Greater Christchurch has been one of the busiest places in the country to build a house. Selwyn was the fastest-growing district in New Zealand at the 2023 Census, Halswell has grown much faster than the rest of the city, and Pegasus is a whole planned town north of the Waimakariri River. Every one of those homes needed a roof installed to plan, on time and with the paperwork right.
We install new roofs for builders, owner-builders and homeowners adding extensions, minor dwellings and garages. Most are longrun COLORSTEEL, with membrane on low-pitch areas and skylights and spouting fitted as part of the same package. Send us your plans and we will price from them, then confirm everything on site before we order steel.
Pricing: every roof gets a free on-site measure and an itemised written quote, with a fixed price agreed before any work starts.
What we install
We price new roofs from the roof plan, elevations, sections and specification. From those we confirm the profile, steel product, colour, underlay, purlin spacing, fixings and flashing details, and raise anything that needs clarifying before the job starts rather than halfway through it.
Underlay, spouting and skylights are easy to treat as extras, but they decide how the roof performs. We fit the underlay specified on the plans, size spouting and downpipes to the roof area they drain, and install skylights with the manufacturer's flashing kits, so the whole roof goes on as one system.
- New homes in subdivisions and on infill sections
- Extensions and additions tied into an existing roof
- Minor dwellings and sleep-outs
- Garages, carports and outbuildings
- Low-pitch areas and decks in butynol and membrane systems
- Skylights, spouting and downpipes as part of the roofing package
Choosing a roof for a Christchurch new build
Lightweight roofing is the default for most new Christchurch homes, and for good reason. After the 2011 earthquake, a report from New Zealand science and engineering societies recommended lightweight materials such as steel over heavy roofs such as concrete tiles, and the Natural Hazards Commission still advises lighter roofing. Flat residential land in Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri is mapped into technical categories, and MBIE guidance for TC2 land points to lightweight construction or enhanced foundations. A light roof fits that approach.
Steel choice then follows the site. COLORSTEEL groups sites into environment categories based mainly on distance from the sea and exposure, and notes that wind can carry salt further inland. A new home near the coast at Parklands or New Brighton may need a different product from one in Rolleston or Lincoln. Profile follows the design and the roof pitch: the acceptable solution E2/AS1 sets minimum pitches by profile, and very low pitches suit trough profiles or membrane.
How It Works
Frost, condensation and underlay
Christchurch gets around 80 ground frost days a year, and clear frosty nights are when condensation forms on the underside of a cold steel roof. Warm, moist air from inside the house rises into the roof space and meets metal that has cooled well below the air temperature. Without the right underlay and a way for that moisture to escape, it drips onto insulation and framing.
This is a design question as much as an installation one. We fit the underlay type shown on the plans, lap and support it correctly, and check that any ventilation the designer has specified is not blocked at the eaves or ridge. If the plans are silent on something that matters, we ask before we start. Our roof ventilation page has more on roof space moisture.
Consent, the LBP record of work and your Code Compliance Certificate
Roofing on a consented new house is restricted building work, which must be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner. Roofing is one of the LBP licence classes. When the roof is finished, the LBP provides a record of work listing what they did and supervised.
That record of work is one of the documents your building consent authority needs before it issues a Code Compliance Certificate. In Christchurch that is Christchurch City Council; in Rolleston and Lincoln it is Selwyn District Council; in Rangiora, Kaiapoi and Pegasus it is Waimakariri District Council. Missing roofing paperwork can hold up the whole project, so we hand the roofing documents over promptly when the roof is complete.
Working with your builder
On a new build the roof needs to go on as soon as the framing and purlins are ready, so the house can be closed in and the inside trades can start. We agree the schedule with your builder, confirm purlin spacing and fixings before the frame is finished, and coordinate with the plumber, electrician and any solar installer so penetrations are planned rather than cut in later.
Before we start we check that the framing is ready for roofing, and we tell the builder straight away if anything on site does not match the plans. Sorting those details at framing stage costs far less than chasing a leak after handover. Canterbury roofs are designed for snow load as well as wind, and the design loads for your site are on the consent plans; we install the fixings and purlin spacings those plans call for.
Why Choose Cheeky's Roofers for New Roofs
Priced from plans
You get an itemised price from your drawings, with questions raised before the job rather than during it.
Paperwork on time
Roofing documents for your Code Compliance Certificate are handed over promptly so they do not hold up sign-off.
One roofing package
Roof, underlay, flashings, spouting and skylights are installed together and sized as one system.
Right council named
We know whether your job sits with Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District Council or Waimakariri District Council.
New Roofs FAQs
Can you quote from plans before the frame is up?
Yes. Send your roof plan, elevations, sections and specification and we will price from those, then confirm on site before installation.
Who signs off the roof on a new build?
Your council inspects consented work, and the Licensed Building Practitioner who carried out or supervised the roofing provides a record of work. Both feed into your Code Compliance Certificate.
Do you build roofs in Rolleston, Halswell and Pegasus subdivisions?
Yes. We work across Christchurch and in Selwyn and Waimakariri, including the newer subdivisions around Halswell, Rolleston, Lincoln, Rangiora and Pegasus.
Which COLORSTEEL product do I need?
It depends on your site's environment category, which is driven mainly by distance from the sea and exposure. We confirm the product for your address before ordering.
How do you stop condensation under a new steel roof?
By installing the specified underlay correctly and keeping any designed ventilation paths clear. Christchurch's frosty nights make this more important than in milder cities.
Do you work with owner-builders?
Yes. We will explain what needs to be ready before we start and what documents you will need from us at the end.
New Roofs Across Christchurch
We cover every region: Central Christchurch, North Christchurch, East and Coastal Christchurch, South Christchurch and Port Hills, West Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri.
Related Roofing Services
New Roofs Guides
See the roof replacement cost guide or every service we offer.
Sources and further reading
- MBIE building.govt.nz: Restricted building work
- MBIE building.govt.nz: LBP licence classes
- MBIE building.govt.nz: Repairing and rebuilding houses affected by the Canterbury earthquakes (TC1, TC2, TC3)
- COLORSTEEL: MAXAM and ALTIMATE products by environment
- MBIE building.govt.nz: E2 External Moisture
- Selwyn District Council: Census data confirms Selwyn is the fastest-growing district
- Christchurch City Council: Halswell Ward community profile 2023
- Wikipedia: Christchurch (climate)
- Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake: QuakeSafeHome