Roof inspection in Hataitai, in plain English.

What we cover in Hataitai.

Aerial Assess provides roof inspections and assessments across all of Hataitai, from the flatter streets near the shops and the bus tunnel through to the hill sections climbing up Mt Victoria and Mt Albert. We come out, look at the visible and accessible roof areas, and send you a plain-language written assessment letter. Where a roof is too steep or too high to reach safely, we use drone access to capture it.

Hataitai is a family suburb with a distinctive housing profile, lots of original 1920s and 30s bungalows on the flat, then a transition to mid-century and modern hill-section homes as the streets climb. The flatter homes are mostly accessible. The hill homes typically aren't. That mix is what shapes how we approach a Hataitai inspection.

Many Hataitai homes carry an original tile or metal main roof plus a small membrane section over a rear extension. Reading each surface for what it is, tile wear, fixing fatigue, membrane age, is what makes the letter worth having.

What we typically find on Hataitai roofs

• Ridge cap pointing past its design life on the bungalow-era concrete tile roofs. Mortar work doesn't last forever and a lot of Hataitai bungalows have never had it redone.
• Lifted or slipped tiles, particularly on roofs that face the Cook Strait gap and cop a lot of southerly weather.
• Stone-chip loss on decramastic roofs from the 70s-90s era hill builds.
• Moss and lichen on south-facing slopes, particularly on shaded roofs near the town belt.
• Aged underlay on bungalow-era roofs, visible at eaves or from inside the roof space.
• Flashing deterioration around chimneys, dormers, and roof penetrations, especially on older homes.
• Membrane wear on rear extensions and dormer additions with small flat-roof sections.

Flat streets, steep hills.

Hataitai splits into two access types. The flatter streets near the shops are mostly straightforward, often we can do a substantial part of the assessment from the ground or a safe ladder edge, with the drone covering the upper roof and ridge details. The hill streets are a different story, downhill sides are often two storeys above ground, pitches are steep, and the roof is hard to reach safely.

Drone access bridges both. We hover within a metre of any roof surface, photograph from multiple angles, and capture ridge details, chimney flashings, valley boards and parapet conditions. For Hataitai hill homes specifically, this is usually the only way to get a complete written assessment.

For more on this, see our guide on why building inspectors can't access steep Wellington roofs.