Westleigh roofs back onto bushland on three sides

Westleigh is close to being an island. The residential streets occupy a finger of high ground off Quarter Sessions Road, and beyond the last row of houses the land drops into the bushland of the Berowra Valley on almost every side.

For a roof, that means two things: relentless organic load, and an ember exposure that has to be taken seriously.

Leaf load without a quiet season

A block that backs onto reserve does not get a break. There is no neighbouring roofline upwind to catch anything, and the canopy here is mature. Gutters fill, valleys dam, and the shaded planes of the roof grow moss because they never properly dry.

Owners here tend to be realistic about it: twice-yearly clearing, and guard that is specified for fine eucalypt litter rather than the coarse mesh sold for leafy street trees. Both are covered on the gutter repair and leaf guard page.

Ember detail is not optional

Land along the bushland interface is mapped as bushfire prone on Hornsby Shire mapping certified by the NSW Rural Fire Service. Where new roof work falls on that land it is assessed against AS 3959, and the roof-line requirements are specific:

• The roof fully sarked
• Roof-to-wall junctions sealed
• Gutter and valley guards non-combustible if fitted, not plastic
• Openings fitted with fine-aperture ember mesh

A plastic clip-in gutter guard on a Westleigh roof is doing the opposite of what the owner thinks it is doing. We will say so at the inspection, and the correct product goes in the quote.

Houses here

Mostly later twentieth-century brick, a lot of split-level, tile and metal in roughly equal measure, with long gutter runs and generous eaves. Metal re-roofing has become popular on the steeper blocks for the simple reason that litter slides off it — see metal and Colorbond roofing.

Free inspection and written quote: call (02) 9000 1127 or ask online.

We also cover Thornleigh, Hornsby Heights and Normanhurst. See the service areas page for the rest.