A close look before a sale, a storm or a season
Roof Inspection in Montville, NJ
A roof inspection in Montville, NJ gives a roofer a look at the parts you cannot reach: the ridge, the flashing, the boards under the shingles. Say why you want a look and how old the roof is: call (862) 430-2399.
What you might be seeing
- A storm went through and nothing visibly broke
- The house is for sale, or just bought, and the roof's age is a question
- Pieces of shingle turn up in the yard now and then
- A top-floor ceiling has a faint mark nobody has traced
- The gutters collect more grit than they used to
Looks from the yard and the attic hatch
Every look below is from the yard, an upstairs window or the attic hatch. None of it needs a ladder.
- Use binoculars from the yard along the ridge, the edges and around each chimney and vent. Missing or loose shingles and bent metal are what the shingle makers' trade group lists first.
- Open the attic hatch and shine a flashlight on the boards under the roof, as that group suggests, checking for dark marks and damp.
- Skip the ladder. The federal workplace safety institute, NIOSH, says more than 100 people a year die in ladder falls in the United States.
- Once a year, look at the metal around each chimney from the ground. The National Park Service advises checking for gaps, cracks and missing flashing.
The visit
What the roofer can look at
- Call (862) 430-2399, say what prompted the look and roughly how old the roof is, and the contractor can arrange a visit.
- The roofer can read the surface: shingles, ridge and edges, row by row.
- Flashing at chimneys, walls, vents and valleys gets a closer look.
- Gutters, downspouts and the roof edge come next.
- The attic side follows: boards, insulation and ventilation, for stains, damp and daylight.
- Findings can come back in plain words with photographs, the options in order, and an answer to the paperwork question for your address.
Back off and get help if
- A power line hangs low or lies near the house: back well away, at least 30 feet, and call 911 or JCP&L at 888-544-4877.
- A ceiling bows or sags: move everyone out of the room below it and call 911.
- A ladder would have to go within ten feet of an overhead line: leave it alone, since ladders near lines are a shock hazard.
- Snow, ice or rain is on the roof: stay on the ground, and call 911 if anyone falls.
Questions for the roofer
What to ask for when the roofer climbs down
Photographs of anything found. A short summary in plain words. A list in order of urgency, so a loose vent boot does not sit at the same level as a soft patch in the boards.
If a storm is involved, ask which findings look storm-related, since the insurer will want to know.
What moves the size of the job
What stretches or shortens an inspection
Roof size and pitch. The number of chimneys, vents and skylights. Whether the attic is easy to reach, and whether part of the roof is low-slope and needs a different eye.
How the roofer reaches the surface matters too, which is why the ladder and the overhead wires come up at the start of the call.
FAQ
Questions people ask
How urgent is a roof inspection on your number out of ten?
At 8 to 10 (a bulging ceiling, water at a fixture or a line down), clear the room and call 911, or JCP&L for the line. At 4 to 7, a storm just passed or a stain appeared, so call (862) 430-2399 in the week ahead. At 1 to 3, it is a routine look: pick a dry week.
How often does a roof get a professional look?
For low-slope roofs, the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association says every spring and fall, by a professional roofing contractor. After Sandy it urged owners of other roofs to have them assessed and repaired before winter, since ice and snow loads can worsen unnoticed problems.
What does a roofer check in the attic?
The underside of the roof deck, for leaks, and the insulation beneath it. The trade group's guidance after Sandy says to look closely at flashings there, since they are the most vulnerable points, and to watch for water stains.
Why is flashing checked so closely?
It sits at the joints: chimneys, walls, vents. The National Park Service advises checking it yearly for gaps, cracks or missing pieces, and the federal high-wind shingle guide says to pay close attention to roof-to-wall flashing.
Can an inspection happen in Towaco, Pine Brook, Boonton or Lake Hiawatha?
Yes. The contractor works in all four and in Montville. Pick the page for your town: Towaco roofing, Pine Brook roofing, Boonton roofing or Lake Hiawatha roofing. Then call (862) 430-2399 with the address.
Before you call
What to mention when you book a look
The reason: a sale, a storm, an age question, or a faint mark on a ceiling. The year of the last roof work, if known. Where the attic hatch is.
Call (862) 430-2399 with those three things and the street address. Renters can pass the question to the landlord, who decides on roof work.
Habits that cost more
Where do-it-yourself roof looks go wrong
Climbing.
The ladder numbers from NIOSH are the reason to stay down: more than 100 deaths a year.
Ignoring the attic, which shows the underside of the boards.
Pressing on a stain. Waiting for the stain to appear before anyone looks.
The job in pictures
A roofer's route from edge to ridge
The route starts at the gutter line, where the edge, the drip metal and the gutter meet. It climbs the slope row by row, passing vents and chimneys, and ends at the ridge.
A ladder set at about 75 degrees, with three points of contact at all times, is the NIOSH picture of a safe start. Nearby wires change the plan, since the institute says to stay at least ten feet from power lines.
Paperwork, briefly
If the look turns into a job
Looking is one thing; the repairs it finds are another. For a detached house, New Jersey treats re-covering the roof as ordinary maintenance, and the rules page has the town-by-town details.
Before you call
Keep the street address, what you noticed and the roof's age close by, then call (862) 430-2399. If you rent, your landlord decides on roof work, so that conversation comes first. Served: Montville, Towaco, Pine Brook, Boonton and Lake Hiawatha.
