Roofers in Elizabeth, Adelaide
Elizabeth is the centre of the City of Playford, planned by the SA Housing Trust in the 1950s as a satellite city on the northern plains. The Trust housing has passed through many hands since, and the City Centre, the railway and Philip Highway anchor a suburb that is being steadily renewed.
What usually goes wrong on Elizabeth roofs
- Remaining asbestos cement roofs that are brittle, unsafe to walk on and need a licensed removalist before re-roofing
- Cracked terracotta tiles and crumbling ridge mortar on the original Trust roofs that were never replaced
- Rusted screws, chalked paint and rusted gutters on 1980s Colorbond re-roofs done with the cheapest sheeting of the day
- Hail-dented gutters and cracked tiles from storm cells crossing the northern plains
- Unknown repair history on tenanted and privately renovated Trust homes
Local notes from the roofers
Elizabeth was built by the SA Housing Trust from the mid-1950s as a satellite city, and the roofs in Elizabeth itself and the surrounding Playford suburbs tell that story. Double units and freestanding Trust homes went up with asbestos cement or terracotta roofs, and a large proportion have been re-roofed with Colorbond over the decades, some well and some with the cheapest sheeting available at the time. Where old asbestos cement roofs remain they are brittle, cannot be walked on safely and must be removed by a licensed asbestos removalist regulated by SafeWork SA before new sheeting goes on. Terracotta roofs that survived have cracked tiles and crumbling ridge mortar, while 1980s Colorbond re-roofs show rusted screws, chalked paint and rusted gutters. The plains are hot and flat, with summer heat that bakes roof surfaces, and hail cells crossing the north regularly dent gutters and crack tiles. Around the City Centre and Philip Highway there is newer infill housing under Colorbond with box gutters. Tenanted homes and privately renovated Trust houses often need an inspection to work out what has actually been done to the roof over the years.
Housing and roof types in Elizabeth
Mid-1950s onward SA Housing Trust double units and freestanding homes, originally under asbestos cement or terracotta tiles and largely re-roofed with Colorbond over the decades, with newer infill housing under Colorbond around the City Centre and Philip Highway.
