One project, one point of contact
An asbestos roof replacement combines two jobs: removing a regulated material legally, and building a new roof. Most owners don’t want to coordinate two contractors, or leave the building open to the weather in between.
With Roof Direct, asbestos roof replacement in Cape Town is planned as one project. The asbestos removal is quoted and carried out by our sister company, Indi Maintenance Services, a Registered Asbestos Contractor (Type 2), certificate 2025RAC/CI-180, valid until 26 August 2028. Roof Direct inspects, coordinates the whole project, and quotes and installs your new roof. You get one point of contact, with Indi’s quote for the asbestos work and ours for the new roof, and the plan of work and asbestos documents carry Indi’s name.
How an asbestos roof replacement works, step by step
- Inspection. We check and photograph the sheets, gutters, fascias, purlins and trusses. If you’re not sure the roof is asbestos, testing by an accredited laboratory confirms it.
- Clear, itemised quotes. Indi quotes the removal and disposal, and Roof Direct quotes the new roof, gutters and any structural work, with the planned timeline. Body corporates can table them at a trustees’ meeting as they stand.
- Plan of work. The approved inspection authority compiles the plan of work with Indi, covering the material, method, protective equipment, air monitoring, disposal and clearance. You co-sign it as the client (regulations 11, 13 and 15).
- Notification. The Department of Employment and Labour is notified in writing at least seven days before work starts (regulation 10).
- Removal by Indi. The work area is demarcated as a regulated asbestos area, and Indi’s team removes the sheets, gutters and fittings without power tools, using wet methods as far as is reasonably practicable (regulations 8, 18 and 24).
- Disposal. The asbestos is sealed, labelled and taken to a designated asbestos disposal site, which issues a disposal certificate (regulation 21).
- Clearance certificate. The approved inspection authority inspects the area, takes air samples and issues the written declaration for clearance certification (regulation 22).
- Your new roof. Roof Direct repairs or replaces the roof structure where needed, installs the new roof, gutters and flashings, and walks the finished roof with you.
On larger roofs, removal and the new roof follow each other in sections where that’s practical, so the building is open for as little time as possible. The open-roof stages are scheduled around the weather forecast, which matters most in Cape Town’s winter rain, roughly May to August.
Choosing your new roof
The right roof depends on the building, the pitch, your budget and how close you are to the sea:
- IBR and corrugated sheeting. The most common replacement for asbestos cement, light and suited to the low pitches of many asbestos roofs. We use sheeting from Youngman Roofing and Safintra.
- Klip-Lok. A concealed-fix metal profile, with no fixings through the top of the sheet.
- Standing seam. A modern metal roof with concealed fixings, suited to low pitches.
- Concrete and clay tiles. Heavier, quiet in the rain and rust-free, a common choice for homes and sectional title complexes, provided the structure and pitch suit them.
On the Atlantic Seaboard, in Blouberg, on the Southern Peninsula and up the West Coast, salt air speeds up corrosion, so we specify sheeting and fixings suited to coastal exposure. See roof replacement for more on the materials.
Does the roof structure need replacing?
Sometimes. Once the asbestos sheets are off, the purlins, trusses and timbers are fully visible, and any that have failed are replaced before the new roof goes on. A change in covering can also mean a change in structure, because tiles are much heavier than sheeting and need more pitch. Where new trusses are needed, we use Pryde trusses.
New gutters, fascias and downpipes
Asbestos cement gutters, downpipes and fascias are removed with the roof by our sister company, and we replace them with Brink or uPVC gutters and new fascia boards. See gutters and fascias.
Getting the roof ready for solar
Panels can’t be mounted on asbestos cement, so many owners replace the roof with solar in mind. Tell us at the inspection, and we’ll plan around your installer’s requirements. See solar on asbestos roofs.
Your duties as the client
Before the removal, you provide an up-to-date inventory of the asbestos in place, make sure a risk assessment is done, appoint an approved inspection authority in writing and co-sign the plan of work. Afterwards, you obtain the clearance certificate (regulation 11). We guide you through each step. This is general information, not legal advice; for the official text, see the Department of Employment and Labour. For the removal process on its own, see asbestos roof removal.
The guarantee on your new roof
Your new roof comes with a two-year Roof Direct workmanship guarantee, and the roofing material carries the manufacturer’s own guarantee of up to 15 years, depending on the product. The terms for your roof are set out in your quote.
Asbestos roof replacement for every kind of building
- Commercial and industrial. Large factory and warehouse roofs are replaced in sections around your operations, with a health and safety file for larger projects and working-at-heights compliant teams. See commercial and industrial roofing.
- Body corporates. Trustees get itemised quotes they can table, and residents are told in advance where the regulated area will be and when. See body corporate roofing.
- Homeowners. For the house, a garage or a carport, the same legal process applies, and Andre or our foreman, Randall, oversees the roofing work.
Get a free asbestos roof replacement quote
Request your quote, call us, or send photos on WhatsApp; for all our asbestos services, see asbestos removal in Cape Town.
