spreading across the ceiling tiles near the lift lobby. It’s the third call like that this
Most commercial roofs only get looked at once something’s already gone wrong. A leak shows up, someone gets called in, the immediate issue gets patched,
