By the 1880s Te Aro was packed with working-class houses and businesses. Since the start of the 21st century apartment buildings have gone up across the suburb, many converted from former office buildings, and former market warehouses have become apartments, offices and venues. New rooftop apartments on existing buildings are a particular feature of the area.
That gives Te Aro a different mix of roofs from the hill suburbs: low-pitch and membrane roofs, box gutters, parapets and the junctions where a rooftop addition meets an older building. It also sits in a city with an average wind speed of about 27 km/h, the highest of any city in the world. For apartment buildings we provide a written report with photos that suits owners and body corporate committees alike. The measure is free, and you get an itemised quote in writing.
Roofing Services in Te Aro
Every roofing service we offer in Te Aro, 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.
Te Aro Homes and Their Roofs
Most roof work in Te Aro is on apartment buildings, converted offices and warehouses, where membrane and low-pitch metal roofs drain to internal box gutters and outlets. Rooftop apartments add new roofs on top of older structures, and the junctions, parapet cappings and flashings between them need close attention. The older cottages and shops that remain near Cuba Street and Haining Street traditionally have corrugated iron roofs.
What Te Aro Conditions Mean for Your Roof
Te Aro is mostly flat, but tall buildings funnel the wind, and wind-driven rain can be pushed sideways under flashings and cappings. Parts of Te Aro sit on reclaimed land within 500 metres of the harbour, which NZS 3604 places in the highest sea spray zone, so we check exposure for each address. In heavy rain a blocked outlet on a flat roof can back water up into the building quickly, so outlets and overflows should be checked regularly.
Roofers Te Aro FAQs
Can you repair a leaking membrane roof on a Te Aro apartment building?
Yes. We find the source first, which is often a failed lap, outlet or parapet capping rather than the membrane itself, then repair or replace the affected area. For larger buildings we provide a written report with photos for the owners or body corporate.
Who is responsible for the roof in a Te Aro apartment block?
In most unit title developments the roof is common property, so the body corporate arranges and pays for repairs. Check your unit plan and body corporate rules before booking work, and we can quote directly to the committee.
Why does water come in around our rooftop addition?
The junction between a rooftop structure and the original building has to handle movement, wind pressure and water running off two roofs. Flashings that are too short or rely on sealant can fail in a strong southerly. We replace failed flashings with properly lapped ones.
Do you work on heritage buildings around Cuba Street?
Yes, on the roofing side. Cuba Street is in a District Plan heritage area, so check what consents apply before work that changes how the roof looks. We can work with your architect or engineer on the roofing scope.