Roofing at Prospect, Above the Reservoir

High ground on the plain

Prospect takes its name from Prospect Hill, which Captain Arthur Phillip reached in April 1788 and initially called Belle Vue. Prospect Reservoir sits at the headwaters of Prospect Creek within the regional parkland, and the Great Western Highway runs along the southern side of the suburb.

It is a small residential population surrounded by a lot of open and industrial land, and that openness is the point for roofing. There is no shelter belt of housing upwind. Rain arrives driven rather than falling, and anything marginal on a roof — a short flashing, a lifted cap, a tile sitting slightly proud — gets found out here before it would in a tight suburban street.

What exposure does to a roof

Wind-driven rain pushes water uphill. It travels up under ridge caps that look fine, under barge boards, behind wall flashings and into the laps of metal sheeting. The usual symptom is a leak that only ever appears in a storm, never in steady rain, and never in the same spot on the ceiling twice.

Hail is the other factor. The western plain is where summer cells build, and roofs on open ground take the full hit rather than a glancing one.

How we approach it

• Check ridge and hip lines for drummy or loose caps, not just visibly cracked ones
• Check every flashing for cover and upstand, especially on the weather side
• Check metal laps, fixings and washers for uplift damage
• Document hail impact properly if there is any, for a claim
• Then quote the repair or restoration in writing

We also work through Blacktown and Seven Hills next door, and across the whole council area.

Call (02) 4705 5200 or request a free inspection.