Roof replacement and re-roofing in Hamilton and the inner north

What a roof replacement involves

A re-roof takes the whole roof covering off and puts a new one on. On a typical inner-north house the roofer strips the old sheets or tiles into a skip, checks the battens and the fixings that tie the roof frame down, replaces what’s rotten or rusted, lays sarking or a foil-backed insulation blanket, then fixes new sheets, flashings and ridge capping. New gutters and downpipes are often quoted with it, because they’re easiest to change while the roof is open.

The new roof is usually metal: Colorbond or Zincalume steel. Which profile and finish suit your roof is covered on the metal and Colorbond roofing page.

Old corrugated iron to new metal

Queenslanders and inter-war houses across Clayfield, Wooloowin and Wilston often still carry galvanised corrugated iron that’s rusting at the laps and screws. Metal-to-metal is the simplest re-roof: the frame already carries a light roof, so the work is mostly sheets, battens, flashings and fixings.

Tiles to Colorbond

Concrete tiles are common on the post-war brick houses of Nundah, Kedron and Wavell Heights. In a conversion the tiles and timber battens come off and metal battens go on before the new sheets. The tile to Colorbond page covers the structural checks and prices for that job.

Fibro (asbestos cement) roofs

A Super Six or other fibro roof has to come off under Queensland’s asbestos rules before the new roof goes on. See asbestos roof replacement.

Roof replacement cost in Brisbane

Inner-north roofers rarely publish prices, so these are published Brisbane figures, each with its source. Roof area, pitch, storeys, access and what’s found under the old roof move the price more than the suburb does.

Re-roofing prices for Brisbane houses

Per job, checked 22 October 2026. whatsthedamage.com.au is a national cost-guide website (updated 8 October 2026); it says its prices “include GST” and are “Based on Brisbane metro area, October 2026”. Fortified Roofing Group is a northside Brisbane contractor (Geebung); its re-roofing post was updated 19 December 2025 and doesn’t say whether GST is included. The roofer prices your roof once they’ve measured it and seen the access.

Re-roofing prices per square metre in Brisbane

Per square metre of roof, checked 22 October 2026. Yakka Labour is a labour-hire company’s national cost guide with a Brisbane row, published 1 October 2026, and says its figures “include GST”. It notes that “High-set homes need taller edge protection”.

The roof replacement cost guide has more published figures, including what scaffold, gutters, battens and engineering add, and what a comparable quote lists.

Re-roof or restore: which does your roof need?

A roof restoration cleans, repairs and recoats a roof that is still sound underneath. A re-roof makes sense when the covering itself has failed: iron rusted through across many sheets, tiles crumbling or porous across whole sections, battens rotten, or leaks returning after repairs. Ask the roofer to tell you which one your roof needs and why, in writing, and to photograph what they saw.

Re-roofing a Queenslander or character house in Brisbane

Brisbane City Council says that if your site is in the Traditional building character overlay, “some extensions and renovations to a house built during or before 1946 require planning approval”. Whether a new roof is one of them depends on what changes: the material, the profile, the roof shape. The guide to re-roofing a Queenslander explains when a like-for-like re-roof is straightforward and when to ask Council first.

Separately from planning, a re-roof can bring in building approval and the roof’s tie-down. The roof replacement approval guide covers when a certifier is involved.

Who can replace a roof in Queensland

A re-roof is well over the $3,300 mark: the QBCC says you need a contractor licence for building work “valued over $3,300”. The class depends on the roof:

• Roof and wall cladding covers new metal roofs: “Select and install roof cladding other than terracotta and concrete roof tiles”, plus flashings and rainwater goods.
• Roof tiling covers tiles: “Cut and fix roof tiles”, battens, “Bedding, pointing and installing of associated flashing”.
• On a fibro roof, the Queensland Government says a business removing more than 10 m² of bonded asbestos needs “a class B or class A asbestos removal licence”. The removalist may be a separate business from the roofer.

Check the roofer’s licence and class on the QBCC licensee register before you sign.

What to have ready

• What’s on the roof now (corrugated iron, Colorbond, concrete or terracotta tiles, or fibro) and roughly when the house was built
• Lowset, highset or two storeys, and how a skip and scaffold would get in
• The roof area from plans if you have them, or the house’s floor area
• Whether you want new gutters, downpipes, insulation or skylights done at the same time
• Photos of the roof and of any leaks or stains on ceilings

Common questions