Normanhurst: inter-war tile roofs under tall gums

Normanhurst occupies the ground between Hornsby and Thornleigh, with the Main North line through the middle of it, and it has one of the better mixes of housing stock in the Shire: inter-war brick and tile, solid post-war homes, and a scattering of later infill — nearly all of it under a canopy that has been growing since the houses went up.

Old roofs, and what that means in practice

An inter-war tile roof is usually in better shape than people assume. The tiles themselves are durable. What fails is everything around them: the mortar bedding under the ridge and hip caps, the fillets at chimneys, the valley trays, and the sarking, which on the oldest roofs was never there.

So the Normanhurst job is often not a new roof. It is lifting and rebedding the caps, replacing the valleys, forming proper flashings where someone once used mortar or silicone, and repointing in a flexible compound that moves with the roof. The roof restoration page walks through the sequence.

Three things we flag on nearly every inspection here

1. Ridge lines. Long hips on these roof shapes mean a lot of metres of pointing, and when it goes it goes along the whole line.
2. Chimneys. Original brick chimneys with cracked mortar fillets instead of a proper stepped flashing are a standing leak.
3. Gutters behind the fascia. Decades of leaf litter against the back of a steel gutter rots the timber behind it, and you only find out when the gutter comes off.

The trees above the roof

Normanhurst gardens are generous and the gums are big. If you are thinking the real answer is to take the limb off the roof, be aware that Hornsby Shire protects trees on private property under its tree and vegetation preservation controls, and pruning or removal generally needs a permit. Deal with the roof first; apply separately if the tree genuinely needs work.

Free inspection and a written quote. Call (02) 9000 1127 or request a quote.

We also cover Thornleigh, Waitara and Pennant Hills. Everything else is on the service areas page.