In Montclair, Maplewood and Glen Ridge, the median house was built in 1938. A roof on a house that old is not its first, and the wood under it may be the original boards. We strip it to the deck, show you what is there, and put the new roof on solid wood.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · GAF Certified · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney replaces roofs on houses in all 22 Essex County municipalities, including Montclair, Maplewood, Bloomfield and Livingston, under NJ HIC 13VH13268400. Every layer of old shingles comes off, and you see photos of the deck before we replace any wood. A detached one- or two-family house needs no permit. The inspection is free.
Glen Ridge, Montclair and Maplewood all have a median house built in 1938. In Glen Ridge, 81 percent of homes went up before 1940. A roof that old has been redone more than once, and the deck under it is often the original boards, not plywood. Boards that have taken water for decades go soft around the nail holes.
Across the county, 28 percent of homes are in two- to four-family buildings. In Belleville and Irvington, one home in five is a two-family house. One roof covers every apartment, so the schedule matters to more than one household. A three- or four-family building also goes through the town for a permit.
Essex County sits in the northern part of the Central Zone, where the State Climatologist notes that winter storms often switch between rain and snow. Slush collects in the valleys and at the eaves, then freezes again overnight. Those are the places an old roof gives out first, and the places a new one has to get right.
So we price an Essex County roof from on top of it and from the attic, after we count the layers. Never from the curb.
On a house from the 1930s or 1940s, the cost of a new roof depends on things you cannot see from the yard. The inspection comes first, and the photos are yours whatever you decide.
If the roof still has years in it and the trouble is in one spot, we say so and price a repair. Roof repair in Essex County
Most homes in Glen Ridge, Montclair and Maplewood went up before 1940, and South Orange has a 1946 median. On these houses we expect board decking and more than one old roof stacked on it. The tear off is heavier, and every board gets walked before anything new goes down.
Livingston's median house dates to 1962 and West Caldwell's to 1961. Fewer than one home in ten in Livingston or Cedar Grove was built before 1940. These roofs are more likely to sit on plywood. The bigger question is what the last roofer left behind: how many layers, and what shape the flashing is in.
If the gutters come down for the new roof, it is a good time to decide whether they go back up. Gutter installation in Essex County
Most houses take one or two days once work starts, weather permitting. All seven steps are on the roof replacement page.
We get on the roof when it is safe to, check the attic and take photos. You see them before we talk about price.
Scope, materials, number of days and the price, on paper. Any permit goes on it too.
Every layer comes off down to the wood. If we find rotted boards, we stop and show you before we replace them.
New underlayment and shingles go on. Then we haul the old roof away and run a magnet over the lawn and driveway for nails.
On a detached one- or two-family house, no. New Jersey's construction code treats a new 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.
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.
It depends on the size and pitch of the roof, how many old layers come off, how many deck boards are soft, and the shingle you choose. On a 1930s house, the deck is the part nobody can price from the ground. We do not quote over the phone. You get a written price after we have been up there.
On a detached one- or two-family house, no. The state construction code counts it as ordinary maintenance. A three- or four-family building, a townhouse or any other attached house goes through the town's construction office. We check with your town before we start, and any permit goes on the estimate.
Maybe some of it. Houses that old often have the original board deck under the shingles, and a board goes soft where water has sat on it. Nobody can tell how many until the roof is open. When we find a bad one, we stop, show you the photo and the price, and then replace it.
Yes. Exterior work in Montclair's historic districts needs a certificate of appropriateness, but repair or exact replacement that does not change how the house looks is exempt. If you want a different look, the town reviews it first. We check with Montclair before we start.
Yes. About 15 percent of Essex County homes are in three- and four-family buildings. A new roof on one of those needs a permit from the town, and it goes on the estimate. So does the number of work days, so you can tell your tenants ahead of time.
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.
Send us your town and a line about the roof. We call you back shortly to set a time. The inspection is free, and you keep the photos and the written price whether or not you hire us. If a repair makes more sense, that is what we price.
Or call 732-682-9251
