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A look at the whole roof, before a leak makes the case

Roof Inspection in Lincoln Park, NJ

An inspection answers one question: what shape is the roof in? Dial (862) 972-4008 after buying a house, after a storm or whenever the roof's age is a mystery, and give your number out of ten for how worried you are.

Call (862) 972-4008

Roofer on a ladder at the gutter line of a beige split-level
Lincoln Park roofer kneeling on a gray roof, hammer in hand, split-levels behind

Have this ready

What to tell the roofer before the ladder goes up

Say why you want the look: a sale, a storm, a stain or plain curiosity. Give the roof's age if you have it and the date of the last work. Mention anything the attic has shown, such as damp insulation or daylight. Tell the roofer about pets, gates and where a ladder can stand.

Then call (862) 972-4008. A few minutes with these details means the visit starts on the right slope.

Call (862) 972-4008

Repair or replace?

Three outcomes an inspection can lead to

Fine as it stands: the report says so and notes what to watch. Needs a repair: a short list with locations, which feeds into roof repair. Needs replacement: wear across most slopes or a deck in poor shape, which points to roof replacement.

Ask for each in writing, with photos, so a second roofer can read the same report.

Stop here if you see any of this

  1. A ladder is the only way up and a power line runs nearby: do not use it. NIOSH says to stay at least 10 feet from lines.
  2. The ground under the ladder is wet, frosty or soft: do not climb. Leave the inspection to someone with the right gear.
  3. A ceiling sags, bulges or drips: move everyone from beneath it, and dial 911 if it seems close to falling.
  4. A wire lies on the ground or dangles by the house: stay far back, assume it is live and phone 911 or the electric company on your bill.

On the roof and in the attic

  1. Dial (862) 972-4008, give the address, the roof's age if known and your number out of ten. A reason for the look, such as a sale or a storm, helps.
  2. Start with a slow walk around the house: the roofer reads the surfaces from the yard and from an upstairs window, much as the asphalt roofing trade group advised after Sandy, before anyone picks up a ladder.
  3. Next comes the roof itself: ridge, edges, valleys, vents and the lines around the chimney, with close-up photos of anything odd.
  4. In the attic the roofer checks beneath the roof boards for stains, the insulation for damp and the vents for blockage.
  5. Findings come as a list in writing: what is fine, what needs watching and what needs work, with photos.
  6. Ask whether the look is separate from any repair quote, and what the roofer will do with the photos.
Small blue tarp nailed flat over a damaged patch mid-slope

The parts in play

The checklist from ridge to eave

Ridge and hips: caps and nails. Slopes: curling, cracks, missing tabs, bald spots. Valleys: debris and rust. Penetrations: flashing around vents and the chimney. Edges: drip edge and gutters. Attic: deck underside, insulation, vents.

The Department of Energy brief adds a moisture test: the target is under 20 percent moisture in the wood before a new roof covers it. A meter reading on a suspect deck settles the question.

Around Lincoln Park

  • An estimated 519 Lincoln Park homes, give or take 199, were built in 1939 or earlier (Census, 2020-2024). The older the house, the more the attic can reveal about earlier roof work.
  • Wayne's median home dates from 1967 and Pequannock's from 1966 (Census, 2020-2024). In towns where the typical house is closing in on 60 years old, a roof inspection often means reading layers of earlier work.
  • Newark's February (1991-2020 normals) runs 35.1 degrees and brings 10.1 inches of snow, a month of freeze and thaw. A look in early spring checks what that did.

Why it happens

  • Flashing that has loosened or split around chimneys, walls and vents
  • Nail heads that have backed out and lifted the shingle above
  • Valleys and gutters packed with debris that hold water against the roof
  • Attic air that cannot move, which lets heat and damp sit under the deck
  • Slopes where the surface is thinning, shown by grit at the downspouts

What you may notice

  • A house bought without any record of when the roof was done
  • Shingle bits in the yard after a windy night, with no stain indoors yet
  • A faint ceiling stain that came and went with the weather
  • A roof line that looks wavy or dipped from the street
  • An attic that smells musty after rain or feels damp in winter

The paperwork side

An inspection report is not a town inspection

A roofer's inspection is a private look at condition. A town inspection is a different thing: the construction office checks work done under a permit, and Lincoln Park schedules those on Tuesdays and Thursdays through its online portal with 24 hours' notice. For a house with one or two households and no shared walls, the state treats work on existing roof covering as ordinary maintenance, so there is no permit and no inspection. What each office says is on the checks page.

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Checked 1 Nov 2026

Call (862) 972-4008