Roof repair in Essex County, NJ
More than half of the occupied homes in Essex County are rented. In a two- or three-family house, a leak upstairs often shows up in somebody else's ceiling first. We find where the water gets in before we fix anything.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · GAF Certified · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney repairs roof leaks and failed flashing on houses across Essex County, NJ, including Newark, Irvington, Belleville and Bloomfield. In a two- or three-family house, the water often shows up a floor or two below the hole, so we start on the roof and in the attic. We are open 24 hours. NJ HIC 13VH13268400.
One roof, more than one household
In Belleville and Irvington, one home in five is a two-family house, and Newark is at 18 percent. When the roof leaks on a house like that, the stain often turns up in the tenant's kitchen before the owner hears about it. By then the water has had time to travel.
Only 45 percent of occupied homes in the county are lived in by their owner, against 64 percent statewide. Many of these homes have tenants, and one leak can reach more than one of them. We look in every unit the water could reach, with the tenants' okay, and the photos show you what we saw even if you could not be there.
Bloomfield's median house dates to 1950 and Belleville's to 1951. On roofs that age, leaks tend to start at the joints: chimney flashing, valleys and the boots around plumbing vents. Winter storms here often switch between rain and snow, and slush that freezes again overnight works its way into those joints.
So we follow the water back to where it enters before we touch a shingle, and you get the photos.
How we track a leak on an Essex County house
Water runs along rafters and floor boards before it drips. In a house with one apartment over another, that can mean a different floor. We start at the top and follow it down.
On Essex County two-families and older houses, we look at
- The flashing at the chimney, and any patch of tar over it.
- The valleys and the eaves, where slush freezes again after a mixed storm.
- The rubber boots around plumbing vents, which crack as they age.
- Where a lower roof meets a wall of the house, over a porch or an addition.
- The attic, or the space over the top floor ceiling, for the path the water took.
- Every unit under the stain, with your tenants' okay.
Some roofs have been patched so many times that one more patch will not help. If yours has, we tell you and show you why. Roof replacement in Essex County
How a roof repair works in Essex County
Finding the cause comes first, and your written estimate lists what we will fix and how long it will take. All six steps are on the roof repair page.
We find where the water gets in
We get on the roof when it is safe to, check the attic under the stain, and trace the water back to where it enters. You get the photos.
Written estimate
What is wrong, what we will fix and the price, on paper. If the roof is past repairing, we tell you that and show you why.
We fix the cause
New flashing, replaced shingles or a section of new underlayment. If the deck under it is soft, you get photos and a price before we replace it.
Seal, clean up and show you
New shingles get nailed and sealed to the ones around them. We run a magnet over the lawn for nails and go over photos of the repair with you.
Do you need a permit for a roof repair in Essex County?
On a detached one- or two-family house, no. New Jersey's construction code treats repairing the roof covering on a detached one- or two-family house as ordinary maintenance, so there is no permit and no notice to the town. A townhouse or other attached house usually goes through the town's construction office. Montclair has local historic districts, where exterior work needs a certificate of appropriateness, though repair or exact replacement that does not change how the house looks is exempt. We check with your town before we start, and any permit goes on the estimate.
What you can check on us first
- Our New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor license is 13VH13268400. Look it up with the Division of Consumer Affairs.
- We carry insurance and can send you the certificate before work starts.
- The inspection is free, and the estimate comes to you in writing.
- We are open 24 hours.
On roofing work, we are also GAF Certified. What GAF Certified means
If it is in Essex County, yes. We cover all 22 municipalities, from Belleville to West Orange. Put your ZIP code in the estimate form and we confirm it when we call you back.
Usually, yes. The ceiling under the stain tells us where to look on the roof. We set a time with you and your tenant, look in every unit the water could reach, and send you the photos.
Call us when it happens. We are open 24 hours. In a cold snap we can often stop the water first and keep it out of the apartments, then make the lasting repair when the weather allows. We tell you which part is which.
That depends on where the water gets in and how much roof has to be opened around it. A cracked vent boot and failed flashing at a chimney are very different jobs. We do not quote over the phone. You get a written price once we have found the entry point.
On a detached one- or two-family house, no. The state counts that as ordinary maintenance. A three- or four-family building, or any attached house, goes through the town's construction office. About 15 percent of Essex County homes are in three- and four-family buildings, so we check with your town before we start.
Call us, but check with your association first. In most condos the roof and the siding belong to the association, and the board hires the contractor. Townhouses vary. Your association documents say who owns what.
Find the leak first, then fix it
Tell us your town, where the water is showing up and in which unit. We call you back shortly. The inspection is free, and once the leak is traced you get the photos and a written price. If the roof is past patching, we say that plainly.
Or call 732-682-9251