Port Melbourne was called Sandridge until 1884, and its railway line was built in 1854. Today postcode 3207 is shared by two councils: the City of Port Phillip south of the West Gate Freeway and the City of Melbourne north of it. Metro Wide Roofing services Port Melbourne, 3 kilometres south-west of the CBD, for gutter replacement, metal roofing, roof restoration, repointing, washing and gutter cleaning. Dial 0466 477 008. We ring back the same business day and inspect within the week.
- Postcode 3207
- Cities of Melbourne and Port Phillip
- About 3 km south-west of the CBD
Timber cottages, Bank Houses and Beacon Cove
Three building periods sit side by side here. The oldest streets hold single-fronted Victorian timber workers' cottages, which commonly have corrugated iron roofs. Garden City began in the 1920s as a planned garden suburb: semi-attached single and double-storey houses, the early ones built as low-cost housing by the State Bank, arranged around public open space. Houses of that period often have terracotta tiles. Beacon Cove came last, developed over the decade from 1996, with low-rise housing as well as the apartment towers along the foreshore.
What they share is Hobsons Bay. Salt air works on steel whatever its age, so a fairly recent gutter close to the beach can be in worse shape than an older one further inland. On timber cottages the fascia and the gutter tend to fail together, because the board behind a rusted gutter stays wet. On tiled houses the tiles usually outlast the ridge mortar. In Port Melbourne it pays to look at the metal first.
Services we provide in Port Melbourne
Gutter replacement
Timber cottages often need gutter and fascia dealt with together. We fit Colorbond gutters in quad, OGEE or half-round, cover weathered fascia boards and renew the downpipes. One to two days covers most homes.
Colorbond and metal roofing
Re-roofing a cottage in Port Melbourne? Colorbond Ultra is the range for coastal homes. We replace old corrugated iron, convert tired tiles to metal, and offer sarking, insulation and ventilation with the new roof.
Roof restoration
Tiled roofs in Garden City can be close to a century old. Where the tiles are sound we restore them: clean, re-bed and point the capping, swap failed tiles and rusted valleys, then prime and coat with Dulux Acratex.
Roof repointing
On semi-attached houses of the 1920s and 1930s, ridge and hip mortar is the usual weak point. We re-bed the capping and apply flexible pointing. This applies to tiled roofs, not to iron.
Roof washing
Salt and lichen both settle on roofs near the water. We wash tiles under controlled pressure and use a lower-pressure treatment on Colorbond, which many of the newer homes have.
Gutter cleaning
Damp debris lying in a gutter speeds up rust, and salt air does not help. Commercial vacuum, hand clearing, downpipes flushed, photos sent. We clean gutters on single and two-storey homes.
Driveway pressure washing, restoration and sealing
Homes in the later estates are more likely to have a driveway than the old cottage streets are. We pressure wash, fill cracks, re-colour and seal concrete, pavers and exposed aggregate, courtyards included.
Frequently asked questions
Is the tiled roof on a Garden City house worth restoring?
Often it is. Garden City dates from the 1920s, and tiles of that age are frequently still sound while the bedding and pointing under the ridge capping have cracked. We check the tiles, the ridges and the valley irons in person, then quote restoration, repointing alone, or a metal re-roof.
How close to the water does a home need to be for salt to matter?
There is no set line, and we will not invent one. Port Melbourne is bordered by Hobsons Bay and the lower reaches of the Yarra, so bayside air is never far away. We look for rust at gutter joints, valleys and fasteners wherever the house stands, and show you photos.
Which council covers my part of Port Melbourne, and does it change the job?
The area north of the West Gate Freeway is in the City of Melbourne and the area south of it is in the City of Port Phillip. Our process is identical on both sides: a call back the same business day, an inspection in person within the week, then a written, itemised quote.
