Belconnen Townhouses

The complex

This townhouse complex in Belconnen was built in the 1980s with six attached units under a continuous concrete tile roof. Over the years, the body corporate had paid for a steady stream of repairs: re-pointing ridges, replacing cracked tiles and chasing leaks in different units after each storm.

The committee asked us to compare a restoration with a tile-to-metal conversion.

Weighing up the options

On inspection, many tiles were porous and brittle, and some battens had sagged. A restoration would have improved the look but not solved the underlying wear. A conversion to steel would remove the ongoing ridge maintenance, reduce the load on the frames and give every owner a fresh roof. After reviewing both quotes, the committee voted for the conversion.

Staging the work

With residents living on site, we worked through the complex one unit at a time. Each roof section was stripped, re-battened and sheeted before we moved on. This meant each household dealt with noise and skip bins for only a few days instead of the full three weeks.

We kept the committee updated with a weekly summary and photos.

Details that matter on attached homes

Attached townhouses have party walls that need to maintain fire separation through the roof space. We detailed each junction to suit, rather than running sheets straight across. Other key items included:

• anti-condensation blankets under every sheet
• new Colorbond gutters and downpipes in a matching colour
• a whirlybird to each unit to vent summer heat
• new barge and apron flashings where roofs meet walls.

The result

The complex now has one consistent corrugated steel roof in a neutral grey chosen by the committee. The cycle of ridge repairs and tile replacements has ended, and each unit’s roof space is ventilated. We provided the body corporate with a maintenance schedule and warranty documents for its records.