Maintaining My Home

the roof can be cleaned with a low-pressure water blaster. Always work from the top down and take care not to drive water into the roofspace through tile joints. If water is collected from the roof, disconnect the system before starting work

any moss or lichen on the roof should be killed with a proprietary cleaning solution before it is removed – follow the manufacturer’s directions

if you decide to use a contactor to do the work, look for an experienced practitioner with the right equipment – inexperienced people can damage the roof

coating or recoating masonry tiles is often possible, although older tiles with a loose or friable surface may not be suitable for this treatment. Coating/recoating tiles should be undertaken by an experienced specialist, not a builder or maintenance contractor

work at height is dangerous and requires particular care. Always let someone know when you are working on a roof. You can find more details on the BRANZ Level website, and in the WorkSafe document Working on roofs – Good practice guidelines

if you are uncertain whether this point has been reached, consult an experienced registered building surveyor

there is the option of replacing with similar tiles, with masonry tiles of a different profile or colour, or reroofing with a different cladding material altogether

replacing the whole roof tile cladding with a similar tile will not need a building consent as long as the existing roof has met the relevant New Zealand Building Code performance requirement of at least 15 years. Where the roof cladding has failed within 15 years of installation or a different roofing is proposed, a building consent is likely to be required

whether or not a consent is required, all work must comply with the New Zealand Building Code

where reroofing is done by a contractor, the work must be carried out or supervised by a licensed building practitioner with a roofing licence

reroofing can also be carried out by the homeowner, but the local authority must be informed and the fact that the work was done by the homeowner will be recorded in the property file