Roof Repair in Wallington, NJ

How Wallington Roofs Fail, by Building Type

Wallington’s 2023 housing data shows a borough built in layers: 20.1% of homes from 1939 or earlier, 28.8% from the 1940s and 1950s, and 24.1% from the 1960s alone. Here is what we tend to find on each.

Pre-war houses and two-families

Roofs on the oldest houses have usually been covered several times over board decking. Leaks start at chimneys, at valleys where two roof planes meet and where a later dormer or porch roof was tied into the original structure. These houses often need a careful flashing repair rather than more sealant.

1950s and 1960s homes

Houses from this era commonly sit on plywood decking that is now 60 or more years old. By this point most have had at least one or two re-roofs, and the problems we see are worn-out shingles, failed pipe boots, tired roof-to-wall flashing and attics with poor ventilation that cook shingles from below.

Apartment and mixed-use buildings

Nearly 29% of the borough’s homes are in buildings with five or more units, and apartment and commercial buildings commonly have flat or low-slope roofs. On those, leaks come from open membrane seams, cracked flashing at parapet walls, blocked roof drains and scuppers, and rooftop equipment that was set without proper curbs. A flat-roof leak can travel a long way before it shows up on a ceiling, so tracing it takes patience.

Storm Damage in a River Town

Wallington knows what water can do. The Passaic Flood of 1903 put roughly a quarter of the borough under water, and during Hurricane Irene in August 2011 the river flooded the town, receded and then overflowed again days later, forcing a second round of evacuations. River flooding is not a roofing problem, but the storms that cause it bring the conditions that damage roofs:

• Wind-driven rain that pushes water sideways under shingle edges and through loose ridge caps.
• Wind uplift that breaks the seal on older shingles and peels back flat-roof edges.
• Falling limbs from street trees and backyard trees, which crack shingles and puncture decking.
• Long, soaking rain that finds every weak seam on a low-slope roof.

After a major storm, we document damage with photos for your insurance company and make temporary repairs first if the roof is open. Our storm damage repair page explains the process, and our emergency roofing line is open around the clock.

Winter ice

Ice dams form when attic heat melts snow that refreezes at the eaves. New Jersey only requires an ice barrier membrane in Sussex County, so many Bergen County roofs were never built with one. Where a Wallington house keeps getting ice dams, we recommend adding a membrane at the eaves and improving attic ventilation during the repair.

Our Repair Process for Wallington Owners

Because so many Wallington buildings are rented, our repair process is set up for owners who cannot always be on site:

1. Tell us what you know. Where the water appears, which unit, how long it has been happening, and whether it only leaks in certain storms.
2. We arrange access. We coordinate with you and your tenants for attic or roof-hatch access, and we let you know when we are there.
3. Inspection and photos. We check the roof surface, flashing, drains and attic or ceiling space and photograph the source of the leak, not just the stain.
4. Written estimate. You get a clear scope and price you can share with co-owners or a manager. Inspections and estimates are free.
5. Repair and follow-up. We fix the cause, replace damaged flashing instead of coating over it, and clean up the roof, gutters and yard.

If the roof is near the end of its life, we will say so and explain what a roof replacement in Wallington would involve. For leaks specifically, our roof leak repair page goes deeper.

When a Wallington Roof Repair Needs a Permit

New Jersey’s construction code treats repairing the roof covering on a detached one- or two-family house as ordinary maintenance, so most shingle and flashing repairs on those houses need no permit. The answer changes in three situations, and in Wallington they come up often:

Roof Repair Questions from Wallington Property Owners

More Roofing Help in Wallington

For an overview of our work in the borough, see our Wallington roofing contractor page, the Bergen County service area and our statewide New Jersey roof repair page.

Other Wallington services: roof replacement in Wallington, siding work in Wallington and Wallington gutter installation and repair.

We also offer roof repair in Garfield, roof repair in Passaic and roof repair in Lodi, and the Bergen County emergency roofing page covers urgent calls across the county.