Colorbond and tiles are the two roof coverings you will see most across Adelaide, and choosing between them when you replace a roof is a trade-off between weight, sound, maintenance and looks. Colorbond steel is light, fast to install and needs little upkeep. Concrete and terracotta tiles are heavy, quiet and traditional. This page sets out the pros and cons of each for homeowners deciding what goes back on their house.
A quick comparison
| Consideration | Colorbond steel | Concrete or terracotta tiles |
|---|---|---|
| Weight on the frame | Light | Heavy |
| Rain noise | Louder without a blanket | Naturally quiet |
| Installation speed | Faster; large sheets go on quickly | Slower; laid tile by tile, ridges bedded and pointed |
| Low pitch roofs | Suits low pitches with the right profile | Needs a steeper minimum pitch |
| Ongoing upkeep | Check screws, flashings, gutters | Repointing, rebedding, replacing cracked tiles |
| Hail | Can dent, usually stays watertight | Can crack and let water in |
| Street look | Modern or rural; many colours | Classic suburban; textured profile |
| Solar mounting | Brackets fix directly to sheet | Hooks under tiles; breakage likely |
The case for Colorbond
Lighter on the structure
A steel roof weighs much less than tiles. On a house where the frame has sagged, where rafters were undersized, or where termites have done damage, swapping heavy tiles for steel takes load off the structure. If you are seeing a dip in the ridge line, read about what a sagging roof can mean before deciding.
Fewer joints for water to find
Long steel sheets run from ridge to gutter with few laps. There is no bedding or pointing to crack, and fewer places for wind-driven rain to get in. That appeals in a city where winter fronts bring heavy rain and occasional storms bring damaging wind.
Quicker job, simpler solar
Steel goes on faster, which can shorten the period the house is exposed. Solar brackets fix straight to the sheet, so panels can usually be reinstalled with less risk of damage. Our guide on how long a roof replacement takes explains the main time factors.
The downsides
Bare steel is noisy in rain and can transmit heat quickly, so a blanket underneath matters. Dents from hail or foot traffic are permanent. Near the gulf coast, the grade and fixings must suit salt exposure. A metal roof can also look out of place on a street of tiled 1960s homes.
The case for tiles
Quiet and solid
The mass of a tile roof soaks up the sound of rain and hail. Many owners who grew up under tiles like that sense of solidity and are happy to keep it.
Heat behaves differently
Tiles absorb heat through the day and release it slowly into the evening. Combined with sarking and ceiling insulation, a tile roof can keep rooms comfortable. Without them, that stored heat can keep upstairs rooms warm well after sunset. Neither material makes a house cool on its own; see our guide to insulation during re-roofing.
Matching the house and the street
Brick and double-brick houses from the post-war decades were designed with tiles. Terracotta suits older villas and Federation-style homes, and keeping tiles maintains the character many buyers expect. In heritage areas, tiles may be the only option the council will support.
The downsides
Tiles are heavy. Ridge capping relies on bedding and pointing, which crack over time, especially on houses sitting on the reactive clay soils common across the Adelaide Plains. Seasonal ground movement shifts the house, and the ridges feel it first. Cracked tiles let water in. Concrete tiles lose their surface coating with age and can turn porous and mossy. Working around tiles for solar, antennas or air conditioning brings breakage.
Living with each roof day to day
Noise and comfort
Under tiles, a winter downpour is a soft background hum. Under bare steel it can be loud, especially in bedrooms with raked ceilings. A good blanket and ceiling batts close much of that gap, and most owners settle in quickly, but if anyone in the house is a light sleeper it is worth weighing.
Getting onto the roof
Tradespeople installing antennas, air conditioners or solar often crack tiles without noticing, and the damage only shows up as a leak in the next storm. A steel roof is more forgiving of foot traffic, though crews should still step only over battens to avoid dents.
Gutters and debris
Tiles shed grit as their surface wears, and that grit settles in gutters and tanks. Steel sheds less, which suits rainwater collection. Both need gutters cleared of leaves, particularly in leafy streets near the foothills.
Resale and buyer expectations
In established suburbs where almost every house has tiles, some buyers expect to see them. In newer estates, rural areas and the Hills, steel is common and well accepted. If you plan to sell in the near future, look along your street and consider what buyers will compare your house against.
Cost considerations
Both materials have wide price ranges, and the material itself is only part of the total. Removing old tiles, disposing of them, replacing battens, adding sarking or a blanket, scaffold, roof pitch, valleys and solar removal all affect the final figure. If the old roof contains asbestos cement anywhere, licensed removal under SafeWork SA rules adds to the scope. Our roof replacement cost guide explains how these combine.
When steel tends to win
- The frame is tired or sagging and needs weight taken off
- The roof pitch is low
- You want a quick job and simple solar reinstatement
- The house is rural, in the Hills, or of a style that suits metal
- You prefer low ongoing maintenance
When tiles tend to win
- The house is a heritage place or in a heritage area
- You value quiet during rain
- The rest of the street is tiled and you want to keep resale appeal
- The frame is sound and the tiles themselves are reusable after rebedding
- You want the look of terracotta on an older home
Questions to settle before you decide
Ask your contractor to inspect the roof frame from inside the roof space, not just the covering. Ask whether the existing battens can be reused or will be replaced. If converting to steel, confirm the blanket and the colour. If staying with tiles, ask whether the job is a full re-tile or a rebed and repoint, and which tiles can be saved.
Before any change of material, check with your council whether development approval is needed. Most like-for-like jobs do not, but heritage listings and changes to the roof form may.
Next steps
We connect Adelaide homeowners with independent local roofing contractors. We ask them to hold the licences and insurance the job needs; ask to see them before work starts, and you can check a building work licence on the Consumer and Business Services public register. To talk about re-tiling or converting, see our tile roof replacement and Colorbond roofing pages, or get in touch.