You have two quotes on the kitchen bench for a new Colorbond roof, and they are nowhere near each other. Same house, same roof, same colour. One of them is thousands of dollars higher, and neither one explains much beyond a total at the bottom. So which one is right? Most people pricing a Colorbond roof replacement end up here, and the answer is almost always hidden in what each roofer has, and has not, included.
We are not going to give you a price per square metre in this post. That is not us being cagey. We quote every roof after seeing it, for free, because the things that move the price most are things you cannot see from a satellite photo. What we can do is show you what a re-roof quote is made of, so you can read any quote properly, ours included.
Every Colorbond quote is built from the same few pieces
A re-roof is not one job. It is a string of them, and a decent quote should list them rather than hide them in a single line. On a typical Mountains home, the work breaks down like this:
- Access and safety: scaffolding or edge protection around the roof, because working at height safely is not optional
- Stripping the old roof: taking off the old tiles or sheets, getting them down safely and paying to dispose of them
- Battens: the timber or steel strips the sheets screw into, checked and replaced or adjusted where needed
- Sarking and insulation: the membrane and insulation blanket laid under the new sheets
- The sheets themselves: the profile and colour you choose, cut to suit your roof
- Flashings and cappings: the folded metal pieces at ridges, walls, chimneys, skylights and edges that keep water out
- Extras: new gutters, downpipes, fascia, vents or skylights, if they are part of the job
We price every roof on the same five things: its size, the material, its condition, how easy it is to get to, and the scope of work. Size sets the base. The other four decide how far above that base your quote lands.
Going from tile to Colorbond costs more than metal to metal
This one catches people out. Two houses the same size can get very different quotes simply because of what is on the roof now.
If you already have an old metal roof, replacing it is fairly direct. The old sheets come off, we check the battens underneath for rust and rot, and the new roof goes on. The shape of the job stays the same.
Swapping tiles for Colorbond is a bigger change. Tiles are heavy and there are a lot of them, so removal and disposal take longer and cost more. The battens are often spaced and sized for tiles, not sheets, so they may need to be changed. Every flashing is new, because tile flashings do not suit a metal roof. And because the whole roof line is changing, it is usually the moment people also replace tired gutters and fascia, which adds to the total even though it is a separate choice.
The good news on a tile house is that metal is much lighter than what is coming off. The roof frame was built to carry tiles, so carrying sheet metal is rarely a worry. If you are still deciding between the two materials, we have written up how Colorbond and tile compare on weight, rain noise and fire, which is worth reading before you ask for quotes.
The Blue Mountains adds a few costs you will not see on a Sydney quote
A lot of the homes we work on sit on steep blocks, with a sharp drop at the back or a long driveway between the truck and the house. Getting scaffolding, sheets and old tiles in and out of a block like that takes more labour and time. A two-storey home, or a steep roof pitch, pushes the same way. That is a real cost, not padding.
Weather matters too. The Bureau's Katoomba station records around 1,411 mm of rain a year, and a re-roof means your roof is open for part of the job. We plan the work in sections and around clear days, so an upper Mountains re-roof in a wet month can take longer on the calendar than the same job in Blaxland or Glenbrook. That affects scheduling more than the price, but it is worth knowing before you book.
Then there is paperwork. Some Mountains properties sit in heritage conservation areas, where changing the roof material or colour may need Council approval. Some are in mapped bushfire prone areas, where building requirements can apply to the new roof. Neither applies to every home, and we will never guess which applies to yours. Check Blue Mountains City Council mapping for your address. If it does apply, it can add time and some cost, so it is better to know before you commit.
Finally, age. Older roofs, and some older fibro sheeting, can contain asbestos. It has to be handled under strict NSW rules, usually by a licensed removalist, and it is quoted as its own item. If your home is from an era where that is possible, raise it early.
Sometimes the cheapest roof is the one you already have
Not every tired Colorbond roof needs replacing. If the sheets are sound and the rust is on the surface or around fasteners, a metal restoration (rust treatment, new fasteners and flashings where needed, then a fresh coating) can buy years of life for far less than a new roof. The same goes for tiles that are faded and mossy but not cracking apart.
Replacement earns its cost when the covering itself has failed: sheets rusted through, widespread leaks, or tiles breaking faster than they can be swapped. If you are on the fence, our guide to weighing up a restoration against a full re-roof walks through the signs we look for. We would rather tell you your roof has years left in it than sell you one you do not need.
When replacement is the right call, it is a job we do a lot of, from like-for-like metal roofs to full conversions. You can see what that involves in our Colorbond re-roofing and roof replacement work.
Line up your quotes on scope, not on the total
Back to those two quotes on the bench. The cheaper one is not necessarily a better deal, and the dearer one is not necessarily a rip-off. Before you compare the totals, check that both are pricing the same job. These are the questions that usually explain the gap:
- Is scaffolding or edge protection included, or charged on top?
- Does it include removing and disposing of the old roof?
- Are the battens being checked and replaced where needed, or just reused?
- Is there new sarking and an insulation blanket under the sheets?
- Are all flashings new, or are some old ones being kept?
- Are gutters, downpipes and fascia part of this price or a separate item?
- What happens, and what does it cost, if rotten timber turns up once the old roof is off?
Then look at the warranty in writing. Our workmanship warranty on roof replacements and new roofs is 7 years, conditions apply. The sheets also carry a manufacturer warranty, which is separate and subject to the manufacturer's own terms. A quote that runs the two together is one to ask questions about.
The blanket under the sheets is the line we see cut most often. On a cold, wet Mountains house it is worth keeping. It helps with rain noise on a metal roof and with the damp and cold that hang around up here for months.
Getting a real number for your roof
The only accurate Colorbond price is one based on your roof, your block and what is on there now. We cover the Blue Mountains from Glenbrook to Blackheath, and our inspections and quotes are free. You get an itemised quote that shows every piece listed above, so you can compare it fairly with anyone else's. Call us on (02) 4742 0922 or book a free roof replacement quote and we will come and take a look.