Hamilton grew fast after the war. Whole suburbs of weatherboard homes went up in the 1950s, 60s and early 70s, and many still have the roof they were built with. If yours is one of them, here’s what replacing it involves.
Short answer: most of these homes still have their original galvanised corrugated iron, fixed with lead-head nails and now 50 to 70 years old. A re-roof strips it back to the framing and replaces it with new COLORSTEEL MAXAM® long-run. Corrugate keeps the original look, and trapezoidal rib suits lower-pitched roofs. A typical single-storey three-bedroom home on old iron costs $18,000–$26,000 to re-roof in corrugate.
Which homes we mean
The east and west of the city filled up in the same few decades:
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- Fairfield and Enderley. Fairfield grew rapidly in the 1950s and 60s. In Enderley, Poets’ Corner was a 1959 Housing Corporation project, and the area north of Insoll Road followed between 1964 and 1968. Many of the homes here are original state houses.
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- Nawton. Nawton Primary School opened in 1960, as family homes spread west of the city.
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- Dinsdale. Once known as West Frankton, Dinsdale joined Hamilton in 1961 and grew quickly in the early 1970s, when the land was subdivided. Many homes sit on sloping sections, some with basements.
Many of these homes were built as state houses or to similar plans, so they share a lot. Many are weatherboard, with simple hip or gable roofs, and until the 1980s corrugated iron was the country’s most common roofing.
Corrugate or rib?
Both profiles come in the same COLORSTEEL MAXAM® steel. The choice comes down to the look you want and your roof’s pitch.
| Corrugate | Trapezoidal rib | |
|---|---|---|
| Look | The classic Kiwi wave, the same as the original iron | Bolder, flat-topped ribs with a cleaner, modern line |
| Minimum pitch | 8° for standard corrugate | 3–4°, depending on rib height |
| Best for | Keeping a 1950s or 60s home looking like itself | Lower-pitched roofs, later extensions and a more modern look |
Most original roofs on these homes are corrugate, and swapping like for like keeps the street looking the way it always has. If part of your roof is close to flat, such as a later lean-to or a 1970s extension, rib may be the only profile that meets the minimum pitch for it.
What turns up under the old roof
A roof this age has had 50 years or more of Waikato weather. When the old iron comes off, these are the things worth knowing about:
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- Lead-head nails. Until 1980, New Zealand roofs were fixed with steel nails with a lead head cast on. Over time the heads back out and the shanks corrode. They’re replaced by modern screws rated for your area, and lead isn’t compatible with modern coated steel, so none of it goes back.
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- Tired timber. Battens and purlins that have taken in water over the decades can be soft or split. Any that can’t hold a fixing need replacing before the new roof goes on.
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- Old underlay, or none. Check what a quote says about underlay, because it’s one of the lines that varies most between roofers.
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- Unused chimneys and flues. Many homes this age have a brick chimney that no longer gets used. It can be removed below the roofline or re-flashed, and deciding before the measure keeps the quote accurate.
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- Asbestos. WorkSafe says buildings built before 2000 are likely to contain asbestos. In homes this age it can be in fibre-cement soffits, downpipes or older roofing. Have anything suspicious tested before work starts.
What it costs
These are CTR’s guide ranges for the homes most common in these suburbs:
| Home | Approx. roof area | Job | Typical range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-storey 3-bedroom | 140–170 m² | Old iron to Corrugate, MAXAM® | $18,000–$26,000 |
| Single-storey 4-bedroom | 180–230 m² | Old iron to trapezoidal rib, MAXAM® | $24,000–$34,000 |
Old iron comes off quickly, and new steel weighs about the same as the iron it replaces (around 5 kg per m²), so the house frame takes no extra load. Steep roofs, basements on sloping sections and two-storey homes sit higher in the range. For the full breakdown, see what a metal re-roof costs in the Waikato.
Do you need a consent?
Usually not, if you’re replacing iron with comparable steel in the same position. Changing the structure or the roof’s shape can be different. See Hamilton City Council consent for a re-roof.
Get your re-roof measured and priced
Corey measures for free, then sends an itemised written quote with your start date. No obligation.
Or call 0800 287 763
We answer Mon–Fri, 8am–4pm · Hamilton & the Waikato · 10-year workmanship warranty
Questions about older Hamilton homes
Can I keep the original corrugated look?
Yes. Corrugate is still made in the same wave profile, so a like-for-like re-roof keeps the look of the house. You can match the original colour or choose a new one.Will the framing on a 1960s house take a new steel roof?
Usually. New long-run steel weighs about the same as old iron, around 5 kg per m², so the load on the frame doesn’t change. Any battens or purlins that are soft or split need replacing first.My house is a former state house. Does that change anything?
Not for the roof itself. You still choose between corrugate and rib, and if the house hasn’t been tested for asbestos, have the soffits and any old fibre-cement checked before work starts.Sources: Enderley · Fairfield · Dinsdale · Te Ara: building materials · NZ Metal Roofing Manufacturers: nails · NZ Metal Roofing Code of Practice: roof pitch · WorkSafe: asbestos
Related: Metal roof replacement in Hamilton · Roofing in Hamilton · What a re-roof costs · Corrugated iron roofs
Written by Corey and the CTR Roofing team, Hamilton. Updated October 2026.