Roof Health Check: Repair, Restore or Replace?

Yes. If tiles crack underfoot, a large share are broken or delaminating, or the battens under them are rotten, coating will not save it. A partial re-tile of the worst slope is sometimes enough; otherwise it is a re-roof. We tell you which on the inspection.

Usually it starts as a repair: a cracked ridge, a slipped tile or a rusted valley. If the roof is also faded and the pointing is failing everywhere, the leak is a symptom of a roof that is due for restoration, and doing the whole thing costs less than a run of repairs.

A wash every two to three years keeps salt and lichen off the surface, and a look at the ridge pointing each spring before storm season catches cracks early. Within a kilometre of the surf, check valleys and gutters for rust every year.