Our Services

Roof Inspections

Having roof issues?

The Roof Man has 25 years of experience in the roofing industry.

The best way to know what work a roof requires is to have it looked at by a professional. If your unsure of the state of your roof and are not comfortable getting up there to take a look, then simply call us and we will happily come and  inspect it for you with no obligation.
With years of experience, We  have  the knowledge  and experience to know what roofing repairs are necessary to stand up to harsh weather conditions. We will thoroughly check over the roof and assess the work required.
If you have an urgent repair that needs fixing, we will in most cases be able to temporarily repair the leak/damage until you are ready to go ahead with the necessary repair work. We carry out affordable, independent inspections on all types of roofs and provide you with an easy to understand and detailed condition report which includes photos, recommendations and if required, an estimate for recommended repair work. We can personally carry out some repair work, our inspections are fully independent and completely unbiased.

Leak Detection Specialist

I have had a lot of experience in leak detection

Roof leaks can cause major problems if found too late. It’s easy to see when you have a leaky roof – stains on the ceiling are an obvious sign. Sometimes you can also see discolouration on the walls or floors and smell mould.
Discovering the source of leaks however, may be a bit harder to detect. Water can travel along rafters and across timber and eventually to the area where the stain is.

The areas that are often the sources of leaks are:

• broken or cracked roof tiles – Roof tiles are  a weatherproof barrier  to stop water and to and other elements entering your home.
• Roof Flashing – Roof flashing are installed anywhere there is a penetration or wall through the roof. Plumbing vent flashings, or a chimney is an example.

You should also check any areas near vents, pipes, gutters and ‘valleys’ – valleys are areas where two sections of the roof meet.
1. You may like to stand outside your house and see whether there are any irregularities on your broken tiles or missing pieces of capping.
2. The best way to detect leaks is to go from the stain and then try to trace it back to its source.
3. If you examine the roof from underneath, in the roofspace on a very rainy day, you should be able to retrace the water’s flow.
4.  If it isn’t raining, you can sometimes locate the origin of a roof leak by examining the roof framing timbers.
5. You can also take a garden hose up on the roof if it isn’t raining to test for leaks. Make sure you try and make it act like rain and don’t point the hose up the tile as that will make it leak.
If all else fails call a professional like me

It’s also important to maintain your roof and gutters regularly – don’t wait until water is dripping on your head or the ceiling has caved in

Bedding and Pointing

Bedding

Ridge capping is held down and supported by bedding sand and cement based mortar (similar to the joins between the brickwork on a house. Unfortunately, the bedding will crack as it naturally shrinks and moves with the natural movement of the roof. In the past this is how the roof would have been finished.
With age and movement on the roof, the bedding (and attached pointing) would start to crack – and the ridge capping will then start to dislodge, crack and sometimes separate from the capping.
1. The process of re bedding and pointing ridge capping starts with pulling up the ridge capping that is to be re bedded. These tiles will have the old cement mortar and pointing removed. Any cracked ridge caps or broken tiles near the caps are also replaced.
2. New bedding cement is mixed (a 3 to 1 ratio) and placed within a bedding frame to keep the caps straight and level. The cleaned ridge caps are then placed in position (bedded) with multiple ridge caps being placed in an overlapping fashion until the row is completed.
3. Any loose cement is removed
4. Once the bedding cement mortar has dried, a flexible, waterproof compound is applied to protect it from the natural elements and movement of the building structure.

Flexible pointing

Some key benefits and features of Flexible Pointing over cement pointing?

Flexible pointing is like it says, it is flexible. It moves with the natural movement of your home and avoids cracking. As the foundations shift, the flexi pointing expands and contracts as required.

Flexible pointing has a skin. The makeup of chemicals in the product specifically prolongs the life of the flexible pointing not allowing the suns UV to break down the material. Also the colour stays in the pointing / skin of the pointing for the duration of the applied material, only fading ever so slightly.
Because the flexible pointing is pre-mixed and the colour is always the same, matching the product is easy.

The advantages of Flexible Pointing is that it has excellent hold down properties and is flexible therefore giving great longevity. As a result most manufacturers give a 10 year warranty.
Flexible Pointing uses an all acrylic binder specifically recommended for new roof and roof refurbishment applications.
Because flexible pointing is already premixed, it is a lot easier for handy people to repair their roofs. Often we get questions like “how do you use Flexible pointing?” it is reasonably straightforward to use, however you have to be realistic about the finish that you are going to get. Like any trade, especially skilled trades, practice make perfect, there are other factors to take into account such as safety, clean up around the caps, weep holes etc.

Flexible Pointing comes in 10 litre pails and a large range of colours. Flexible Pointing  washes up with water!
Where would I use Flexible Pointing?
Flexible Pointing is specially designed for pointing concrete or terracotta ridge caps once they have been bedded down, in some circumstances you can go over the original bedding material as long as it is clean

Most flexible pointing manufacturer’s product has especially in high wind areas such as Australia’s eastern seaboard and conforms to CSIRO AS2050 appendix F to a C3 rating.

Valley Issues – Replacement/Valley Seal

Valley’s are one area of the roof that are often neglected and can be a major source of leaking. leaf litter, slipped tile cuts, broken tiles are just some of the issues that can cause serious damage

Most issues can be solved with clearing the valley of the build up of leaves. Unfortunately without removing the tiles it is impossible to get everything out the area that can be seen is between 75mm to 100mm the actual width of the valley is around 400mm to 450mm. valley seal is a tar impregnated foam that forms a barrier between the water running down the valley tray and the inside of the roof.

Flashings Install and Repair

Flashings are where two areas of roof meet

High Pressure Roof Cleaning

The Roof Man specialises in high pressure roof cleaning,  We can Have your roofs colour and appearance restored and prolong the life of your paint. Cleaning your roof can significantly increase how your roof looks When you look at your house, one of the main encompassing features is your roof.  Curb appeal of your home or property adding value prior to any sale or rental. Did you know your roof doesn’t need painting? Don’t be fooled by slick sales people. Most times all you need is a roof clean, tiles replaced and caps.

The process of cleaning starts with a full check of the outside of your house to see if anything needs to be covered up or moved. If required down pipes are re directed from water tanks. A bilge pump is put into the curbing and sand bagged to catch the water from going down the drains and into the water ways. Next is cleaning the gutters, now the roof is ready for cleaning. After the roof has been cleaned we wash down the fascia and gutter, remove tarps (where used)  and clean up the any dirt downstairs. Our goal at the completion of the job is to have no mess anywhere.

Leaking tile clips

Leaking tile clips are a common problem. They sit in the water course (where the tiles lap on the side) when water runs down the water course it hits the tile clip and drops into the ceiling space.

over the years it will break down the plaster board and eventually break through and make a hole. there are a few types of tile clips The only real way to fix them is to replace them with a different type of clip which looks like a wire (just as effective in relation to hold down capabilities) See image below.

Roof Tile Replacement

If you have a tiled roof – then sooner or later, you will have a broken roof tile.  So, what happens if you get a cracked roof tile?

The easy way is to check around the house and see if there are some laying around and do it yourself.

Well, a properly executed silicone repair can be effective as a temporary (or even permanent) solution to this problem. However, I have seen so many broken roof tiles repaired with silicone and still leak. This is because the roof repairer did not know the basics of how a roof tile functions.

Most unsuccessful roof tile repairs are done without removal of the broken tile. This means that the visible crack is siliconed up but the all important drainage course that is hidden under the lap is left broken and un-sealed. This means that while the roof tile does not leak as bad – it still leaks.

The best way is to have me come and replace any broken tiles