Roof Tiling in Como
Cracked and slipped tiles are the most common cause of a Perth roof leak. Serving Como 6152 and the surrounding suburbs.
Fully licensed & accredited — Builders Registration BC105819 · Painters Registration PC102072 · Patent ID AU-A-2020100623
Roof tiling covers replacing cracked, slipped and broken tiles, re-tiling a tired roof, and laying new tile roofs. The key is matching the profile so the repair disappears into the roof and stays watertight. We source the match, re-bed the ridge, and check the battens underneath. It’s the most common fix behind a roof leak in Como, and it pairs naturally with a restoration. Free inspection, written quote, 10-year workmanship warranty.
Roof tiling in Como: the short version
Tiles crack, slip and break — from weather, foot traffic, tree limbs or simple age — and each one is a way in for water. Tiling is replacing them with a matched profile, or re-tiling where too many have gone. It’s targeted and effective when the roof structure is sound. We do the same work through nearby Salter Point; more on our roof tiling service page.
Why Como roofs behave the way they do
Como has a piece of building history that genuinely changes how its houses should be inspected. In 1948-49, more than a thousand blocks were created here and the suburb became a testing ground for experimental prefabricated. “expansible” houses, homes designed to be thrown up quickly against a desperate post-war housing shortage. The shortage was severe enough that the City allowed families to live in caravans on their own blocks while their houses went up. Identify the construction before assuming anything about it Experimental housing was built for speed, not longevity, using non-standard details. Where examples survive, or were later built onto, expect unusual wall and floor systems, junctions that were never intended to last seventy-five years and additions grafted onto a frame never designed to carry them. A conventional inspection checklist applied to a non-conventional house will miss the things that matter. Establishing what the house is actually made of comes first. Not always. The scale of that release also means a very large body of homes of near-identical vintage. Late-1940s and 1950s problems recur across whole streets, original services well past life, asbestos-era materials and roof and wet-area fabric at or beyond a second cycle. Two pieces of geography shape the rest. Canning Highway cuts the suburb in half, so properties near it carry real traffic noise and the two halves differ in character. And where Como runs down toward the Swan River, the low parcels carry a high water table and estuarine damp working at masonry.What that means for roof tiling in Como
Across the river suburbs, cracked and slipped tiles are simply the most common cause of a leak on an older Como roof. One slipped tile rarely announces itself — it just quietly wets the roof space until a ceiling stain appears.
We replace with a matched profile and re-seat any that have crept, so the repair blends in and the roof is watertight again.
It’s the same matched-tile work we carry out through Manning and Karawara, and catching it early keeps one cracked tile from becoming a wet ceiling.
Como roofs: symptom and fix
| What you are seeing | What it usually means | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| A visible cracked or broken tile | Direct water entry point | Matched tile replacement |
| A tile out of line or slipped down | Tile has crept off its batten | Re-seat or replace |
| Ceiling stain after heavy rain | Cracked tile or failed valley above | Trace, replace tile, check valley |
| Many chipped, porous or tired tiles | Roof surface near end of life | Re-tile or restore |
Guide only. Every roof differs, which is why we inspect before quoting.
More roofing in Como
01Roof Repairs in Como
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Roof Repairs in Como
Learn moreComo runs along the Swan and mixes older character homes with a good deal of unit and townhouse stock, so the roof work is varied — perished pointing and cracked tiles on the houses, plus flashing and box-gutter issues on the flatter roofs of the units. We match the tile where it's a pitched roof, sort the detailing where it's not, and always trace the leak to where the water genuinely enters rather than where it shows.
View roof repairs in Como →
02Roof Restoration in Como
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Roof Restoration in Como
Learn moreComo's older foreshore homes are prime restoration candidates — sound tiles under faded colour and tired pointing, in a setting worth doing well. We lift the river-fed moss, re-bed and re-point the ridges, replace the odd broken tile, and re-coat in a tone that suits the house. On a leafy riverside street a proper restoration takes years off a home for a fraction of a re-roof.
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03Roof Replacement in Como
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Roof Replacement in Como
Learn moreWhen a Como roof is genuinely finished, we re-roof it to suit an established riverside home — framing and sarking sorted while it's open, flashings detailed properly, and a considered choice between a traditional tile look and lighter Colorbond. The aim is a roof that fits comfortably on a Swan-side street and outlasts the one it replaces, whether it's a character house or something more recent.
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04Roof Carpentry in Como
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Roof Carpentry in Como
Learn moreUnder Como's older foreshore homes there's framing that's absorbed years of river damp, and where a leak's been added on top the timber has often quietly gone. We repair it properly — cutting back to sound wood, matching the old framing, and stopping the water at its source above — so a lovely riverside home isn't left with rot working away beneath a roof that looks fine from the street.
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05Roof Cleaning in Como
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Roof Cleaning in Como
Learn moreRight by the river the air stays damp, and Como's shaded, tree-lined blocks grow moss and lichen readily. We treat the growth so it's killed at the root, then bring the tiles back to an even colour at a pressure they'll take, and clear the leaf litter the foreshore trees drop into the valleys. On a lot of these older homes a thorough treat-and-clean is genuinely all the roof needs.
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06Roof Inspection in Como
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Roof Inspection in Como
Learn moreA Como home — house or unit — can hide an aged roof behind a well-kept front, so a look before you buy is worth it. We check the tiles, pointing, valleys and flashings on a pitched roof, or the box gutters and membrane on a flatter one, and get into the roof space where we can, then hand you a clear photographed report so the roof isn't an unknown when you make your offer.
View roof inspection in Como →See all roofing services in Como, or read more about our roof inspection service across Perth.
Signs a Como roof needs tiling work
- Visible cracked, chipped or broken tiles
- Tiles out of line, slipped or lifting
- Tile fragments in the gutters or on the ground after wind
If that’s your Como roof — or one you’re buying in nearby Waterford — don’t leave it through winter. See also the signs a roof needs attention.
Local conditions in Como
Como was a testing ground for EXPERIMENTAL PREFABRICATED and 'EXPANSIBLE' houses in 1948-49, homes designed for speed rather than longevity and built to non-standard details. Where any survive or were built onto, expect construction that does not follow conventional practice: unusual wall. That matters. Floor systems, joints and junctions that were never meant to last 75 years and additions grafted onto a frame never designed to carry them. Identify the construction type before assuming anything about it.
Over 1,000 blocks released in two years means a large body of homes of near-identical vintage. The same late-1940s and 1950s issues recur across whole streets: original services long past life, asbestos-era materials and roof and wet-area fabric at or beyond the end of a second cycle.
Canning Highway cuts the suburb in two, properties on or near it carry substantial traffic noise and the two halves differ in character and value.
We cover the whole of the City of South Perth. Short drives keep roof replacement affordable on smaller jobs and most of ours are smaller jobs.
Matching tiles and specification
The whole art of a good tile repair is the match. Concrete and terracotta profiles vary by era and maker, and many are discontinued, so a lazy repair leaves an obvious patch. We identify the profile, source the closest current match or salvage from concealed areas, and blend the repair so it disappears into the roof.
Where the roof is genuinely at end of life, matched patching is throwing good money after bad — we’ll be honest about whether a re-tile, a restoration or a re-roof is the better call, and how to tell a straight roofer from a dodgy one is worth a read either way.
A little about Como
Originally three land grants purchased by Christchurch farmer Edmund Hugh Comer in February 1891; recognised as a new suburb around 1898; established 1905; Canning Highway Divides THE Suburb; ~6.7km², ~14,786 pop The 1950s and 60s saw further development of surrounding areas by the State Housing Commission and under War Service Homes Housing shortages were such that the City Allowed People TO Live IN Caravans ON Their Properties While Their Houses Were Being Built None of that decides what your roof needs. It does tell us what to expect before we get the ladder out in Como.
What the work involves
- Match the profile. We identify and source the correct tile profile so replacements blend in rather than leaving an obvious patch.
- Replace and re-seat. Cracked and broken tiles swapped out, slipped tiles re-seated, and disturbed ridge caps re-bedded so the whole area is sound.
- Check underneath. We look at the battens and sarking below damaged tiles, because a long-standing crack often means water has already reached the timber.
- Re-tile where it’s due. Where too many tiles have failed we’ll advise a re-tile or a re-roof rather than an endless run of patches — and pair it with a full inspection so nothing is missed.
Common questions about roof tiling in Como
Can you match my existing tiles?
That’s the key part of the job. We identify the profile and source the closest current match, or salvage tiles from a concealed area of the roof, so a repair blends in rather than leaving an obvious patch — which matters most on older, discontinued profiles.
Is it better to replace a few tiles or re-tile the roof?
If only a handful have gone and the rest are sound, matched replacement is the cheap, sensible fix. If tiles are failing all over, a re-tile or re-roof makes more sense than patching endlessly — see how long a roof should last.
One cracked tile caused a leak — how urgent is it?
Worth doing promptly. A single cracked tile lets water onto the sarking and battens, and a wet winter turns a $200 tile into stained ceilings and rotted timber. We can usually replace it quickly.
Do you lay new tile roofs, not just repairs?
Yes — alongside repairs and re-tiling we lay new tile roofs, matched and bedded properly and backed by our workmanship warranty.
Do you do tiling throughout Como and nearby?
Yes — across Como and neighbouring suburbs including Salter Point and Manning. Ring 0421 768 842 and tell us your street. If tiling isn’t what your roof needs, we’ll say so rather than quoting anyway.
Dulux AcraTex accredited applicators
Powerdrive Roofing is an accredited applicator for the Dulux AcraTex roof restoration system, so your coating carries the manufacturer’s product warranty alongside our own 10-year workmanship warranty. How the Dulux AcraTex warranty works →
What Perth homeowners say
Two hundred and six people have reviewed us on Google. If we have worked on your roof, adding yours genuinely helps the next person deciding who to trust with theirs.
Request a free inspection
Tell us about the roof and we will come and look at it. Free inspection, written quote, no obligation.
Need your roof sorted? Let's talk.
Tell us about your roof and the problem, we'll tell you the likely cause and what it'll take to fix.