FAQ

Find the detail that failed and rebuild it in the same membrane system. A flat roof rarely fails in the middle: it fails at a seam, at a drain, where it turns up a parapet, or, very often in Paterson, at the tie-in where it meets the pitched main roof. Sealant over the top may hold a season; a membrane turned up under the shingles and fixed properly is the repair.

A New Jersey homeowner reported $9,000 for a nine-square roof as the lowest of eight bids, and published national figures run from about $5,800 to over $47,000. For most pitched roofs in Paterson that makes an estimated $9,000 to $30,000, before a flat rear section is added as its own line. Roof area, layers, decking and material decide where yours lands.

It depends on the building. The state code treats re-covering a detached one- or two-family dwelling as ordinary maintenance. A three- or four-family, an attached or semi-detached house, or any job that replaces rotted decking is permitted work, which in Paterson is a lot of buildings. The city's construction office is at 111 Broadway, and a historic district adds a review before the permit issues.

For shingles on a single pitched roof, it is at the top of the estimated $9,000 to $30,000 range, so ask what is driving it. It can be reasonable for a large roof, slate or clay tile in Eastside Park, or a job that includes a flat rear section, a rebuilt tie-in and a lot of decking. The total alone does not settle it; the itemized lines do.

Most roof repairs are estimated at $300 to $3,000, and a New Jersey storm-repair guide puts small repairs at $300 to $1,000 and moderate ones at $1,000 to $5,000. A pipe boot or a few shingles sits low; a chimney reflashed into brick, or a flat-to-pitched joint rebuilt, sits higher.

A New Jersey home improvement contractor registration number on the quote, a written scope that names the materials, and a roofer who looks before pricing. In Paterson add one more: they should look at every roof on the building, flat and pitched, and name the joint between them on the quote.

Leaks in more than one place at once; shingles curling, cupping or bare of granules across whole slopes; a sag you can see; daylight through the boards in the attic; and a new repair needed every season. Asphalt shingles are generally rated at 15 to 30 years, so age is a reason to look, not a verdict. One sign alone is usually a repair.

Usually not, while the membrane is sound. Most flat roofs fail at an edge, a seam, a drain or the tie-in to the main roof, and repairing that detail costs far less than a new membrane. Replacement starts to make sense when the membrane is cracked or blistered across the field, when it ponds because it was framed level, or when the pitched roof beside it is being replaced anyway.