Roof replacement in New Jersey
If the same spots leak every spring and the shingles are curling, another patch buys you one more spring. We take the old roof off down to the wood, show you what is under it, and put a new roof on. We do this on houses in 14 New Jersey counties.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney replaces roofs on houses in 14 New Jersey counties under NJ HIC license 13VH13268400. We tear the old shingles off down to the deck, replace any rotted wood once you have seen it, then lay new underlayment and shingles and clean up. Every replacement starts with a free inspection, photos and a written estimate.
Why another patch will not fix a worn out roof
A patch fixes one spot. The shingles around it are the same age and wearing out at the same rate, so the next leak is already on its way. Once a roof leaks in more than one place, you are paying for the same visit every spring. Water also gets into the wood each time, well before anyone sees a stain.
When a worn roof waits too long, the bill grows under the shingles. That means soft deck boards, wet insulation, and a ceiling that has to be opened up.
Signs the roof needs replacing, not repairing
- Shingles are curling at the edges or cracked across whole sections.
- Bare patches where the grit has worn off, and grit piling up in the gutters.
- Leaks in more than one room, or the same leak back after it was repaired.
- Daylight through the roof boards when you look up from the attic.
- The roof dips between the rafters, or feels soft underfoot.
- There are already two layers of shingles. Building code does not allow a third, so the next roof starts with a full tear off anyway.
Some roofs have more years in them than the owner thinks. If a repair will hold, we tell you that and price the repair instead. How roof repair works
How a roof replacement works
A roof replacement with us runs in seven steps. Most houses take one or two days once work starts, weather permitting, and your written estimate lists the expected number of days.
We inspect the roof, free
We get on the roof when it is safe to, check the attic, and photograph what we find. You see the pictures before we talk about price.
You get a written estimate
Scope, materials, number of days and the price, on paper. If we open something up and find a problem underneath that changes the scope, we stop and show you before we touch it.
We protect the house
Tarps go down over the plants and along the walls to catch what comes off the roof.
We tear off the old roof
We strip every layer of shingles and old underlayment down to the wood deck and pull the old nails.
We inspect the bare deck
With the roof open, we walk every board. If we find soft or rotted wood, you get photos and a price for replacing it before we do anything about it.
We build the new roof
Ice and water membrane along the eaves and in the valleys, synthetic underlayment over the rest of the deck, new drip edge and flashing, then the shingles, then the ridge vent and ridge cap.
We clean up and walk you through it
We haul the old roof away and run a magnet over the lawn and driveway for nails. Then we go over the finished roof with you, with photos.
What a new roof is made of
A new roof is more than shingles. Each layer below handles a different job, and a leak usually means one of them failed.
Shingles
The part you see. They shed rain and take the sun and wind.
Synthetic underlayment
A second barrier under the shingles, over the whole deck.
Ice and water membrane
A sticky, waterproof sheet along the eaves and in the valleys, where ice dams and heavy runoff push water uphill.
Drip edge
Metal along the roof edge that sends water into the gutter instead of behind it.
Flashing
Metal where the roof meets a chimney, a wall or a skylight. Many leaks start here.
Ridge vent
A vent along the peak that lets hot, damp air out of the attic, so the shingles do not bake from underneath.
What else to decide with a new roof
Choosing your shingles
Most roofs we replace get architectural shingles. They are thicker than the old flat 3-tab style and sit in layers, which gives the roof more depth. We go over colors and options with you at the inspection, and they are written into the estimate.
Where your house is changes the roof
A roof near the shore and a roof up in Sussex County wear out for different reasons. In Ocean and Monmouth, wind off the water lifts shingle edges. Farther north and west, ice builds along the eaves. How we fasten the shingles and seal the edges depends on where your house is.
Related work
Low slope roof over a porch or garage? That takes a different system: Flat Roofing. If the gutters have to come off for the new roof anyway, it is a good time to decide whether they stay: Gutter Installation. Attic running hot? See Roof Ventilation.
Check us out before we tear anything off
Two of our tear offs, before and after
It depends on the size and pitch of the roof, how many layers come off, how much deck wood needs replacing, and the shingle you pick. A small ranch and a large colonial are nowhere near each other. We do not quote over the phone. You get a written price after we have been on the roof.
Most houses take one or two days once work starts, weather permitting. Steeper or bigger roofs take longer. The expected number of days is in your written estimate.
Building code does not allow it when there are already two layers, or when the old roof is soaked or falling apart. We do full tear offs, because it is the one way to see the deck and replace rotted wood before it gets covered up again.
We stop and show you. You get photos and a price for the wood that needs replacing before we do anything about it.
Yes. If a repair will hold, we tell you that and price the repair. You see the photos, so you do not have to take our word for it.
Sometimes. Insurers generally cover sudden damage from wind or a falling limb, and generally do not cover a roof that wore out with age. We photograph what we find so you have something to hand your adjuster. We do not decide the claim.
If the gutters have to come off for the new roof anyway, it is a good time to decide. Tell us at the inspection and both go on the estimate, so you can see each price and choose.
We replace 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 if your roof needs replacing
Tell us what you are seeing. We come out, inspect it for free, and give you photos and a written price. If a repair will do the job, you will hear that from us. If you hire someone else, you owe us nothing.
Open 24 hours · NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured