Strathfield roofing for large Federation homes on deep blocks

Big roofs, big blocks, serious geometry

Strathfield is the grandest housing on our suburb list. Along The Boulevarde, Albert Road, Redmyre Road and Churchill Avenue there are large Federation Queen Anne homes on deep blocks, with tall gabled roofs, turrets, finials, wide verandah returns and a great deal of terracotta tile. Some of the older stock carries genuine slate. Strathfield Park and the station anchor the middle of it.

Strathfield Council lists roughly 17 conservation areas under Schedule 5 of the Strathfield LEP 2012, and the council development control plan notes Federation Queen Anne as featuring prominently in the Churchill Avenue, Homebush Road and Redmyre Road conservation areas.

Why these roofs cost more to look after

It is the geometry rather than the size. A Queen Anne roof has gables intersecting hips, verandah roofs tucked under the main planes, turret and bay roofs, and a dozen or more valleys. Every one of those junctions is a place water can get in.

What we find most:

• Valley irons rusted through where leaf litter has sat wet for decades
• Long runs of ridge and hip capping with the bedding mortar crumbled away
• Terracotta tiles cracked or delaminating; matching original profiles takes sourcing
• Slate slipping on corroded iron nails, on the older houses
• Lead flashings at chimney stacks lifted and no longer dressed into the brickwork
• Verandah roofs at a pitch too low for the covering that is on them

Restoration handles the tiled majority. Replacement covers re-slating and full re-roofs where it has gone past that.

Specification inside a conservation area

Street-visible roof covering, profile and colour can all be controlled here, and substituting metal for terracotta on a front elevation is generally not available. Matching material, matching profile and a muted finish is the territory. We specify to the controls that apply to your address and tell you when a development application looks likely, without predicting the outcome.

Access

Deep blocks and driveways mean access is usually straightforward, which keeps the cost proportionate to the roof area rather than inflated by scaffolding. Two-storey and turret work still needs proper edge protection, and that is priced in.

Nearby

Burwood, Concord, Croydon and Croydon Park — or browse all 29 suburbs.

Book a free assessment

Call (02) 8000 1103 or get a free quote. Written workmanship warranty on completed work.