Metal and Colorbond Roofing on the Central Coast

Specification first, colour second

Most conversations about Colorbond start with the colour chart. On the Central Coast they should start with a tape measure, because the single biggest determinant of how long a metal roof lasts here is how far it sits from water and what kind of water that is.

Call (02) 4307 5050 and we will come and work out which band your house falls in before anyone talks about Monument versus Woodland Grey.

The bands that matter here

BlueScope publishes selection guidance for marine environments and it reads differently depending on which stretch of the Coast you are on.

The calm marine row is the one worth dwelling on. A sheltered lake or estuary frontage is not a mild version of the beachfront — it is its own category, with its own distances, because the failure mechanism differs. Surf exposure delivers more salt but also more rain-washing. Sheltered water delivers less salt but almost no washing, in warm humid air, onto surfaces that stay damp. We see roofs a few hundred metres from Tuggerah Lake in worse shape than roofs in sight of the breakers.

Fasteners and flashings do the dying first

On a coastal metal roof, the sheets are rarely the first thing to fail. The fixings are.

• Fasteners to AS 3566 Class 3 are not intended for use within 400 metres of the ocean or other severe marine influence. Class 4 is the practical minimum inside that distance.
• Stainless fasteners are not recommended with COLORBOND or COLORBOND Ultra — dissimilar metals in a salty, damp environment cause their own problems.
• Flashings, valley irons, cappings, gutters and downpipes need to be in the same family as the sheeting, in the same grade. A premium roof with standard flashings fails at the flashings.
• Unwashed areas — under wide eaves, behind parapets, inside box gutters, along the back of a carport skillion — need extra thought, because the rain that protects the rest of the roof never reaches them.

That is the whole reason this is a specification job rather than a materials job.

Where metal makes the most sense on the Coast

Renovated fibro cottages

The original beach shacks around Woy Woy, Umina Beach, Ettalong Beach, Toukley and Budgewoi were built light. Many were never framed for the weight of tile. When one of those houses gets a new roof, metal is usually the straightforward answer — lighter on the frame, better at low pitches, and far less to go wrong on a long shallow run.

Where the existing sheeting is asbestos cement, the removal is a separate regulated step: no pressure cleaning, no dry cutting, and in NSW a licensed removalist for anything over 10 square metres of non-friable material or for any friable material. Central Coast Council accepts it at the Buttonderry facility at Jilliby and at Woy Woy, by booking, for material generated within the LGA.

Bush blocks

At Ourimbah, Lisarow, Narara and the steeper parts of Killcare, leaf load is the daily problem. Metal sheds leaves far better than tile, and a continuous sheet run has fewer places for debris to lodge than a tiled valley does. Corrosion is not the issue up there — water volume and blockage are.

Low-pitch extensions and skillions

Plenty of Central Coast houses have a 1970s or 80s skillion addition at the back sitting below the minimum pitch for tile. Those are metal jobs by necessity, and getting the minimum pitch, lap and flashing detail right is what stops them leaking.

Profiles

Corrugated remains the default for houses — familiar, forgiving on curves, and the cheapest to replace a sheet of later. Trapezoidal and standing-seam style profiles handle longer spans and lower pitches and suit contemporary rebuilds on the waterfront. We will recommend based on pitch, span, exposure and what the house already looks like, not on what is easiest to order.

Colour, heat and the practical side

Lighter colours reflect more solar heat, which matters on a west-facing roof at Wyong or Tuggerah with no shade. Darker colours look sharper on a rebuilt waterfront home and show salt staining less. Neither choice changes the corrosion grade you need. We will give you an opinion when asked, but the colour is yours.

What a metal re-roof costs

The drivers: roof area and pitch, the grade required by your exposure band, profile, complexity (hips, valleys, penetrations, skylights), access for delivery and scaffold, removal and disposal of the old covering, and whether gutters go on at the same time. Corrosion-rated hardware costs more than inland hardware, and on a house near water it is the thing that makes the rest of the spend worthwhile.

Free inspection, written itemised quote, workmanship warranty on completion. Work is carried out by established, licensed and insured roofing contractors working to NSW Fair Trading requirements.

Get it specified properly

Call (02) 4307 5050 or send the details through the quote form.

Related: full roof replacement if the whole roof is going, gutter repair and replacement to match the hardware grade at the gutter line, and the service areas page for the suburbs we cover.