Re-Roofing Christchurch

Re-roofing means taking the old roof off back to the framing, fixing whatever is tired underneath, and building a new weathertight roof with fresh underlay, flashings and fixings. It is a bigger job than new sheets on top, and the parts you never see decide how long the new roof lasts. This page sets out what the work involves on a Christchurch house, so you can read a quote with confidence.

Not sure the roof needs replacing yet? Our guide to roof replacement covers the warning signs and the repair or replace decision. If you already know it is time, book a free on-site measure, or get a rough figure first from the roof replacement cost guide.

Pricing: every roof gets a free on-site measure and an itemised written quote, with a fixed price agreed before any work starts.

Still deciding whether the roof can be repaired or needs replacing? The signs and the decision are covered under roof replacement.

Re-Roofing by Cheeky's Roofers roofers in Christchurch

What goes into a full re-roof

We break every re-roof quote into its parts so you can see where each dollar goes. On a typical Christchurch house the job covers the items below.

Once the old roofing is off we look hard at the underlay, battens, purlins and rafters, and we photograph them. If timber has softened at the eaves or fixings no longer hold, you see the photos and agree any extra work before it happens.

Scaffold and edge protection in place before anyone walks the roof
Old roofing, fixings and flashings stripped and taken off site
Purlins, battens and rafters checked, with timber replaced or added where needed
New roofing underlay laid and lapped to the manufacturer's instructions
New longrun steel rolled to length and fixed to the pattern your site requires
New ridging, barge, apron, valley and penetration flashings made to suit
Spouting, downpipes and fascia replaced while the scaffold is up, if you want them
A magnetic sweep of the section and a full clean-up at the end

Why so many Christchurch re-roofs start with a heavy roof

Plenty of older Christchurch houses, especially those built before the 1970s, still carry concrete tiles over a brick or block base. After the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, engineering reports recommended replacing heavy roofs such as concrete tile with lightweight materials such as steel, and the Natural Hazards Commission's QuakeSafeHome guidance still advises swapping heavy roofing for lighter options.

If your current roof is tile, the strip-off and framing stages change. Our tile to metal re-roofing page explains what is different, and our asbestos roof replacement page covers older fibre cement roofs that must be tested before anyone touches them.

How It Works

Free on-site measure, roof inspection and photos

Itemised written quote with steel grade, profile and colour confirmed

Consent and heritage check, then scaffold and start date booked

Strip, inspect, replace timber and underlay, and close each section the same day

Flashings, ridging and spouting finished, then a full clean-up and walk-through

Choosing the steel, profile and colour

Most re-roofs we quote go into COLORSTEEL longrun. The manufacturer offers COLORSTEEL MAXAM for most New Zealand environments and COLORSTEEL ALTIMATE for extremely severe marine sites. Which one suits your house depends on how close it is to the sea and how exposed it is. A home in New Brighton or Sumner that catches salt spray off the beach is assessed very differently from one in Hornby or Rolleston, so we check the manufacturer's environment categories for your address before we quote.

Corrugate suits bungalows and older weatherboard homes. Trapezoidal profiles, with flatter pans and sharper ribs, suit modern houses and lower pitches. Colour is your call, but darker roofs run warmer under a hot nor'wester. Look through the COLORSTEEL colours page and view a real sample in daylight before you decide.

Keeping the house dry while the roof is open

We only strip as much roof as we can close in the same day, one face at a time. Underlay goes on straight after stripping and the new sheets follow. Anything still open at the end of the day is covered and tied down before we leave.

Canterbury weather can turn fast. A nor'wester can build through the day and a southerly change can bring cold rain behind it, so we watch the forecast and will not open a roof with strong wind or heavy rain on the way. On frosty winter mornings we wait for the roof surface to dry before anyone works on it, because a frosted steel roof is not safe to walk. You can usually live at home throughout; strip-off is noisy, and it helps to clear the driveway and anything stored in the ceiling space.

Consent, heritage and sign-off

Under Schedule 1 of the Building Act, replacing a building component with a comparable one in the same position is often exempt from building consent, which usually covers steel replaced with steel on the same structure. The exemption does not cover components that have failed the Building Code durability requirements, complete or substantial replacement of a specified system, or structural changes, so we check your house before quoting.

Christchurch has its own extra check. Plan Change 13 revised the city's historic heritage rules and added Residential Heritage Areas, so before changing roof material we confirm whether the house is a scheduled heritage item or sits in one of those areas. Where consent is needed, the roofing is restricted building work done or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner, who provides a record of work for your Code Compliance Certificate application. Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District Council and Waimakariri District Council each process their own consents.

Re-roofing across Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri

We re-roof homes from Central Christchurch and the Port Hills to the eastern beach suburbs and the growing towns in Selwyn and Waimakariri. Every site is different: hill suburbs mean harder scaffold access, coastal streets mean a closer look at steel grade, and older inner suburbs often mean a heavy roof coming off. See our pages for South and Port Hills and East and Coastal for local detail.

Why Choose Cheeky's Roofers for Re-Roofing

Itemised quotes

Scaffold, strip-off, timber, underlay, steel and flashings are listed as separate lines, so you can compare quotes properly.

Photos of what is underneath

With the old roof off, we photograph the timber and show you before any extra work is agreed.

One face at a time

We strip only what we can close the same day, so your house stays dry during the job.

Heritage and consent checked first

We confirm the consent position and any heritage listing before quoting, not halfway through the job.

Re-Roofing FAQs

How long does a re-roof take?

A straightforward single-storey house usually takes several working days once the scaffold is up, and bigger or more complex roofs take longer. Wind and rain are the main variables. Your quote includes an expected timeframe.

Do I need building consent to re-roof in Christchurch?

Often not, if the new roof is comparable to the old one and goes in the same position. A change of material, structural work, or a house affected by the heritage rules can change that. We check before we quote.

Do you replace the underlay?

Yes. New roofing underlay is part of every full re-roof we quote. Old underlay is usually brittle by the time a roof needs replacing, and reusing it would shorten the life of the new roof.

Can you re-roof in winter?

Yes. We plan around frost and the forecast, starting once the roof surface is dry and closing in each section before the afternoon cools down.

How do payments work?

We agree a staged payment schedule in writing before work starts, tied to clear milestones. You never pay the full amount up front.

What warranty comes with a re-roof?

The steel carries a manufacturer warranty that depends on the product and your environment category, and we confirm which applies in your quote.

Re-Roofing 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

Re-Roofing Guides

See the roof replacement cost guide or every service we offer.

Sources and further reading

Free roof quote

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