If your Adelaide home was built before 1990, there’s a high chance the roof above your family contains asbestos cement sheeting. Millions of Australian homes were built this way, and most have been perfectly safe for decades.
But asbestos cement has a lifespan. As asbestos roofing ages, it becomes brittle and more likely to crack or deteriorate increasing the risk of harmful fibres becoming airborne. And once inhaled, those fibres can pose serious long-term health risks.
If your roof is showing signs of wear, the safest long-term solution isn’t patching or painting, it’s a professional roof replacement.
This post walks you through everything you need to know about asbestos roof replacement.
Here’s the process a a team of roofing experts follow for asbestos roof replacement follows:
Here is the process that a team of roofing experts follows for asbestos roof replacement:
Here’s a before-and-after that shows the end result of our asbestos roof replacement service:
Once the asbestos is gone, you have a genuinely better roof to look forward to. The standard in South Australia and the material we recommend without hesitation is COLORBOND® steel from BlueScope.
Asbestos Cement | COLORBOND® Steel | |
Weight | 50–60kg per m² | ~5kg per m² |
Lifespan | 40–50 years (then deteriorating) | 75 Years Lifespan + 45 years with warranty |
Heat performance | Absorbs and radiates heat | Thermatech® reflects up to 70% solar |
Maintenance | Increasingly risky to touch | Low, no repointing, no patching |
Resale impact | Often a red flag for buyers | Adds value and kerb appeal |
Insurance | Higher premiums or exclusions | Standard rates |
One of the biggest hidden benefits of a full re-roof is the opportunity to add an insulation blanket (typically Anticon™ or equivalent glasswool) directly under the new sheeting.
Old asbestos roofs have zero insulation. Heat pours in during summer and bleeds out in winter. A proper insulation blanket can reduce your ceiling space temperature by a meaningful amount and your ducted air conditioning doesn’t have to work as hard. Some homeowners report noticeable differences on their energy bills within the first summer.
It also handles the rain noise question everyone asks about. Without insulation, steel can ping in heavy rain. With a blanket underneath, the sound is muffled to a low thud quieter than most people expect.
A Smart Solar Ventilation system automatically extracts that trapped heat, lowering temperatures by up to 25 degrees with ZERO running costs. Grab a 15% OFF on your HeatXtract Pro plus professional installation.
Completely replacing an asbestos roof with COLORBOND® steel, according to Roof & Render SA, costs between $20,000 and $60,000, which is almost the same range as what a roof tile replacement costs.
The cost varies because every house is different. Roof size, pitch, and how easy it is to access the site all affect the price.
Asbestos removal adds extra expense since it must be handled by licensed professionals and disposed of safely at approved facilities.
Asbestos roof replacement costs aren’t dramatically more expensive than a standard tile-to-COLORBOND® conversion. The specialised disposal fees add some cost, but the difference is smaller than most people expect.
A NOTE ON GETTING QUOTES
Be cautious of very low quotes for asbestos removal. Proper disposal, PPE, wet methods, and EPA documentation all cost money. If a price seems too good to be true for a licensed asbestos job, it’s worth asking how they’re handling compliance. The documentation matters especially when you go to sell.
Absolutely. Besides the obvious health benefits, moving to metal roofing changes your home’s financial profile.
Factor | Asbestos Roof |
Durability | Brittle after 40 years |
Resale Value | Often a deal-breaker |
Insurance | Higher premiums/Risk |
Maintenance | Dangerous to repair |
Patching an asbestos roof is rarely worth the cost. The material becomes brittle with age, so any attempt to seal a small crack often causes new ones to form nearby. You end up paying for a repair that buys you very little time. In most cases, replacement is the smarter financial decision, not just the safer one.
Want to know what it would cost for your home?
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You can stay, but most families choose to be out during working hours. It’s noisy, there’s vibration through the structure, and certain areas of the house will be inaccessible. If you do stay, your team should give you a clear plan of which zones to avoid each day. The job itself takes 3–5 days for most Adelaide homes.
Not really, it just requires coordination. The panels need to come off before the old roof does, and go back on after the new one is installed. For an asbestos-to-steel conversion, the mounting hardware will need to be replaced (it’s profile-specific).
A licensed roof replacement team like Roof and Render can handle WorkSafe SA notification, EPA waste tracking, and the compliance documentation easily.. You should receive copies of the waste certificates at the end and keep them with your property records. If you ever sell the house, being able to show documented asbestos removal is a genuine asset.
It depends on your policy and the reason for replacement. If there’s been storm damage or a specific event, you may have a claim. If it’s age-related deterioration, that’s typically not covered. It’s always worth checking with your insurer before you start as they may want to inspect before any work begins.
Roof & Render SA has been doing this in Adelaide since 1921. We hold a Class B asbestos licence, we handle everything from WorkSafe notification through to EPA disposal certificates, and we’re at the point in our history where we’ve genuinely seen most scenarios.
Our team backs every job with a 20-year watertight warranty and a 10-year workmanship guarantee. Plus, your new roof can last up to 45 years with BlueScope® materials.
Protect your family, safeguard your home, and boost your property’s value.
Book a free inspection: 08 8451 6116
Or visit our showroom:
Head Office + Showroom: 2/22 O’Sullivan Beach Rd, Lonsdale SA 5160
