Thirty-two of the 39 towns in Morris County sit in the Highlands, where snow stays on a roof longer than it does farther south. We strip the old roof to the deck, photograph the wood, and plan the new one around the eaves.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · GAF Certified · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney replaces roofs on houses across Morris County, NJ, including Jefferson, Randolph, Riverdale and Madison. Most of the county is in the Highlands, so the eaves get a close look before we price anything. We take the roof down to the deck, and you see any rotted board before it is replaced. NJ HIC 13VH13268400.
Only seven Morris County towns sit outside the Highlands. Everywhere else, from Jefferson and Mount Olive to Morristown and Mendham, falls in the State Climatologist's Northern Zone, with 40 to 50 inches of snow in an average winter. When warmth from the attic melts the underside of that snow, the water runs down to the colder overhang and can freeze there into a ridge of ice.
Age cuts the other way. Riverdale's median house is from 1996 and Mount Arlington's from 1990. A house built in the late 1980s or 1990s may still have its first roof, and shingles that old are often near the end. Chatham Borough, at 1951, and Dover, at 1954, are another story. Those roofs have usually been redone before, and the next crew has to find out how.
Dark stains on the attic boards just above the eaves tell us water has been getting in at the edge. We look up there before anyone talks about shingle colors.
From the road, a 1996 roof and a 1951 roof can look about the same. We climb up when it is safe, check the attic, and only then put a number on paper.
The size of the roof sets a starting point. What moves the number from there is mostly hidden: the deck, the attic and the edges. We look at all three, and the photos are yours to keep.
Shingles from the 1990s are not always finished. When a repair will carry the roof a while longer, that is the estimate you get. Roof repair in Morris County
Snow sits longer up here, and the edge of the roof is where the trouble starts. Melt water from higher up runs down to the cold overhang and freezes. A ridge of ice there can hold water against the shingles until it finds a way under. When we plan a new roof in these towns, the eaves come first, then the valleys.
In these seven towns the house matters more than the snow. Chatham Borough's median house dates to 1951 and Madison's to 1961, so the new roof may go onto old plank boards. In Lincoln Park and Florham Park a fair share of homes are attached, and roofs on those go through the town's construction office.
Gutters often have to come down for a tear off. That is a sensible moment to ask whether they should go back up at all. Gutter installation in Morris 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. Mendham Borough has a historic district, where exterior work that needs a permit also needs Historic Preservation Commission review, and roofing and siding changes are reviewed too. 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 Morris County, yes. We cover all 39 municipalities, from Boonton to Wharton. Put your ZIP code in the estimate form and we confirm it when we call you back.
Roof area and pitch come first. After that, the layers to strip, how many boards need replacing and the shingle you choose. A big detached house can carry a lot of roof and several valleys. We do not quote over the phone. You get the price in writing after we have been up there.
Not a construction permit, on a detached one- or two-family house. State code treats that as ordinary maintenance. Attached houses and buildings with three or more homes go through the town's construction office, which comes up in Lincoln Park and Montville. In Mendham Borough's historic district, roofing changes also go to the Historic Preservation Commission.
Maybe. A house from the late 1980s or 1990s may still be on its first roof, and shingles that age are often near the end of their life. Age alone does not settle it. We check the shingles, the attic and the edges, and if the roof has more left in it, we say so.
It changes where we spend the most time. Jefferson is in the Highlands, where an average winter brings 40 to 50 inches of snow. The eaves and the attic boards right above them get the hardest look, and the photos come to you.
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.
Tell us your town and what the roof is doing. We call you back shortly. The inspection is free, and you get photos and a written price. If the roof can be repaired instead, you hear that from us.
Or call 732-682-9251
