Roof Replacement for Newark homes and buildings
Replacing a flat roof in Newark often starts with removing what is already there, which on older buildings can be several layers of built-up roofing, tar and patch material. Tearing down to the deck lets us see and repair rotted or damaged decking, wet insulation and deteriorated parapet bases before the new roof goes on.
We install single-ply membrane systems on apartment buildings, rowhouses, mixed-use and commercial buildings and warehouses, and architectural asphalt shingles on the pitched sections of frame houses. Where a building ponds water, replacement is the time to correct drainage with tapered insulation, new drains or scuppers.
Dense blocks make logistics part of the job. Narrow streets, shared walls and limited space for a dumpster or material delivery all have to be planned. We work out access and protection for the building, the sidewalk and the neighbors before the project starts.
Newark housing
Much of Newark was built between the late 1800s and the mid-1900s. Neighborhoods such as the Ironbound are dense with attached houses and two- and three-family frame homes, many with a pitched front and a flat or low-slope rear roof. Brick apartment buildings, rowhouses and mixed-use buildings along the commercial avenues have flat roofs behind parapets, and older masonry chimneys serve boilers or sit unused. Downtown has larger commercial and institutional buildings, and the eastern side of the city holds large flat-roofed warehouses and industrial buildings.
Weather & exposure
Newark is low and largely flat, open to wind off Newark Bay and the Meadowlands on its eastern side. Tree canopy is thinner than in the suburbs, so roofs take full sun and heat, which ages membranes and asphalt faster. Flat roofs depend on drains and scuppers that clog with debris, and summer downpours test them hard. Freeze-thaw works on parapets, coping and old chimneys every winter, and nor'easters drive rain into walls and parapet joints.
When replacement is the right call in Newark
Replacement is warranted when a flat roof leaks in several places, the surface is cracked or blistered throughout, the insulation beneath is wet or the roof has been covered over more than once. A core sample or a few test openings tell us what is under the surface. We share the results and photos so the decision is based on the actual condition of the roof.
For multifamily buildings, let us know about tenant access, roof equipment such as satellite dishes and any rooftop units that will need to be lifted or reset. Planning these items early keeps the project on schedule.
