Top Roofing & Chimney Questions Answered

Most asphalt shingle roofs benefit from a professional inspection every 2–3 years and after any major storm. Older roofs (20+ years), tile, and slate roofs should be inspected annually. We offer free homeowner inspections in New Jersey.

It depends on the age of the roof, extent of the damage, and condition of the underlying decking. As a rule of thumb: roofs under 15 years with localized damage are usually repairable; roofs over 20 years with widespread granule loss, curling, or multiple leaks are usually better replaced. We always provide both options when applicable.

Most single-family asphalt shingle replacements are completed in 1–2 days. Larger or more complex roofs (slate, tile, multiple stories) can take 3–5 days. Weather can extend the timeline. We always communicate the schedule clearly upfront.

In most NJ towns, no. The state's 2018 construction code update reclassified like-for-like roof replacement on one- and two-family homes as ordinary maintenance, which means no permit for a standard tear-off and reshingle. It never hurts to give your construction office a heads-up, and structural work — reframing, changing roof lines — does need a permit. We confirm your town's practice before we start.

Tear off, almost every time. NJ code caps a roof at two layers, so a layover is only legal once — and it hides the decking, which is the one thing we most need to see. Rotten plywood under fresh shingles is a problem you've paid to bury. A second layer also holds more heat, so the top shingles age faster. The only case for a layover is a sound, flat, single-layer roof on a tight budget.

Plan on 20 to 25 years for architectural asphalt shingles in New Jersey, even when the label suggests more. Our freeze-thaw winters work shingles harder than the national average: water gets into tiny gaps, freezes, expands, and pries material apart, season after season. South-facing slopes age fastest from sun exposure. Good attic ventilation is the single biggest thing that pushes a roof toward the long end of that range.

No. All inspections and written estimates are completely free with no obligation. We come out, photograph the work area, and provide a detailed itemized estimate. You decide if and when to proceed.

Six things move the number more than anything else: roof size and pitch, how many layers have to come off, how much decking needs replacement, the shingle line you pick, flashing details like chimneys and skylights, and access — a tight lot slows everything down. Decking is the wildcard, because nobody knows its condition until tear-off. We write a per-sheet decking price into every estimate so there are no surprise change orders.

Usually because the scopes aren't the same. One bid includes ice-and-water shield at the eaves, new drip edge, proper chimney flashing, and a decking allowance; another quietly leaves those out and looks cheaper on paper. Insurance and licensing cost real money too, and an uninsured crew can underbid everyone. Compare line items, not bottom lines, and ask what happens if the decking turns out rotten.

A repair runs a fraction of a replacement, so on a roof under 15 years old it's almost always the right call. The math flips as the roof ages. Once you're patching the same 20-plus-year-old roof every season, those repairs are buying months, not years — money that would have gone toward the new roof you'll need anyway. We tell you which side of that line you're on, in writing, before you spend anything.

The four most common causes are: a cracked or worn chimney crown, deteriorated mortar joints, failed flashing where the chimney meets the roof, and missing or damaged chimney caps. We diagnose and repair all of these.

That's spalling, and in New Jersey it's almost always freeze-thaw damage: water soaks into the brick face, freezes, and pops the surface off. On older North Jersey homes there's a second culprit — repointing done with modern Portland cement. Old brick was laid with softer lime mortar that flexes and sheds moisture; hard mortar traps that movement in the brick itself, and the brick loses. We match the mortar to the masonry instead.

Repointing solves it when the bricks themselves are sound — we grind out the failed joints and pack in new mortar. Once bricks are cracked, spalled, or loose, or the stack has started to lean above the roofline, new mortar is just gluing bad brick together. That's when we rebuild from the roofline up. The honest test: if you can pull a brick out by hand, the chimney is past repointing.

You need one if your clay flue tiles are cracked or have gaps, if your chimney was built without a liner — common in older NJ homes — or if you've upgraded a furnace or water heater that vents into the masonry chimney. A damaged flue lets combustion gases and heat reach the brick and framing, which is a safety problem, not a cosmetic one. We install stainless steel liners, which outlast clay and handle modern appliance exhaust better.

Yes, and it's the smartest time to do it. The flashing where the chimney meets the roof gets rebuilt during a replacement anyway, the crew and access are already on site, and crown or repointing work done first means nobody cuts into your brand-new shingles a year later. We handle roofing and masonry with our own crews, so one schedule covers both scopes.

Most homes need gutter cleaning twice a year — once in late spring and once in late fall after leaves have dropped. Homes with many overhanging trees may need cleaning 3–4 times a year. Clogged gutters are the leading cause of fascia rot and basement flooding.

A gutter full of wet leaves freezes into a solid block of ice. That block weighs enough to tear the gutter off the fascia, and it gives ice dams a head start — meltwater hits the frozen trough, backs up under the bottom courses of shingles, and finds your ceiling. A late-fall cleaning is the cheapest item on the list of things that prevent winter roof damage. We bundle it with a quick roof check.

If a few panels are cracked from an impact, we can usually swap them — the catch is matching. Vinyl fades, so a new panel in a ten-year-old wall reads as a patch, and discontinued profiles can be impossible to source. When panels are brittle, warped from heat, or failing across a whole elevation, replacement makes more sense than chasing matches. We'll tell you which situation you're in after one look.

Yes. Active leaks and storm damage are handled 24/7 with emergency tarp service to prevent further damage. Call (201) 779-3961 anytime for emergency response.

Put a bucket under it, then relieve the ceiling: if the drywall is bulging, poke a small hole at the low point and let the water drain into the bucket. That feels wrong, but it keeps a controlled drip from becoming a collapsed ceiling. Move what you can, kill power to that room if water is near any fixtures, and stay off the roof. Then call us — we tarp the breach the same day in our core counties.

Mostly, you can't from the ground — and that's the problem. Hail bruises shingles by knocking granules loose and cracking the mat underneath; the bruise may not leak for years, but the shingle is dying from that day on. Check the easy tells first: dents in gutters, downspouts, and soft aluminum flashing. If those are dinged, the roof likely took hits too. We inspect for free and photograph everything, because hail claims have filing deadlines.

Ice dams come from uneven roof temperature. Heat escaping your attic melts the snow up high; the water runs down, refreezes over the cold eaves, and the growing ridge of ice dams the next melt behind it — which then backs up under the shingles. The lasting fix is air sealing, attic insulation, and ventilation, plus ice-and-water shield at the eaves when the roof is replaced. We also remove active dams before they cause interior damage.

Yes. After a storm we board up broken windows, doors, and any opening in the building envelope, and we tarp damaged roof sections — both to keep weather and intruders out, and because your insurance policy expects you to prevent further damage after a loss. Photograph everything before we cover it; we document as we go too, and those photos become part of your claim file.

Yes. We document all damage with photos and detailed reports that you can submit to your insurance company. We work directly with adjusters when needed and can help you understand what your policy covers.

It depends on what failed and why. Policies cover sudden, accidental damage — wind tearing off shingles, hail bruising, a tree limb through the deck. They don't cover wear: a 25-year-old roof that simply reached the end of its life is a maintenance item, not a claim. Roof age matters too, since many NJ policies pay depreciated value on older roofs rather than full replacement cost. We document the damage so the cause is clear, then meet the adjuster on site.

Yes. We offer financing on roof replacements and larger repairs so the work can happen when the roof needs it, not when the savings account allows it. Terms vary by credit and project scope, so ask during your free estimate and we'll walk through the current options. One honest note: a small repair done today is always cheaper than a financed replacement made urgent by waiting.

Some homeowners qualify for help. Several NJ counties run home repair or housing rehabilitation programs that can cover roof work for income-qualified owners and seniors, and the rules differ county to county. The programs are real but slow — applications, inspections, waiting lists — so they fit planned replacements, not emergencies. We've put together a guide to NJ roof replacement assistance on this site, and we're glad to provide the written estimates these programs require.

All our installations come with a written workmanship warranty on our labor in addition to the manufacturer's material warranty for the products you choose. On full roof replacements, installing the complete manufacturer system is what qualifies the roof for the stronger system-level material coverage — we'll show you both warranties in writing before you sign.

Absolutely. We carry an active NJ Home Improvement Contractor license, full general liability insurance, and workers compensation coverage on every project. We can provide certificates of insurance on request.

Search the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs license lookup for the contractor's Home Improvement Contractor registration — every legitimate NJ contractor has one and will give you the number without hesitation. Ours is 13VH12696700. Then ask for a certificate of insurance sent directly from their insurance agent, which is hard to fake. Anyone who stalls on either request has answered your real question.

It means GAF, North America's largest shingle manufacturer, has verified our licensing and insurance and trained us to install their roofing systems to spec — which is what keeps the manufacturer's material warranty fully intact. We'll be straight with you: this is GAF's certified tier, not their Master Elite tier, and any contractor's paperwork should say exactly what ours does. Ask whoever you hire to name their certification level precisely.

We're based in Garfield and work across northern New Jersey every week — Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, and Morris counties are our core territory, with same-day emergency dispatch there. We also take on projects in Sussex, Union, and surrounding counties when the scope fits. If you're not sure we cover your town, call; if we don't, we'll say so instead of stretching.