Ridgeline What roofing costs, and why the quotes vary so much.
Three roofers can quote the same roof at wildly different numbers because they are quoting different work, different steel, and different things hidden in "from" pricing. Here is how we make ours comparable: photos of your roof, named materials, and a fixed price.
Work out what your roof needs, then ballpark it.
The first tool steers you between repair, restore and replace. The second gives a realistic range. Both are free, store nothing, and end in an on-roof inspection, not a hard sell.
Repair, restore or replace?
Answer two questions for an honest steer. Not a quote, not a diagnosis.
Ballpark your roofing job
A guide range in under a minute. Every job is priced from an on-roof inspection and fixed in writing before any work.
Typical Illawarra roofing prices.
| The $2,000 "restoration" special (Pressure wash and paint over rusted screws. Fails in two winters.) | $1,500 to $2,500 |
| Leak repair, tiles or flashing (Most leaks stop right here.) | $500 to $1,800 |
| Ridge capping rebed & repoint (Most single-storey homes.) | $1,200 to $4,500 |
| Full roof restoration (Clean, repairs, repoint, membrane coat.) | $4,000 to $12,000 |
| Gutters & downpipes replaced (Whole house, Colorbond.) | $2,500 to $7,000 |
| Full metal replacement (Tile-to-Colorbond or metal re-roof, average home.) | $15,000 to $45,000+ |
What decides where your quote lands.
Same roof, different numbers. These are the levers behind the spread, and every one of them is named on our quote.
Six levers. One honest range.
Pitch, height & access
A walkable single-storey roof and a steep two-storey roof needing edge protection or scaffold are different jobs. Height safety is the law, and it is a named line on the quote, not padding.
What the damage has reached
A leak caught early is a flashing job. A leak left two winters is battens, sarking and a ceiling. The inspection report shows you which one you have.
Material and grade
Standard Colorbond, ultra grade for the beachfront, terracotta versus concrete tile: the right grade for your street is in the quote by name, so you compare real numbers.
Disposal and the old roof
Tile is heavy and old metal has to be carted and recycled. If old sheeting needs licensed handling we say so at the inspection, never on the invoice.
Four things every Ridgeline quote spells out.
The photo report, the itemised fix, the edges of the job, and the guarantee. That is what makes a quote you can actually trust.
Seven lines. Every one in writing.
- 01The inspection report
- 02The fix, itemised
- 03The edges of the job
- 04The guarantee
“$4,500 the house” by text → seven lines, priced.
- 1 The inspection report. Photos from on your roof showing exactly what is failing and what is still sound. Not a guess from the driveway.
- 2 The fix, itemised. Materials by name (the Colorbond colour, the membrane brand, the screw class) and labour for the whole job. No "from" pricing.
- 3 The edges of the job. What is not included, named up front: gutters, skylights, solar removal and reinstatement. No surprise lines later.
- 4 The guarantee. 10-year workmanship in writing, plus the manufacturer warranty on sheets, tiles or membrane registered to you.
What you get from us
- ✓A photo report from your actual roof before any number
- ✓Licence number on every quote
- ✓Fixed price in writing before work starts
- ✓Storm make-safe that protects your insurance claim
- ✓Old sheets and tiles carted away and recycled
Cowboy tells
- ✕A quote from the driveway, binoculars optional
- ✕Door-knocking the street an hour after the hail
- ✕"Whole roof needs replacing" with no photos as proof
- ✕A cash deal that grows once the sheets are off
- ✕Gone by the time the first leak comes back
Repair, restore, replace, or make safe?
Repair it
Fix the leak, the broken tiles or the lifted flashing and leave the rest of the roof alone. The right call when the roof is fundamentally sound.
Wrong when: The third leak in two winters, or rust spreading along the sheets.
Restore it
Full restoration: clean, replace broken tiles, rebed and repoint the ridge capping, reseal and coat. Buys a sound but tired roof another 10 to 15 years.
Wrong when: Rusted-through sheets or rotten battens. Paint over rust is money burned.
Replace it
Full re-roof in new Colorbond or tile, including tile-to-metal conversions. The honest option when the roof is at the end of its life.
Wrong when: A sound roof with one fixable fault. We will tell you so.
Make safe & assess
Storm damage path: tarp and make-safe first, photograph everything for your insurer, then scope the permanent fix once the weather and the claim allow.
Wrong when: A slow leak with no storm event. That is a normal inspection.
What people ask about roofing prices.
Why is one roofer quoting $4,000 and another $20,000 for "the same roof"?
Do you charge for the inspection and quote?
Is the quoted price fixed, or can it climb once you start?
Should I just wait until it leaks to spend the money?
Read deeper before you compare quotes
Get a fixed roof quote, with the photos to back it.
Tell us what the roof is doing. We inspect it properly, hand you a photo report, and quote a fixed price that does not move once you approve it.