1
Free Inspection
What a Roof Inspection Actually Covers
An inspection is a diagnosis, not a sales visit. We start at the ground, checking the drip edge and the fascia behind each gutter, because the roofline shows where water has been running long before a ceiling stain appears.
Inside, we read the roof deck from the attic. A rafter that has sagged, a soft joist, or daylight where the truss meets the ridge beam means the plywood or OSB sheathing has stayed wet long enough for rot to set in.
- Granule loss at the eave and valley shows up as bald gray patches where asphalt shingles have shed their mineral surface.
- Step flashing and counter-flashing get checked where the roof meets a sidewall, chimney, or dormer, since those seams leak first.
- Pipe boots and vent boots crack at the rubber collar, letting water wick down the pipe and into the attic insulation.
- Ice-and-water shield is missing on plenty of older roofs, which is why an ice dam backs water under the shingles along the eave.
- Ridge vent and soffit vent are checked together, because a roof that cannot breathe cooks its own underlayment from below.
- A skylight gets a hard look at the apron flashing and the curb, where a factory seal usually fails before the glass does.
- Decking thickness and fastener spacing get measured against local building code while we are already up there.
Reading a Leak as a Process
Shingles rarely fail all at once. Water seeps into a lifted tab, wicks along the roofing felt, and erodes the deck underneath across a season. Sealant peels, mastic cracks, and the substrate stays wet through every freeze-thaw cycle.
By the time a homeowner in Chambersburg or the West Ward sees a brown ring on the ceiling, the water has usually been traveling for months. We hose-test before we quote so the repair goes where the leak actually is.
What Changes the Answer in Trenton
Ice dams matter more here than they do farther south. North-facing slopes above Cadwalader Heights hold snow for days after a storm, and meltwater finds every gap in the flashing at the eave and valley.
Metal roofing and slate shrug off that cycle. Three-tab shingle and dried-out roofing felt do not. We tell you which one you own instead of assuming you need a full replacement.
A mansard or gambrel roofline complicates the read, because the steep face hides a low-pitch section behind it where water settles and ponding starts. We check those hidden runs from inside the attic.
2
Written Quote
Roof Repair Starts With the Leak Path
Most of the repair work we run in South Trenton and East Trenton is small. A torn boot flashing, a lifted ridge cap, a valley worn thin by years of runoff. We mend the path the water takes.
Repair work follows an order. We lift the damaged shingle with a pry bar and roofing shovel, check the underlayment underneath, then reset or replace it with ring-shank nails sized for the deck thickness.
- Self-adhered membrane goes into valleys and around any penetration we intend to keep for years.
- Step flashing gets replaced rather than reused wherever it has been bent flat or buried in caulk twice.
- Roof cement and mastic seal a small gap, but they bridge a problem, and they are no answer on end-of-life wear.
- Loose gutters and downspouts get resecured so runoff stops soaking the fascia board and the soil at the foundation.
- Chimney flashing and counter-flashing get hand-sealed at the top edge, where wind-driven rain pushes in sideways.
Storm Damage and Hail Damage Repair
Hail bruising is easy to miss from the ground. A bruised shingle looks normal until you press it and the mat crumbles under your thumb. Wind damage announces itself with missing shingles and lifted rake edges.
We photograph what we find, note the storm date, and write a line-item estimate that matches an insurance scope. Insurance claim assistance is part of the job here, not an add-on you pay for later.
- Wind damage shows as missing shingles, a torn starter course, and fasteners pulled through the deck.
- Hail damage shows as bruised shingle mats, dented metal vents, and chalking on soft metal flashing.
- Water damage shows as stained sheathing, soaked insulation, and mold on the underside of the roof deck.
- Corrosion on an exposed fastener means a metal panel is letting water past the seal washer at the lap.
Emergency Roof Repair and Temporary Cover
When a nor'easter drops a limb through the roof, we tarp the opening and stop the water first. The permanent refit waits for a dry deck, because sealant will not bond to wet sheathing.
A tarp and a flashing bead of sealant buy you time. They are waterproofing, not a repair, and we say that plainly before we bill for the visit.
3
Certified Install
Roof Replacement: What Comes Off First
We tear off rather than overlay in most cases. A recover saves dumpster cost and a day of labor, but it hides the deck, and you cannot inspect plywood you never expose.
The crew sets a dumpster in the driveway and strips the field course down to the sheathing. Rotted boards get cut out and replaced before anything new goes down over them.
Access is part of the plan. A steep pitch gets a scaffold or a ladder set on a stable anchor, and every crew member works in a safety harness from the first course to the last.
- Ice-and-water shield runs along the eave and up the valleys, self-adhered to the deck.
- Synthetic underlayment covers the field, lighter and stronger than the roofing felt and tar paper it replaces.
- New drip edge goes on the eave and rake so runoff leaves the roof instead of curling back under the shingles.
- A starter course locks the bottom edge down, then the field courses go on staggered so no two joints line up.
- Ridge cap and ridge vent sit at the peak, with soffit vent intake and an attic fan moving air under the deck.
- Every nail comes from a nail gun set for the deck, driven straight so nothing is overdriven or face-nailed.
Choosing Between Shingles, Metal, and Tile
Architectural shingle is what most homeowners around here buy. It holds wind better than three-tab shingle and reads closer to the wood shake and cedar shake on older houses nearby.
Standing-seam panel and metal roofing cost more up front and last longer, while corrugated panel fastens to purlins as the budget metal option. Slate is heavy, and a tile roof in clay tile or concrete tile needs batten, counterbatten, and framing that carries the weight.
Flat sections behind a mansard or gambrel take a membrane instead: TPO, EPDM, or a modified bitumen built-up roof. None of that belongs on a pitch a shingle would handle better.
Gutters, Skylights, and the Small Parts
Gutter installation happens while the crew is already set up, which costs less than a return trip. Skylight installation belongs inside a replacement too, when the curb can be flashed properly instead of patched from above.
Small parts decide whether the roof lasts. A snow guard above a doorway, a ladder anchor, a pipe boot, and caulk that stays flexible through a January freeze matter more than the name on the wrapper.
4
Your Approval
Flat Roofing and Commercial Roofing
Flat work is its own trade. Ponding water, seam failure, and summer heat attack a membrane that never sheds rain the way a pitched roof does.
On commercial roofing we plan around rooftop units, foot traffic, and open hours. A parapet, scupper, or coping gets flashed without shutting the building down for a week.
- TPO and PVC membrane carry heat-welded seams, which suits warehouse and retail roofs that see heavy sun.
- EPDM is a rubber membrane that tolerates freeze-thaw, usually glued down or ballasted with stone.
- Modified bitumen and built-up roof stack asphalt and felt in layers, still common on older buildings here.
- Roof coating is a roller or sprayer recoat that restores reflectivity and seals small cracks before they open.
Coating, Maintenance, and Energy Efficiency
Coating is a maintenance call, not a rescue. An elastomeric coat peels if the membrane underneath is wet, so we check moisture content before quoting the repair coat and finish coat.
A reflective white roof drops surface temperature in July and eases the load on your cooling system. That is energy efficiency you can feel in the attic, not a line on a brochure.
Roof maintenance is the cheapest money you will spend on a building. Clearing debris, resealing a flashing bead, and resetting a loose ridge cap add years before a replacement becomes the only option.
Insurance Claims and the Paperwork
For storm damage we photograph the roof, measure the affected square, and write the same line items an adjuster works from. If the first scope comes in short, we help file a supplemental claim.
You keep a copy of everything: photos, the roof estimate, and the proof of loss form we filled out together. Homeowners should not have to guess what was submitted under their name.
Replacement decisions usually come down to two numbers, the age of the roof and the cost of another repair. We give you both and let you choose.
We also handle skylight installation, gutter installation, and roof inspection work for homeowners who are not ready for a full replacement. Same crew, same free estimate, no obligation.
