Brisbane’s storm season runs from roughly September through March, and the damage that lands hardest is rarely the dramatic kind. It is the gutter that could not cope, the drain that was already half blocked, and the mould that had a head start before the humidity arrived.
Most of what protects a house is done before the first storm, not after it. Here is what actually matters on the exterior.
Clear what water needs to move through
Every drainage path on the property has a capacity, and debris reduces it. A gutter half full of leaf litter does not carry half the water — it overflows, because the outlet blocks first.
Check gutters, downpipes, the grated drains around paths and driveways, and any surface channels. In a serious downpour these fill in minutes, and water that cannot get away goes somewhere you would rather it did not: under the slab, against the wall, into the garage.
Deal with growth before humidity feeds it
Mould, algae and lichen do not appear during the wet season — they expand during it. What is already established on a shaded wall or path in August becomes a serious problem by January.
Treating it now means going into the humid months with a clean surface rather than an active colony. It is the difference between spores having to establish and an existing growth simply spreading.
Look at your roof before someone has to look at it in the rain
Storm season is when roof problems announce themselves, usually through a ceiling. Worth checking:
- Ridge capping. Cracked or crumbling mortar along the ridges is common on older Brisbane tile roofs and lets water in exactly where wind drives it.
- Displaced or cracked tiles, particularly after previous storms.
- Heavy growth in the valleys. Moss and lichen hold water and slow drainage where volume is highest.
- Debris behind solar panels and around penetrations.
Anything structural is a roofer’s job. Growth and debris are cleaning work, and clearing them removes the most common cause of overflow.
Trim what will fall
Branches over the roofline are the obvious risk. The less obvious one is the branch that drops a constant supply of leaf litter into the gutter all season, guaranteeing the blockage you just cleared returns in November.
Check the surfaces you walk on
Paths and steps that are slightly slippery in dry weather become genuinely dangerous when saturated for weeks. Algae on a shaded concrete path is a common cause of falls around a house, and it is entirely preventable.
Cleaning it properly — treating the growth rather than blasting the visible layer — is what stops it returning mid-season. We cover why in removing mould from concrete.
The order that makes sense
- Clear gutters, downpipes and drains
- Trim overhanging branches, so step one stays done
- Treat existing mould and algae on walls, paths and roof
- Check ridge capping and tiles; book a roofer if anything looks wrong
- Address slippery surfaces before they are wet for three months
Doing this in September rather than December is the point. Once the season is running, every trade in Brisbane is busy and work happens between downpours.
If the roof and exterior surfaces are more than you want to take on, see what roof cleaning involves or request a free quote.
