Stanmore: grand terraces, big parapets, original slate

The housing stock here is unusually grand

Stanmore has some of the most substantial Victorian housing in the Inner West. Off Stanmore Road and Percival Road, and in the streets around Weekley Park and Newington College, there are two-storey terrace rows with deep parapets and ornate street facades, plus free-standing Italianate villas on larger blocks. Parramatta Road runs along the northern edge.

What that means on the roof: big box gutters with long runs, substantial brick parapets, multiple original chimney stacks, and a lot of genuine slate still in service.

What that means for the roof

Long box gutter runs lose their fall. A century of foundation movement over a long, shallow channel leaves water standing. Standing water corrodes the lining and cuts the capacity at the same time.

Slate on iron nails. The slate itself is frequently sound. The nails are not, and when they go the slates slide out one by one. On the grand two-storey facades here, a slipped slate lands on the footpath, which makes it a safety matter as well as a leak.

Multiple chimneys. Stanmore roofs often carry three or four stacks, most no longer in use. Porous stack brickwork and a lifted lead apron at the base shows up indoors as a damp chimney breast.

Deep parapets. More exposed brickwork, more capping to fail, and a longer path for water to track down inside the wall before it emerges.

Roof repairs covers the diagnostic work. Roof replacement covers re-slating and full re-roofs.

Getting onto a two-storey facade

There is generally no setback and no side access, so expect scaffolding on anything involving the street elevation, and a possible footpath occupation. Where the work is on a rear slope behind the parapet, access is sometimes simpler and the material options are much less constrained.

Nearby suburbs

Petersham, Enmore, Newtown and Camperdown — or see all 29 suburbs.

Talk it through

Call (02) 8000 1103 or request a free quote. Established, licensed and insured roofing contractors, written workmanship warranty.