Decromastic roofs

[Brenda Irwin]

I hope I've spelled that correctly. Does anyone know much about decromastic roofs? It seems to be a roof covered with flattened tin and sprayed with a bitumen substance.

Why I ask is that I have an IP with such a roof and some twit has carelessly walked in the valley of it and created a huge dent which is collecting water and leaking inside. Is this a common problem with this type of roof?

I am also wondering if houses with decromastic roofs are not a good investment. Does it, in fact, de-value a property to have such a roof?

 

[MarkB]

Does anyone know much about decromastic roofs?

I don't know much but I too have an IP with a decromastic roof.

It seems to be a roof covered with flattened tin and sprayed with a bitumen substance.

I think that is a pretty good description, though I have seen some decromastic roofs that are "smooth", ie. non-bitumened.

Some twit has carelessly walked in the valley of it and created a huge dent which is collecting water and leaking inside. Is this a common problem with this type of roof?

I cannot comment on that. Thankfully, as far as I can tell my decromastic roof is not leaking.

I am also wondering if houses with decromastic roofs are not a good investment. Does it, in fact, de-value a property to have such a roof?

Though the selling agents would have you think otherwise, I do think that other forms of roofing are preferable.

I've had several comments made to me about how decromastic roofs are not as long lasting as tiles.

Also, some other roofs, as far as I know you cannot replace just a patch of decromastic roof, well not without it looking dodgee.



Mark

 

[BBarnes]

Hi,
Built a house many years ago with this type of roof. The big advantage and selling point at the time was that it was supposed to be almost cyclone-proof. It is made from a 'softish' metal, sprayed with a tar-like substance, and small pebbles then stick to this, giving it a roughish look. The tiles come in lengths of 4-6 tiles (from memory )
This roof is difficult to walk on, as the metal is so soft....avoid walking on it, particularly during hot days.
The other major problem I experienced with this roof is that the battens that the tiles are nailed to MUST be precise in measurement ie the exact width of the tile, otherwise the roof will leak like a sieve. My roof was done with an inexperienced tradesman (found this out later).....and it caused me untold dramas.
I would suggest that it may not be the actual dent causing problems, but more likely the tile has torn away slightly from one of the nails holding it on. At construction time, a repair kit of tar and pebbles is provided for any mishaps.
If this type of roof is installed correctly, I believe it wouldn't, and shouldn't, detract from the value and appearance of a house.
Hope this helps a little
Bill

 

[leapyeah]

They can also be re-surfaced, or more cheaply, repainted to extend their appearance and life. A neighbour of my parents has a decramastic roof, which is now over 30 years old. It had a repaint about five years ago and is starting to look a bit rough again now.

 

[Apocalypse]

The IP we sold recently had this type of roof. I actually painted the roof prior to selling with a Wagner airless sprayer, using Dulux roof paint, and only one coat. There was no surface rust, so my preparation was merely hosing it down with a pressure attachment on a garden hose. I had no qualms walking on it there was flat iron sheets immediately beneath these "iron tile sheets" - well, at least there was under about 95% of it. A small patch didn't...dented in quite badly, leaked when it rained (wind forced water between the nelarged overlap). I had to pull that patch up, re-straighten it, then replace it. Was fine after that. As long as you stepped only on the overlap between sheets (where the battens are underneath) it was OK.

It came up good after painting, and still looks fine some four months later. However, if I had a choice between two similar properties where one had this type of roof and the other was a more traditional roof type, I'd take the latter.

 

[Brenda Irwin]

So the decromastic is ideal as long as you're careful about tramping around up there. I still like the more traditional roofing. Mind you, none of it is perfect, nor lasts forever.

I recently had a storm at my PPOR. It rained 20mm in 10mins and had lots of wind with it. The rain overflowed the gutters, and the wind blew the overflow vertically up the corrigated iron roof. The result was, a dripping enclosed verandah, as the water got up between the overlapping joints of tin. Just as well it doesn't rain like that too often

 

[Ray Brown]

Hi all,

my oldest IP has same.
Although it doesn't leak yet, I am seriously considering getting rid of it and whacking up colourbond and insulation while I'm at it.

$5000 capital for a medium size roof isn't too bad when you consider the improvement in looks - and the tenants will be happier if it's cooler.

If my current roof leaked, I wouldn't hesitate to rip it off.

You might even bump up the rent after it's done.