Overhead view of a fully stripped roof covered in synthetic underlayment, with around twenty shingle bundles staged in a row along the ridge and tarps below catching the torn off shingles

Ocean County, NJ

Roof replacement in Ocean County, NJ

The median Ocean County house went up in 1982, and many from the 1980s and 1990s still have the roof they were built with. Near the water, wind and salt air have been working on it too. We strip the old roof to the deck and put a new one on.

Get a free roof replacement estimate Or call732-682-9251

NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · GAF Certified · Free inspection · Open 24 hours

Modern Home Roofing & Chimney replaces roofs across Ocean County, NJ, including Barnegat, Stafford, Toms River and Point Pleasant Beach. Many houses from the 1980s and 1990s are still on their first roof. We strip to the deck and photograph soft wood. A detached one- or two-family house needs no construction permit, outside Beach Haven's historic district. NJ HIC 13VH13268400.

Ocean County roofs

Newer does not mean new

1982Median year an Ocean County house was built. New Jersey: 1971.

25%Built in 2000 or later. New Jersey: 18%.

1998Median year a Barnegat house was built. Stafford's: 1992.

83%Homes lived in by their owners. New Jersey: 64%.

Ocean County has the newest housing of the 14 counties we cover. The median house dates to 1982, eleven years after the state median, and a quarter of all homes went up in 2000 or later. In Barnegat the median is 1998 and nearly half the homes are that new. Lakewood's median is 1994 and Jackson's 1989.

A house built in the late 1980s or 1990s may still be on its first roof, and shingles that age are often near the end of their life. A first roof usually comes off as a single layer, so the tear off is simpler. The deck is the open question, since nobody has looked at it since the day it was covered.

Near the water there is more to it. The State Climatologist describes the shore as a zone where land and ocean weather fight it out day to day, with nor'easters most often between October and April. On a shore house that means rain blown in under the shingle edges, tabs lifted at the eaves and the ridge, and salt air on the flashing and the nails.

So an Ocean County roof gets priced from on top of it. We go up when it is safe to, look in the attic, and check the edges and the ridge before anything else.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 (B25003, B25034, B25035); Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist.

Before we price it

What we look at on an Ocean County roof before the estimate

A roof that has never been replaced can look fine from the driveway and still be close to done. The signs are small, and most of them only show up close.

Roofer laying the first courses of new shingles over synthetic underlayment while two crew members work further along the roof

On Ocean County houses, we look at

Whether the shingles still lie flat or have started to curl and cup.
Bare spots where the granules have washed off, and granules piled up in the gutters.
Shingle edges at the eaves, the rakes and the ridge, where wind gets under them.
Rust on the flashing and the nail heads, on houses near the water.
The attic, for stained deck boards and damp insulation.
On an attached house, the line where your roof meets your neighbor's.

Roofer nailing down a patched section of a shingle roof, with the old shingles cut back around the repair and a roll of underlayment beside it

A first roof is not always a finished roof. If yours still has some life in it, a repair is what we price. Roof repair in Ocean County

Is it really time for a new roof?Book a free inspection

Shore and inland

Salt and wind by the water, roof age inland

Roof stripped to new plywood decking with a continuous slot cut along the ridge and crew members working near the peak

Point Pleasant Beach to Beach Haven

The shore towns

Sea breezes usually reach 5 to 10 miles inland and sometimes 25 to 40, so the shore is wider than the beach blocks. Closest to the water, wind works on the edges and the ridge, and salt works on anything metal. Some of the oldest houses in the county are here too: the median house in Seaside Park dates to 1956. On a new roof by the water, the edges, the ridge and the flashing get the closest look. In Beach Haven's historic district, even replacing the roof on a one- or two-family house needs a certificate of appropriateness first.

Hand at the ridge of a shingle roof lifting a bundle of loose low voltage wires that run across the shingles beside a vent

Jackson, Lakewood, Manchester

Inland

Away from the beach, the age of the roof is the first question. Jackson's median house dates to 1989 and Lakewood's to 1994, and many of those roofs have never been off. In Lakewood 36 percent of homes are attached houses, and in Manchester 22 percent. A new roof on an attached house goes through the town's construction office, and in many communities the association owns the roof.

Gutters near the water take the same salt air as the flashing. If they come down for the roof anyway, decide then whether they go back up. Gutter installation in Ocean County

How it works

How a roof replacement works in Ocean County

Most houses take one or two days once work starts, weather permitting. All seven steps are on the roof replacement page.

Free inspection
We get on the roof when it is safe to, check the attic and take photos. You see them before we talk about price.
Written estimate
Scope, materials, number of days and the price, on paper. Any permit goes on it too.
Tear off and deck check
Every layer comes off down to the wood. If we find rotted boards, we stop and show you before we replace them.
New roof and clean up
New underlayment and shingles go on. Then we haul the old roof away and run a magnet over the lawn and driveway for nails.

Skylight set into an asphalt shingle roof with metal flashing around the frame and a stone chimney behind it

Low slope roof covered in black membrane, with a skylight set into it and rolls of membrane laid out

Aerial view of a completed architectural shingle roof on a two storey house

Crew member standing on a finished shingle roof with a ladder set to the ridge, surrounded by neighbouring houses and driveways

Do you need a permit for a new roof in Ocean County?

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. In Beach Haven's historic district, even replacing the roof on a one- or two-family house needs a certificate of appropriateness first. We check with your town before we start, and any permit goes on the estimate.

Before you hire anyone

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

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NJ Home Improvement Contractor13VH13268400

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FAQ

Roof replacement questions in Ocean County

Still not covered? Call 732-682-9251 and ask.

If it is in Ocean County, yes. We cover all 33 municipalities, from Barnegat to Tuckerton. Put your ZIP code in the estimate form and we confirm it when we call you back.

Roof size and pitch, the shingle you choose, how much decking turns out soft once the old roof is off, and whether the house is attached all move the number. We do not quote over the phone. The price comes on paper once we have been up on the roof.

Maybe not. A house from the late 1980s or 1990s may still have its first roof, and shingles that age are often near the end. Curling, bare spots and loose tabs say more than the date on the deed. We photograph what we find, and if the roof has a few good years left, we tell you that.

On a detached one- or two-family house, no construction permit. In Beach Haven's historic district, even replacing the roof on a one- or two-family house needs a certificate of appropriateness first. An attached house, common in Lakewood and Manchester, goes through the town's construction office. We check with your town before we start, and any permit or approval goes on the estimate.

It changes where we look hardest. Wind off the ocean lifts shingles at the edges and the ridge, and salt air is hard on flashing and nails. We check those spots on the old roof first and show you in the photos where it gave out.

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.

Aerial view of a roof replacement near completion, with crew members setting the final courses

Find out how much life your roof has left

Tell us your town and the year the house was built, if you know it. We call you back shortly, inspect the roof for free, and show you the photos with a written price. If the roof is not done yet, you will hear that.

Or call 732-682-9251

Book your free roof inspectionNo cost

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