Questions Brisbane homeowners ask
Do roofers need a licence in Queensland?
Yes for almost anything worth having. A QBCC licence is required for building work valued over $3,300, which covers most repairs and every restoration or re-roof. Guttering and downpipes connected to stormwater are classified as drainage and need a licensed person at any value — there's no dollar threshold on that at all. Roof tiling, roof and wall cladding, and roof plumbing are three separate licence classes, so check the roofer holds the right one for your job.
How do I know if hail damaged my roof?
Often you can't from the ground, which is the problem. Hail cracks tiles without dislodging them and dents metal sheeting in ways that break the protective coating without puncturing it. Both leak later, sometimes months later. After a significant hailstorm the sensible move is an inspection and a written report, not waiting for a ceiling stain — by then the claim is harder to attribute to the storm.
My ceiling is stained but I can't find the leak. Why?
Water rarely enters where it appears. It travels along battens, rafters and sarking before it drops, so the entry point is often metres uphill of the stain. That's why leak tracing is charged as its own job — finding it is genuinely most of the work, and anyone quoting a leak repair without going up to look is guessing.
Is roof restoration worth it or is it just a paint job?
It's cleaning, re-bedding and repointing the ridge capping, replacing broken tiles and then coating. The re-bedding and repointing is real work that genuinely extends the roof's life. The coating is largely cosmetic and sealing. It is not a structural repair, so if battens or timbers are gone, restoration will not fix that and you should be told so.
Should I go through insurance for storm damage?
Usually yes if the damage is significant, but photograph everything before anything is touched or tarped. Insurers routinely ask whether the roof was already deteriorated, and a pre-existing rust or wear problem is generally not covered. Get a written report that separates storm damage from age, and use a licensed contractor — unlicensed work can give an insurer grounds to decline.
Tile or Colorbond when I re-roof?
Tile suits the existing look of most established Brisbane suburbs and handles heat well. Colorbond is lighter, faster to install, sheds hail impact better and doesn't need repointing. Changing from tile to metal reduces the load on the frame, which is usually fine, but the battens normally have to be replaced and that's a real part of the cost.
What does re-screwing a metal roof involve?
On older Queenslanders the roof sheeting is often sound but the fasteners have backed out or the rubber washers have perished, which lets water in at every screw. Replacing the fasteners across the roof costs a fraction of re-roofing and solves a surprising number of leaks. Worth asking about before accepting a replacement quote.
Do you cover Ipswich, Logan and Redcliffe?
Yes — coverage runs across greater Brisbane from Redcliffe and North Lakes in the north, out to Ipswich and Springfield in the west, and south through Logan to Cleveland and the bay. Those sit in different councils to Brisbane City, but QBCC licensing is set at state level and doesn't change across the boundary.
