Leaks traced from the attic, a straight repair-or-replace answer, and itemized written estimates from a roofer with 20+ years of experience.
Piscataway Roofing has spent 20+ years repairing, inspecting and replacing roofs in Piscataway, NJ, along with gutter installation, chimney and skylight work, flat roof repair and storm damage repair. We work on detached houses, townhouses, small apartment buildings and commercial roofs across the township. Every job starts with finding out what the roof actually needs before anyone talks about price.
Most calls start with a leak or a stain, so that is where we put the most care. We trace water from the attic as well as from the roof surface, because the spot where a ceiling stain shows is rarely the spot where water gets in. Once the source is found, you get a plain answer on whether a repair will hold or the roof has reached the end of its life.
Roofing here has its own logic. Close to half of the township’s housing was built between 1950 and 1979 and the median home dates from 1975, so many houses are on their second or third roof and some still carry two layers. Our estimates are written line by line for exactly that reason, so you can see what is being torn off, what is being replaced and what each part costs.
What we do
Roof Repair and Roof Replacement in Piscataway, NJ
Shingle, flashing, pipe boot and flat roof repairs, with the leak traced from inside the attic before anything is priced.
Attic-to-ridge roof inspections with photos and a written condition report for home sales, storm claims, rentals and commercial roofs.
Full tear-off roof replacement with new flashing, balanced ventilation and an itemized scope for houses, townhouses and commercial roofs.
Leak tracing from the attic to the entry point, then a lasting repair at the chimney, valley, skylight, vent or flat roof seam that let water in.
Seamless aluminum gutters and leaders sized and pitched to the roof above them, with drip edge, solid hangers and discharge away from the foundation.
Standing seam metal roofs for whole houses, porches, bay windows and low-slope sections, with trim and flashing detailed to the roof beside them.
TPO, PVC, EPDM and modified bitumen roofs repaired, inspected and replaced for offices, retail, apartment buildings and warehouses.
Tarping and temporary repairs after fallen limbs, wind blow-offs and active leaks, with damage photographed for your insurance claim.
Chimney flashing, crickets, crowns, caps, chase covers and repointing, repaired where the chimney meets the roof and at the top where water gets in.
EPDM, TPO, PVC and torch-down flat roof repairs on porches, additions, garages and apartment buildings, with ponding and wall flashing fixed too.
Wind, hail and fallen-limb roof damage repaired, with photos and a written damage report for your claim and an on-site adjuster meeting on request.
New and replacement skylights, curb-mounted or deck-mounted, flashed into the roof properly, plus reflashing and removal of old leaking units.
Piscataway Roofing brings more than 20 years of roofing experience to every estimate and every crew visit. That time covers shingle roofs on ranches and colonials, low-slope sections over additions and porches, and the flashing around chimneys and skylights where most leaks begin. It is the reason our first visit is spent diagnosing the roof rather than selling one.
Every leak call includes a look in the attic as well as on the roof, because water reaching an older rafter often travels along the decking before it drips. That way the roof repair goes where the water gets in, rather than where the stain happens to show up on the ceiling.
No estimate leaves our hands as a single lump sum: tear-off, decking, underlayment, flashing, ventilation and gutters each get their own line. Two bids for the same roof can then be compared item by item, rather than guessed at from a bottom-line number that hides what was left out.
Rotted plywood found under an old roof is photographed and shown to you before a sheet is replaced, at a per-sheet price already written into the contract. The final bill holds no surprise, rather than growing by whatever the crew decides once the shingles are off.
Step, counter and chimney flashing come off with the old roof and new metal goes on with the new one. The joints that leak first on older houses are renewed rather than bent back into place under fresh shingles, which is how a new roof ends up leaking in its second year.
In Piscataway’s townhouse and condominium communities, such as Society Hill with its garden-style and townhouse units, we check the association’s documents for who holds the roof before writing a number. An owner is never billed for a roof the association maintains, rather than learning that after the work is done.
Every contract follows New Jersey’s home improvement rules, including the written three-business-day cancellation notice. A detached house is scoped under the state’s ordinary-maintenance provision while townhouse and apartment roofs are scoped as permit work, so the paperwork matches the building rather than being copied from a job in another state.
A leak you cannot find may not be a roof leak at all, because bathroom fan ducts that end in the attic, sweating pipes and frost on the underside of the decking all produce drips that look like rain damage. We check the attic, the timing of the drip and the roof surface together before calling it a roof problem. That keeps you from paying for roof work when the real fix is a duct clamp or an insulation gap.
A brown ring on the ceiling after a storm means water has already soaked through the decking, insulation and drywall, so the leak is older than the stain. We follow the path upward from the stain into the attic, mark where the wet wood begins and then find the matching point on the roof. Fixing the entry point first means the ceiling repair you pay for afterward stays dry.
Most roof leaks start at a penetration rather than in the open field of shingles. We look at the step and counter flashing on chimneys, the rubber pipe boots that crack after years of sun, and the flashing kit around each skylight. A cracked pipe boot is a small repair, while failed chimney flashing usually means new metal and a reglet cut into the mortar.
Shingles that lift in a windstorm break their seal strip, and once one tab goes the next gust can take the row above it. The national storm reports for March 16, 2026 list several trees and wires down around Piscataway, the kind of night that leaves loose tabs behind. We replace missing shingles with a matching profile, hand-seal the neighbors that lifted, and tell you if the roof has reached the point where repairs no longer hold.
An ice dam forms when heat escaping through the attic melts snow higher up the roof and the water refreezes at the cold eave, backing up under the shingles. Middlesex County sits outside the area where New Jersey requires an ice barrier, which covers only Sussex County, so many local roofs were built without one. We fix the leak, check the insulation and ventilation behind it, and can add a self-adhering ice and water barrier meeting ASTM D1970 at the eaves when the roof is replaced.
Water that shows up on a soffit or runs down the siding below the gutter often comes from a missing drip edge, which lets runoff curl behind the gutter and into the fascia board. We check the drip edge, the gutter hangers and the pitch of each run. Adding drip edge and resetting the gutter stops the rot at its source instead of replacing fascia boards every few years.
When a limb comes through or a section of roof blows open, the first job is keeping more water out. We tarp and secure the opening, photograph the damage before and after, and keep the receipts so they can go with your insurance claim. The permanent repair is then scoped once the roof is dry and the full extent of the damage can be seen.
A single leak on a roof with good shingles is a repair, while repeated leaks in different spots on a roof with curling, granule-bare shingles usually mean the whole surface is worn out. We give you a straight answer on which one your roof is before replacement is ever mentioned. If repair makes sense we price the repair, and if it does not we show you the photos that explain why.
A full tear-off starts with a dumpster placed where it will not crack the driveway apron, tarps over the landscaping and plywood against the siding. The crew strips the roof to the deck, replaces damaged sheets, installs drip edge, underlayment and flashing, then shingles and caps the ridge. Each day ends with the driveway, yard and gutters cleaned and a magnet swept across the lawn, so no tire finds a roofing nail the next morning.
New Jersey’s rehabilitation subcode will not allow a new roof to go over two or more existing layers, and slate, wood shake or tile must be removed before a new covering goes on. On a 1960s house that was already re-roofed once over the original, that means a full tear-off rather than a third layer. Removing everything also lets us find and replace soft decking that an overlay would have hidden.
Replacing the roof covering on a detached one- or two-family house is ordinary maintenance under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, so no permit is required for it. Townhouses, condominium buildings, apartment buildings and commercial roofs fall outside that rule and are permit work through the township construction office at 505 Sidney Road. We tell you which side of that line your building sits on before the estimate is signed.
Shingle color reads differently on a red-brick colonial than on a ranch with vinyl siding, and a sample held in the hand looks darker than the same shingle across a whole roof. We bring full-size samples, suggest a few that suit the siding, brick and trim, and point you to nearby houses with the same color installed. Seeing it on a real roof is the surest way to avoid a color you would regret for the life of the roof.
A roof that cannot breathe ages from underneath, as summer heat bakes the shingles and winter moisture condenses on the decking. On every replacement we check that the soffit vents are open and that the ridge vent’s net free area balances the intake, so air moves from the eaves to the ridge. Many 1960s and 1970s houses have soffits painted shut or blocked by insulation, and fixing that costs little while the roof is open.
A roof under solar panels has to be planned around the array, because the panels must come off before a single shingle does. We put the panel removal and reinstall into the schedule from the start, so the roof is not left exposed while someone is found to take the array down. If the shingles are near the end of their life, replacing them before the panels go back saves a second removal a few years later.
Townhouse roofs often run continuously across several units, so where one owner’s roof ends and the next begins can be just a line in the association’s documents. About 7.7 percent of the township’s housing units are single-family attached homes, and many sit in associations that hold the roof. We confirm who is responsible first, then detail the seam at the party wall so a new section ties into the neighbor’s older roof without opening a leak.
The township’s housing grew fastest in the 1960s, when about one in five of today’s homes was built, and nearly half date from 1950 to 1979. Ranches, split-levels and two-story colonials from that era often have low-slope sections over porches, plank or early plywood decking, and chimneys that need new flashing. We price those details separately, so a split-level’s porch roof or a colonial’s chimney is handled in the right material.
Selling a home in Piscataway requires a municipal certificate of continued compliance, and while the township’s checklist covers chimney flashing and gutters rather than the roof covering itself, a buyer’s home inspector almost always looks at the whole roof. We write a roof condition report you can hand to the buyer’s inspector, covering age, layers, flashing and any repairs made. A clear report up front keeps a roof question from turning into a last-minute credit at closing.
Three-tab shingles are flat and single-layer, architectural shingles are laminated for a thicker look, designer shingles imitate slate or shake, and impact-rated shingles carry a UL 2218 Class 4 rating. Lines such as GAF Timberline HDZ, Owens Corning Duration and CertainTeed Landmark are architectural shingles rated for wind under ASTM D3161 Class F or ASTM D7158 Class H. We walk you through the differences in price and wind rating so you pick the one that fits the house and the budget.
Standing seam metal roofing uses concealed fasteners and raised seams, so there are no exposed screws to back out and leak over time. It suits a whole house, but it is just as often used on a low-pitched porch or bay window roof where shingles struggle to shed water. We detail the panel ends, trim and flashing so the metal and the shingle roof beside it meet cleanly.
Real cedar shake and natural slate are handsome but demanding to maintain and costly to replace, and under the rehabilitation subcode both must come off before any new roof goes on. Synthetic and designer shingles now copy the look of shake and slate at a fraction of the weight. We repair existing shake and slate where it makes sense and price the slate-look alternatives where it does not.
Low-slope roofs over additions, porches and commercial buildings need a membrane, not shingles. Torch-down modified bitumen in SBS or APP is built up in heat-welded layers, EPDM is a rubber membrane laid in large sheets, and TPO and PVC are single-ply membranes with heat-welded seams that reflect sunlight. We match the membrane to the roof’s slope, foot traffic and drainage, since the right choice for a garage roof is rarely the right one for a warehouse.
Coatings can extend the life of a sound low-slope membrane by sealing small cracks and reflecting heat. Rejuvenation sprays on shingles are a different story, because they cannot replace lost granules, reseal lifted tabs or fix worn flashing. We will tell you when a coating is worth the money and when it only delays a replacement you will pay for anyway.
Seamless aluminum gutters are formed on site in one continuous length, so there are no joints along the run to drip or separate. We size gutters and leaders to the roof area they drain and pitch them toward the outlets, so water leaves the house rather than pooling at the foundation. Gutter guards make sense under trees that drop heavy leaf litter, and we will say plainly when they are not worth the cost.
An old skylight that leaks may need new flashing, a new unit, or no skylight at all. Curb-mounted skylights sit on a raised wooden frame, while deck-mounted units fasten directly to the roof deck with a flashing kit, and the right replacement depends on which you have. A roof replacement is the cheapest time to replace or reflash one, and removing an unwanted skylight means framing and sheathing the opening to match the roof.
A chimney needs step flashing along its sides, counter flashing set into a reglet in the mortar, and a cricket behind it when it is wider than 30 inches, as the International Residential Code requires. The crown on top sheds water away from the flue, and cracked crowns or loose mortar let water into the chimney itself. We replace the flashing with every new roof and repair crowns, caps and repointing so the chimney stops being the leak.
After a storm, photograph the damage from the ground and inside the house before anything is moved, then make temporary repairs to stop more water getting in. Keep every receipt for tarps, materials and emergency work, because those costs can be part of the claim. We photograph and write up the damage for your own claim and can tarp the opening while we are there.
You report the loss to your insurer, the carrier assigns a claim adjuster, and the adjuster inspects the roof and writes an estimate. New Jersey’s Department of Banking and Insurance notes that you are not required to use a contractor the insurance company recommends. When you ask, our crew meets the adjuster on site to point out the damage, which the department itself says can help when there is a dispute.
Homeowners policies generally cover sudden damage from wind or hail, not a roof that has worn out over time, and that line is where many roof claims are denied. Missing tabs with fresh, clean edges after a windstorm read as storm damage, while curling, cracking and granule loss across the whole roof read as age. Our write-up separates the two honestly, because a claim built on wear and tear tends to fail.
Under New Jersey’s Public Adjusters’ Licensing Act, anyone paid to negotiate a property claim on an insured’s behalf must hold a public adjuster license from the Department of Banking and Insurance. A roofer may describe the damage and speak with the claim adjuster, but may not negotiate your claim. If you want someone to negotiate for you, hire a licensed public adjuster under a written contract that lists the services and the maximum fee.
New Jersey treats a full roof replacement as a capital improvement, documented with Form ST-8, so the contractor’s labor on it is not taxed. A repair, such as replacing shingles on part of a roof, is taxable, and if the bill does not separate materials from labor, sales tax can apply to the whole amount. We itemize repair invoices so the tax is figured correctly.
The price of a new roof turns on its size and pitch, the number of layers coming off, how much decking needs replacing, the shingle line chosen, and details such as chimneys, skylights and low-slope sections. A steep colonial with two layers and a chimney costs more per square than a single-layer ranch. Our written estimate breaks those pieces out line by line so you can see exactly what moves your number.
Insurers look at a roof’s age when they write and renew policies, and some pay an older roof on actual cash value rather than replacement cost, which subtracts depreciation from any claim. Read the roof section of your declarations page to see which applies before a storm, not after one. If your roof is near 20 years old, an inspection tells you whether it is storm-ready or due for replacement on your own schedule.
Many roofing sites mention a rule that repairing more than 25 percent of a roof forces the whole roof to be redone, but that rule comes from the Florida Building Code. New Jersey has no such trigger for a detached house, where re-roofing is ordinary maintenance. Here the questions that matter are how many layers are already on the roof and whether matching shingles are still available.
New Jersey has no state roofing license, but any contractor doing home improvement work must be registered under the Contractors’ Business Registration Act. Home improvement contracts must be in writing and carry the three-business-day cancellation notice. Ask any roofer for the registration number and check it with the state before signing anything.
OSHA requires fall protection for residential roofing work at 6 feet and above, and a crew working without it is a risk on your property. Before work starts, ask for certificates showing the contractor carries workers’ compensation and general liability insurance, so an injured worker’s claim goes to the contractor’s insurer rather than to you. Whether a worker can sue a homeowner depends on the facts, so ask your own insurer what your homeowners policy covers.
Piscataway Roofing provides roofing throughout the greater Piscataway area, with the same crews and the same standards on every job.
Good to know
Most single-family tear-offs run one to three working days, depending on the size and pitch of the roof, how many layers come off, how much decking needs replacing and the weather. Townhouse and commercial roofs that need a permit add time for the paperwork and inspections. Your written estimate gives the expected schedule before you sign.
We photograph every damaged sheet and show you the photos before it is replaced. The price per sheet is already written into your contract, so you know the cost of each one in advance. Nothing beyond the sheets you have seen is added to the bill.
We photograph the damage, write it up for your own claim and, when you ask, meet the insurance adjuster on site to point out what we found. We do not negotiate the claim for you, because New Jersey reserves that for licensed public adjusters. The claim stays yours, with our documentation behind it.
Often it can. A single leak at a pipe boot, a chimney or a few missing shingles on an otherwise sound roof is a repair, and we will say so. Replacement comes up only when the shingles themselves are worn out across the roof, and we show you the photos that support that answer.
No, but we ask that cars are out of the driveway and that someone is reachable by phone during the work. If damaged decking turns up, we send photos and wait for your approval before replacing it. Pets and children are best kept inside or away from the side of the house where material is coming off.
Tarps go over shrubs and beds, plywood leans against siding near the dumpster, and the dumpster is placed to protect the driveway apron. At the end of every work day the driveway, yard and gutters are cleaned and a magnet is swept across the lawn for roofing nails.
Yes. New Jersey home improvement contracts carry a three-business-day cancellation right, and our contracts include the written notice explaining how to use it. If you change your mind within that window, you can cancel in writing without penalty.
Yes. We repair and replace low-slope roofs on additions, porches, garages, small apartment buildings and commercial properties, using torch-down modified bitumen, EPDM rubber or TPO and PVC membranes. Each is matched to the roof's slope, drainage and foot traffic, and commercial and multifamily roofs are scoped as permit work.
Look for shingles that curl or crack, bare spots where granules have washed into the gutters, leaks in more than one place, and a roof deck that feels soft underfoot. Any one of those on its own may be repairable. Several together usually mean the roof has reached the end of its life, and an inspection confirms which it is.
We install architectural shingles from lines such as GAF Timberline HDZ, Owens Corning Duration and CertainTeed Landmark, along with impact-rated shingles where a homeowner wants them. We bring full-size samples so you can compare color and profile against your siding and trim before choosing.
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