At Huston Cross, we know Christchurch roofs and gutters inside-out. From our decades of experience, we have compiled this list of 8 big reasons why getting a new roof and new spouting to go with it is a decision you won’t regret, especially if your home was built in the 90s or earlier, or if you live in coastal Canterbury.
Even though you live your life underneath it, it’s easy to overlook the importance of your roof and guttering. But what’s over your head is crucial to the structural integrity, comfort, and value of your house. Letting an old roof or rusting spouting go too long can lead to expensive problems that far outweigh the upfront investment in renewal. That’s why proactively re-roofing and replacing aging spouting before they fail should be high on your home improvement list.
Reroofing increases property value
A house with a recent re-roof makes a fantastic first impression from the street, signaling that the property has been well cared for. And with brand new spouting, buyers know they won’t have to worry about leaks, water pooling and drainage issues in the near future. These factors can add up to a higher sale price and even a quicker sale. By investing in a re-roof and new spouting before selling, you’re effectively boosting your home’s appeal and value in one go.
Swoop Up Your Street Appeal
Even if you’re not planning to sell, re-roofing and adding new spouting can lift your home’s street appeal. We often see tired-looking houses transformed by the clean lines of modern long-run steel roofing. Huston Cross often replaces old concrete tile roofs with sleek Colorsteel long-run metal roofing, which modernises the profile of the house and offers a wide range of contemporary colour options. Some homeowners even choose to update other exterior elements at the same time, for instance, adding metal wall cladding accents to give their property a complete facelift.
Get a New Lease of Life
Roofs and spouting don’t last forever. Many Christchurch homes still have original concrete or iron roofs and original spouting, and these have a finite service life. Corrugated iron can rust through until it’s as flimsy as tissue paper while concrete tiles can leak over time. It’s the same story with guttering, old plastic spouting becomes brittle after decades of UV exposure, and metal gutters eventually corrode and leak at the connections. By giving your roof and spouting a new lease on life before they fail, you prevent all the expensive problems that would come from water ingress, potential rot, and structural damage. In short, a proactive re-roof lets you reset the clock on your home’s weatherproofing for the next few decades.
Prevent Foundation Damage
Damaged downpipes and leaky spouting that isn’t doing its job can lead to water pooling around the foundations. Over time, water saturation around the slab or piles can undermine and weaken your foundations creating a serious and very costly problem to fix. Even aside from the foundation, uncontrolled runoff from bad gutters can erode soil, create boggy sections in your yard, and even flow into your neighbor’s property. Replacing your spouting ensures rainwater is properly caught and channeled away via downpipes, protecting your foundation and landscaping.
Stop Leaks and Water Damage
Old roofs and rusty gutters are the usual suspects when water finds its way into your ceiling cavity or inner walls. A worn-out iron roof or roof with cracked concrete tile or simply failed flashing will eventually let rain penetrate into the envelope. Likewise, overflowing or broken spouting can dump water into the eaves and wall cavities. Left unchecked, the moisture will eventually lead to rot in timber framing and ignite a growth of toxic mould, and that will ruin interior linings. It’s not only that water damage is disruptive and expensive to fix but it’s also very unhealthy for your family. The good news is that it’s easily avoided with a timely roof replacement and updated spouting will keep the water out of the building for a few decades.
New Roof Built To Withstand the Wind
Canterbury is known for its howling winds, from cold southerly blasts to hot nor’westers, and salt-laden sea breezes along the coast. Older roofs that have been patched and re-patched over decades are generally weaker. They may have loose nails, or brittle underlay that make them vulnerable to being lifted or even peeled back in a gale. When a severe windstorm hits, you’ll have far more peace of mind under a solid new roof that’s been installed to current high standards. Re-roofing now means your home is ready to withstand whatever the Canterbury skies throw at it.
Upgrade Your Insulation
Reroofing gives you the perfect opportunity to beef up your ceiling insulation and improve ventilation. Since the old roofing materials will be removed, it’s easy for your roofing contractor to lay down modern, high-performance insulation or install breathable roof underlay before the new roof goes on. You could even add vents and/or skylights during the project if desired. These upgrades can significantly reduce your heating and cooling costs by stabilising indoor temperatures. Many older homes in Christchurch have insufficient insulation by today’s standards, but once you re-roof, you can easily bring it up to date.
Keep Overall Repair Costs in Check
The potential cost of ongoing repairs to an old roof and gutters and all the secondary issues they can cause adds up fast, very fast. You might spend a few hundred dollars here on a leak repair, a few thousand there on interior fixes, then another chunk on pest control because moisture attracts bugs, and so on…yet the underlying roofing issues remain.
It’s a far wiser use of your money to address the root cause. By getting everything done at once and done right, you stop the cycle of incremental spending and worsening damage.
At Huston Cross, we make it easy by providing a one-stop roofing solution in Canterbury. We can replace your entire roof and coordinate new gutter installation in a single project, leaving your home fully protected and looking sharp. Plus, your new roof and spouting will come with solid warranties, giving you peace of mind for decades ahead.
Are you ready to enjoy the benefits of a new roof and spouting? We specialise in re-roofing Christchurch homes and providing full rainwater solutions. We would be happy to assess your current roof and offer a free quote for replacement. Get in touch with Huston Cross today or call us at 03-331-6578 to invest in a safer, smarter, and more beautiful roof over your head.