Karori's first 100-acre farm sections were taken up in the 1840s, and in 1888 a syndicate built roads and sold lots on the section closest to town. Growth sped up after the Karori Tunnel opened in 1900 and trams reached Nottingham Street in 1907, and by the 1960s Karori was one of New Zealand's biggest suburbs.
Karori lies in a basin on the western edge of Wellington's urban area, about 4 km from the city centre, and since the 1980s infill housing has added homes on subdivided sections. That spread of eras means a wide mix of roofs, often on sloping, bush-edged sites. The measure is free, and you get an itemised quote in writing.
Roofing Services in Karori
Every roofing service we offer in Karori, and what each one covers:
- Re-Roofing: A full re-roof replaces your old roofing, underlay and flashings with a new COLORSTEEL roof built to today's Building Code.
- Roof Replacement: When repairs no longer make sense, we replace the roof completely and leave you with a roof that is good for decades.
- Tile to Metal Re-Roofing: Swapping heavy concrete tiles for lightweight steel removes weight from the frame and ends the cycle of cracked tiles and leaks.
- Asbestos Roof Removal: Older Super Six and fibre cement roofs can contain asbestos.
- Decramastic Roof: Decramastic tiles lose their chip coating and rust from the inside.
- Roof Repairs: Leaks, loose sheets, failed flashings and cracked tiles repaired properly, with photos of what we found and fixed.
- Roof Leak Repairs: We track a leak to its source, which is often nowhere near the stain on your ceiling, and fix the cause.
- Emergency Roof Repairs: Storm damage made safe fast, then repaired with the photos and reports your insurer needs.
- Tile Roof Repairs: Cracked and slipped tiles replaced, ridges rebedded and repointed, and leaks under tiles traced and sealed.
- Roof Flashing Repairs: Flashings around chimneys, skylights, walls and valleys cause most leaks.
- New Roofs: New roofs for new builds, extensions and minor dwellings, installed to plans and signed off for your Code Compliance Certificate.
- Metal Roofing: Longrun COLORSTEEL roofing in corrugate and trapezoidal profiles, rolled to length for your roof.
- Membrane Roofing: Flat and low-pitch roofs, decks and gutters waterproofed with butynol and modern membrane systems.
- Skylights: Roof windows and skylights installed or replaced with proper flashing kits, so the light comes in and the water does not.
- Spouting and Gutters: New spouting, gutter replacement and repairs in steel and PVC, sized to carry heavy downpours.
- Gutter Cleaning: Gutters and downpipes cleared by hand, flushed and checked, with before and after photos of what we found.
- Downpipes and Fascia: Downpipes and fascia replaced or repaired, often alongside new spouting or a re-roof.
- Roof Painting: Roof painting that starts with proper preparation: wash, treat, repair and prime, then two coats of roof paint.
- Roof Cleaning: Moss, lichen and grime removed with the right treatment for your roof type, without damaging the surface.
- Roof Inspections: A detailed roof report with photos and honest repair or replace advice, for owners, buyers and insurers.
- Roof Ventilation: Roof and ceiling space ventilation that reduces condensation, mould and heat build-up.
- Commercial Roofing: Re-roofs, repairs and maintenance plans for commercial, industrial and multi-unit buildings.
Karori Homes and Their Roofs
Karori's early villas and bungalows traditionally have corrugated iron roofs, while the big wave of mid-century family homes can carry concrete tile or decramastic, which are common tile to metal conversions. Infill homes from the 1980s onwards add longrun steel and metal tile. Hillside homes around the edge of the basin, near Zealandia and Wrights Hill, often have steep access.
What Karori Conditions Mean for Your Roof
Karori sits on high ground at the edge of an upthrust block beside the Wellington Fault, and homes on the basin rim are exposed to strong wind, so fixings and flashings need to suit the NZS 3604 wind zone for the site. Bush and mature trees around the suburb drop leaves into spouting and valleys, and on sloping sections roof water should go to stormwater rather than onto banks.
Roofers Karori FAQs
We bought a Karori home with a tired decramastic roof. What are our options?
If the chip coating is mostly intact, targeted repairs can buy time. Once the steel underneath is rusting in several places, replacing the roof with COLORSTEEL is the long-term fix. A roof inspection with photos shows which stage your roof is at.
Do trees near Zealandia cause roof problems?
Leaves and needles block spouting and valleys, and overhanging branches can damage roofing in a gale. Regular gutter cleaning and keeping branches clear of the roof prevents most of it.
Does the Wellington Fault affect my roof?
Not directly, but a lightweight steel roof puts less load on a house frame in an earthquake than heavy concrete tiles. That is one reason to consider steel when a tile roof is due for replacement.
Do you work on infill homes and units in Karori?
Yes. We repair and re-roof infill homes and units, including flat and low-pitch roofs, spouting and flashings.