Roof inspections in New Jersey
Buying a house, selling one, or wondering what last winter did to the roof. We get on the roof, photograph what we find, and tell you what needs work now and what can wait. The inspection is free, on houses in 14 New Jersey counties.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney inspects roofs in 14 New Jersey counties under NJ HIC license 13VH13268400. We get on the roof, photograph what we find, and tell you what needs work now and what can wait, before you buy, before you sell, or after a hard winter. Any work starts with a free inspection, photos and a written estimate.
Why a roof can look fine from the driveway and still be wearing out
From the ground you see the color of the shingles and not much else. The problems show up close: grit worn off, tabs cracked, flashing lifted at a wall, soft spots in the deck underfoot. By the time a stain shows on the ceiling, water has usually been getting in for a while.
A worn spot found on a dry day is a cheaper job than the same spot found after it leaks.
When a roof inspection makes sense
- You are buying a house and want to know how many years the roof has left.
- You are selling and do not want the roof to surprise you halfway through the sale.
- A hard winter or a big storm just came through.
- The gutters are filling up with shingle grit.
- There is a stain on the ceiling and you are not sure where it comes from.
- Nobody has been up on the roof in years.
If you already have a leak, the inspection is where the repair starts anyway. We find where the water gets in and price the fix. How roof repair works
How a roof inspection works
A roof inspection with us runs in five steps. The inspection itself is free. If it turns up work, your written estimate lists how long the work will take.
You call or send the form
Tell us why you want the roof looked at: a sale, a purchase, a storm, or just that it has been a while.
We get on the roof
When it is safe to, we get up on the roof and look at it up close.
We photograph what we find
Shingles, flashing, vents, the chimney and the gutters. We check the chimney and gutters while we are up there. You keep the photos.
We go through it with you
We show you the photos and tell you what needs work now and what can wait. If the roof is in good shape, we tell you that too.
You get a written estimate for any work
Scope, materials and the price, on paper. If you hire someone else, you owe us nothing.
What a roof inspection covers
These are the parts of the roof we photograph, and what each one tells you about how many years the roof has left.
Shingles
Worn grit, curling edges and cracked tabs show how much life the roof has left.
Flashing
The metal where the roof meets a chimney, a wall or a skylight. Lifted or rusted flashing is where many leaks start.
Vents and pipe boots
Sun cracks the rubber collar around a plumbing pipe, and water follows the pipe into the attic.
The deck
Soft spots underfoot mean the boards under the shingles have taken on water.
Layers of shingles
One layer or two changes what the next roof costs, because every old layer has to come off when it is replaced.
Chimney and gutters
A leak next to the chimney is often the flashing. Grit piling up in the gutters means the shingles are wearing out.
Attic
From inside, stains on the roof boards, damp insulation or daylight show what the outside is hiding.
Want to know what shape your roof is in?
Get a free inspection
What else to know about an inspection
Buying or selling
A roof inspection is not a home inspection. We look at the roof, not the plumbing or the wiring. A home inspection covers the whole house, so the roof may only get a look from the ground or a ladder. If you are buying, the two work alongside each other.
Where your house is changes what we find
In Ocean and Monmouth, wind off the water lifts shingle edges and salt air eats at exposed nails and metal flashing. Farther north and west, in Sussex, Warren, Morris and Hunterdon, the usual problem is ice backing water up under the shingles at the eaves.
Related work
If the inspection finds a leak, see Roof Repair. If the shingles are worn out across whole sections, see Roof Replacement. Ice at the eaves every winter or an attic like an oven: Roof Ventilation.
Check us out before we inspect your roof
Nothing. The inspection is free. We get on the roof, photograph what we find, and tell you what needs work now and what can wait. If it turns up work, you get a written price for it. We do not quote repairs over the phone. If you hire someone else, you owe us nothing.
No. A home inspection covers the whole house. A roof inspection covers the roof, and we get up on it to look close. We check the chimney and the gutters while we are up there. If you are buying, it works alongside a home inspection, not in place of one.
It is worth it if the roof is older or nobody can tell you when it was last replaced. A new roof is one of the biggest bills a new owner can get hit with. Knowing before you close gives you time to plan for it, or to talk about it with the seller.
You keep the photos, and if anything needs work you get a written estimate with the scope and the price. We can also put what we found on paper, what needs work now and what can wait, so you have something to hand over during a sale.
After a big storm or a hard winter, and before you buy or sell. If nobody has been up there in years, that is a good reason too. Most roof problems are cheaper to fix when they are found early, before water has had time to soak the deck.
No. We would rather sell you a repair that holds than a roof you did not need yet. If the roof is in good shape, we tell you that. You see the photos, so you do not have to take our word for it.
We inspect roofs in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties. If your town is in one of those, we can come out.
Find out how many years your roof has left
Tell us why you want it looked at. We come out, inspect it for free, and give you photos and a written price for anything that needs work. If the roof is fine, you will hear that from us. If you hire someone else, you owe us nothing.
Open 24 hours · NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured