What St Albans roofs have been through
An old working-class borough
St Albans was its own borough from 1881 until it joined Christchurch in 1903. Its housing runs from old workers' cottages and large older properties to council flats and new apartments, across 6,021 dwellings in 2023.
Mostly iron on the oldest houses
In BRANZ's survey of Christchurch houses after the quakes, pre-1930 homes were almost all sheet roofed (37 sheet, 2 heavy tile). BRANZ found damage to sheet roofs came mainly from falling chimneys.
Flooding since the quakes
By 2014, quake-damaged drains and lowered ground meant the streets of the Flockton Basin flooded regularly. In March 2014 at least 100 homes across Woolston, Richmond, St Albans and Mairehau were inundated.
Character and heritage areas
The Massey character area is in St Albans, and on 17 September 2025 the council approved a Church Property Trustees North St Albans residential heritage area under Plan Change 13.
Hail and snow
Christchurch Airport records hail on about 6 days a year and snow on about 3, and NIWA says hail is most frequent at Christchurch among Canterbury's stations.
The jobs most St Albans owners ask about
Old chimneys. The Natural Hazards Commission says the safest option for an old masonry chimney is removing it from the top all the way down to the floor, or replacing the part above the roof with a lighter metal flue if you still use it. Removal may need a building consent. See chimney removal.
Checking quake-era repairs. Many roofs were patched or rebuilt after 2011. If something looks wrong now, a roofer can tell you whether it's new damage or an old repair failing.
Iron re-roofs on cottages. Replacing roofing with a comparable product in the same position can often be done without a building consent. In a character or heritage area, check the district plan rules before changing the look. See re-roofing in Christchurch.
Spouting in the low streets. Where the ground has dropped, clear spouting and working downpipes matter more. See spouting in Christchurch.
Old quake claims and new damage
Damage that first happened before 1 July 2024 falls under the old EQC rules; anything after that is an NHC claim made through your insurer. If a roofer finds more damage after a claim was settled, stop work in that area and call your claim manager straight away. More in Natural Hazards Commission roof claims.
What we'd check first in St Albans
On an older St Albans house, we'd start with the chimney: if it's unused, we'd look at removing it rather than repointing it. Then we'd have the iron and flashings checked, and if the house is in the Massey or North St Albans areas, we'd ask the council before changing anything visible. We'll pass your job to one checked Christchurch roofer if we have one for your street.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.