Roofing in Perth's western suburbs and coast

The western suburbs sit between the Swan River and the Indian Ocean, from Floreat and City Beach down through Claremont, Cottesloe and Mosman Park to Fremantle. They include some of the closest homes to the surf in the metropolitan area and many of its older houses, often on narrow lots.

Here, salt attacks metal, old materials are harder to match, heritage rules can decide what a replacement roof looks like, and getting scaffolding and materials to the roof can take planning.

What roofs are common here?#

• Terracotta tile. Often in the Marseille pattern, on Federation, inter-war and post-war homes in suburbs such as Claremont, Nedlands, Mosman Park and East Fremantle.
• Corrugated iron or steel. Found on cottages and older villas in Fremantle, Subiaco and Cottesloe, some of them re-roofed over the years.
• Slate. A small number of older homes have slate, which is rare in Perth and needs someone experienced with it.
• Concrete tile. Common on many post-war and later homes in Floreat, City Beach and Wembley.
• Pre-painted steel such as COLORBOND steel. Often seen on contemporary rebuilds, frequently with low-pitched or skillion roofs.

Local conditions that affect roofs#

Salt air and mixed metals

Homes in City Beach, Swanbourne, Cottesloe and North and South Fremantle sit closest to breaking surf, where salt corrodes steel roofing, screws, flashings and gutters fastest. Areas the rain does not wash, such as under eaves, verandahs and sheet overlaps, collect salt and often corrode first. Older homes add another issue: copper or lead elements can accelerate corrosion when their runoff reaches zinc or aluminium-coated steel, so when an old roof is patched with new steel, ask the contractor how the metals will be kept compatible. See our coastal corrosion guide and roof flashing repairs.

Matching old materials

Old terracotta profiles, early corrugated sheets and slate can be hard to match exactly. A repair may rely on salvaged tiles, a close modern profile or moving original tiles to the street-facing side, and heritage rules may limit those choices. Ask how replacement materials will be sourced before comparing prices; see tile roof repairs.

Tight lots and access

Narrow side setbacks, boundary walls, close neighbours and limited parking near beaches and town centres make access a real part of the job. Scaffolding may need to stand on a neighbour’s land or the verge, and a two-storey rebuild next door can change how a single-storey roof is reached. Ask the contractor who arranges a neighbour’s permission and any council permit for the verge.

Permits and local rules#

Planning and permit questions go to the Town of Cottesloe, Town of Claremont, City of Nedlands, City of Subiaco, Town of Cambridge, Town of Mosman Park, Shire of Peppermint Grove, City of Fremantle or Town of East Fremantle. Two separate approvals can apply: development (planning) approval, which deals with heritage and streetscape, and a building permit, which deals with structure. A job can need either, both or neither.

• Fremantle. The City of Fremantle has heritage areas including Central Fremantle, North Fremantle, South Fremantle and Hilton, and says that in most circumstances development within heritage places requires planning approval. Its Local Planning Policy 1.7 exempts replacing or altering roofing materials from approval only where the roof form and pitch do not change, where works in a heritage area are like-for-like or match the original period and style (or do not affect the original building exterior), and where the place is not on the State Register, under a heritage order or agreement, or on the heritage list. The policy notes that an exemption does not remove the need for other approvals, such as under the Building Act.
• Subiaco. The City of Subiaco says that when a place is on the heritage list or in a heritage area, development approval is generally required for most works, and suggests checking with its Planning Services first.
• Building permits and registered builders. In a case announced by the WA Government, a Floreat roof replacement from tile to corrugated steel valued at $27,445 needed a building permit and therefore a registered building contractor, and the unregistered roofer was fined. See building permits for roof work.

For any other council, ask its planning team whether the property is heritage listed or in a heritage area before you accept a quote.

Common jobs and what to ask#

• Terracotta repairs and ridge rebedding. Ask whether matching tiles are in hand and which ridges need rebedding. See roof repointing.
• Steel and flashing repairs near the beach. Ask for the product grade and how it suits your distance from the surf. See metal roof repairs.
• Re-roofing an older home. Ask who will obtain planning approval and the building permit. See roof replacement.

Getting a quote in the western suburbs#

Request a quote for any western suburbs or coastal home. When completing the quote form, it helps to include:

• the roof material and roughly when the house was built;
• whether you know the property is heritage listed or in a heritage area;
• how close the house is to the beach;
• side access, boundary walls and parking, with photos from the ground or a safe window.