Inner Melbourne is the ring of suburbs within about six kilometres of the CBD: Carlton, Fitzroy and North Melbourne to the north, Kensington to the north-west, Richmond to the east, South Yarra and Prahran to the south-east, and South Melbourne, Port Melbourne and St Kilda toward the bay. These are among the oldest suburbs in the city, built early and built close. Metro Wide Roofing covers all of them for roof restoration, roof washing, gutter replacement and cleaning, repointing, Colorbond and metal roofing, and the washing and sealing of paved surfaces.
What is different about an inner Melbourne roof?
Most of the housing here went up in the 1800s and early 1900s. Fitzroy was planned as Melbourne's first suburb in 1839. Richmond's single-fronted houses date from the 1850s to the 1930s. Prahran is mostly single-storey Victorian and Edwardian terraces, and South Melbourne keeps whole streetscapes from the Victorian era. Houses of that age commonly carry corrugated iron or slate, with terracotta tiles on the later ones. The roofs are small, often set behind a parapet at the front, with a lower run of iron over the rooms at the back.
Terraces share walls, and that changes the job. Rain runs to box gutters and parapet gutters that nobody can see from the street, and a blocked outlet on one house can affect the house beside it. Metal and tile also age differently. Old iron rusts at its laps and around its fasteners, while terracotta usually stays sound long after the mortar under its ridge capping has cracked. That is why the roof is looked at in person before anything is priced.
Do heritage streets change the choices you make?
They change how much thought the choices deserve. Much of Fitzroy is a historic preservation precinct. Many of Carlton's terraces sit within heritage overlays, and the terrace and cottage areas of South Melbourne are mostly heritage-listed. On streets like these the roof and gutters are part of what people see, so colour and profile matter. Gutters come in quad, OGEE, half-round and other profiles. Colorbond comes in Classic, Contemporary, Matt and Metallic finishes, and Zincalume is available too. We can go through the options with you. Planning questions are for your council to answer.
How does a job run when there is no driveway?
Ring 0466 477 008 and you hear back the same business day. An inspection in person follows within the week, and that visit is where access gets worked out: whether there is a rear lane, where a ladder can stand, how the gutters drain. Your written, itemised quote, with a set price, arrives within two business days of the inspection. After the work you receive photos of the finished job, which is useful when half the roof sits behind a parapet, and a 12-month workmanship warranty in writing. The crew is fully licensed and insured, with public liability cover.
Which inner suburbs do we cover?
Metro Wide Roofing publishes no street address, because the crew travels to the customer. In the inner city we service Richmond and Fitzroy in the City of Yarra, Carlton, Kensington and North Melbourne in the City of Melbourne, and Prahran in the City of Stonnington. South Yarra is shared between the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington. St Kilda, South Melbourne and most of Port Melbourne belong to the City of Port Phillip, with the part of Port Melbourne north of the West Gate Freeway in the City of Melbourne. Suburbs next to these are covered as well.
Suburbs we cover
- Richmond 3121
- South Yarra 3141
- Prahran 3181
- St Kilda 3182
- Port Melbourne 3207
- South Melbourne 3205
- Carlton 3053
- Fitzroy 3065
- Kensington 3031
- North Melbourne 3051
What we do in inner Melbourne
- Roof restoration
- Roof washing
- Gutter replacement
- Gutter cleaning
- Driveway pressure washing, restoration and sealing
- Roof repointing
- Colorbond and metal roofing
Frequently asked questions
Do you work on terrace houses and cottages with shared walls?
Yes. Roof restoration covers tiled and metal roofs, gutter replacement includes box gutters alongside quad, OGEE and half-round profiles, and gutter cleaning covers single and two-storey homes. An attached house is inspected in person like any other, and the written quote lists each item for your roof on its own line.
My house has no driveway. Is the driveway service any use to me?
It can be. The same pressure washing, crack filling, re-colouring and sealing applies to concrete, exposed aggregate and pavers wherever they are laid: a rear courtyard, a side path, a garage apron off the lane. Once sealed, a surface is typically protected for two to four years. We look at the surface during the inspection.
Is old corrugated iron restored or replaced?
Either, depending on the sheets. Roof restoration covers metal roofs as well as tiled ones, so sound iron can be cleaned, primed and coated with Dulux Acratex. Where rust has gone through, we quote a re-roof in Colorbond or Zincalume, with sarking, insulation and ventilation offered while the roof is open.
