Roofing in Frenchs Forest

A Frenchs Forest roof enquiry should distinguish a few damaged tiles from widespread deterioration and mention any suspected asbestos cement covering. Residential growth in Frenchs Forest was spurred on by the Wakehurst Parkway (1946) and the Spit Bridge (1958), the NSW Government’s place strategy says, and it describes the suburb today as “a place of larger blocks, leafy streets, a rich tree canopy, and predominantly lower-density, single and double storey homes”. The Roofing Northern Beaches guides explain the work and local checks.

In the 2021 Census, 92.5% of Frenchs Forest’s occupied private dwellings were separate houses, against 57.3% across the Northern Beaches, and 60.5% had four or more bedrooms. Across the former Warringah council area, “Significant residential development occurred from the 1950s”, so many homes here date from the post-war decades. The Codes SEPP notes that “Residential buildings constructed before 1990 may contain asbestos”: if any part of your roof might be fibro, say so in the request.

Bush fire prone streets above the creek gullies

About 49% of Frenchs Forest’s land is mapped bush fire prone, by our calculation from council map data, including about 31% of its low-density residential zone. That’s mostly streets backing onto Garigal National Park, Middle Harbour Creek, Carroll Creek and Forestville Park. In the Warringah Pittwater Bush Fire Risk Management Plan, written in 2010 and still cited by council as the plan that guides its bush fire work, the area listed as “Frenchs Forest Urban North” is rated “Extreme” risk.

On mapped land, even an exempt re-roof has to meet the Codes SEPP’s bush fire standard: “if located on bush fire prone land—(i) be adequately sealed or protected to prevent the entry of embers, and (ii) use equivalent or improved quality materials”. The NSW RFS is clear that “Upgrading of existing building elements is not mandatory”, but says maintenance “should include the removal of litter from the roof, valleys and gutters in advance of the bush fire season”. See gutters and gutter guard.

Warringah DCP roof rules

Frenchs Forest is under the former Warringah council’s rules: Warringah Local Environmental Plan 2011 and Warringah Development Control Plan 2011. A strip at the northern edge, about 3.3% of the suburb by our calculation, is Oxford Falls Valley land that still falls under the older Warringah LEP 2000.

When roof work needs a development application, the DCP’s roof controls come into play:

• Roof form: “Roofs should complement the roof pitch and forms of the existing buildings in the streetscape” and “Roofs shall incorporate eaves for shading” (D11).
• Glare: “Roofing materials should not cause excessive glare and reflection” (D11), and reflection can be cut by choosing “medium to dark roof tones” (D12).
• Near bushland: on sites adjoining or close to bushland, “colours and materials … must blend in to the natural landscape” (D10).

Heritage-listed houses and sloping blocks

Warringah LEP 2011 lists four houses in Frenchs Forest as heritage items, along with a former church, a garden and two groups of trees. No heritage conservation area lies inside the suburb. The Codes SEPP’s exempt pathway for “the repair to or replacement of a non-structural wall or roof cladding” applies only “if it is not constructed or installed on or in a heritage item or a draft heritage item or in a heritage conservation area or a draft heritage conservation area”. So if your house is listed, talk to council before any roof work.

Frenchs Forest sits on a plateau that falls away to the gullies. By our calculation from council’s landslip map, about 60% of the suburb’s low-density residential land is in Area B, which the DCP describes as “Flanking slopes” of “5 to 25” degrees. On a sloping block, mention the slope when you describe the roof: the downhill side sits higher off the ground.

Roofing work in Frenchs Forest

Choose the work you’re planning in Frenchs Forest, then describe the roof material, condition and access:

• Roof repairs: cracked and slipped tiles, ridge capping, valleys, flashings and rusted metal.
• Roof leak repairs: leaks traced back to where the water gets in, then fixed there.
• Roof restoration: clean, repair, rebed, repoint and recoat a roof that’s still sound.
• Roof replacement: old tile, iron or fibro roofs stripped and replaced, in Colorbond or new tiles.
• Gutters and gutter guard: gutters, downpipes and metal gutter guard.

Before re-roofing in Frenchs Forest

Whether a new roof needs approval depends on the property, not just the suburb: whether it’s a heritage item or in a heritage conservation area, whether it’s on bush fire prone land, and whether the old roof contains asbestos. Your property’s planning certificate shows its heritage and bush fire status, and Northern Beaches Council explains exempt and complying development. The roofer should confirm the approval pathway with the quote. See roof replacement for the conditions.

Nearby suburbs

• Roofing in Belrose
• Roofing in Forestville
• Roofing across the Northern Beaches

Common questions