Roof repair
Roof repair in Mercer County, before it becomes a replacement
Mercer has the oldest houses we work on, and old houses leak in a particular way. Not through the middle of a slope, but at the joints: chimneys, valleys, the low slope roof over a porch or a back addition, and flashing that has been patched for forty years instead of rebuilt once. We find which joint it is, photograph it, and fix that. Active leaks come first.
Active leaks come first · Written photo report · Repair or replace, in writing
What actually leaks on a Mercer County roof
The average home on the Mercer County tax list dates from 1956, a third of the county was built before 1950 and in Trenton the average is 1913. That age is the whole reason the repair call in Mercer sounds different from the one in a newer town. A roof that has been done two or three times has two or three generations of flashing on it, and the leak is almost always at the oldest one.
Chimney flashing that was tarred, not rebuilt
The commonest single leak in the older parts of the county. Tar is a five year fix applied to a thirty year problem, and every reroof that went over the top of it left it in place. Properly stepped and counter flashed, it stops being a recurring visit.
Low slope porch and addition roofs
Mercer is full of houses with a flat or near flat roof over a porch, a sunroom or a back extension. Those are a different system from the shingles above them, they age faster, and the join between the two is where the water gets in. It is also the part most roofers quote around.
Layers, and what is under them
A second covering laid straight over the first hides the decking and doubles the weight. It is legal, it was common, and it means nobody knows what the roof is sitting on until it is opened. On an older Mercer house the repair or replace answer often depends on what the first layer is doing.
Open ground at the Windsors
East and West Windsor are flat and far less wooded than Trenton or Princeton, so a nor easter gets a clean run at a roof edge. The failure there is lifted shingles and ridge caps rather than blocked valleys, and it shows up along an edge rather than at a joint.
The six causes behind nearly every leak we are called to, what a repair visit actually involves, and an honest section about storms are all on the main roof repair page.
Where we repair roofs in Mercer County
We work across the whole county. These are the towns with a page of their own, each one covering what we actually see on roofs there:
If it does turn out to be the whole roof
You will have the photographs that show why, and no obligation to buy it from us. Roof replacement sets out what a full job includes, what it costs publishes our ranges with no form first, and roof certification covers the letter if your insurer is the one asking.
Book a free inspectionRoof repair in Mercer County, answered plainly
Which Mercer County towns do you repair roofs in?
All of them. We have town pages for Princeton, West Windsor, Hamilton and East Windsor, and we take repair calls across Lawrence, Ewing, Hopewell, Pennington and Trenton as well. Tell us the street and we will tell you which of our two offices is closer.
My house is from the 1920s. Can it even be repaired, or is it a full roof?
Usually repaired, and more often than people expect. Age alone does not decide it. What decides it is how many layers are up there, what the decking is doing underneath and whether the failures are at joints or spread across the field. A house from the 1920s with one sound covering and a bad chimney joint is a repair. We photograph what we find and show you which one you have.
The leak shows up in the middle of a ceiling, nowhere near the chimney. Does that change anything?
No, and it is normal. Water enters at a joint, runs along a rafter or the top of the ceiling until it finds a low point, and drips there. On an older house with a complicated roof that can be many feet from the entry. Chasing the stain is exactly how a repair gets done twice.
Is this the Hamilton in Mercer County or the one near Atlantic City?
Mercer. They are two different municipalities with the same name and it causes real confusion, made worse by several Mercer Hamilton addresses carrying Trenton mailing ZIPs. It changes nothing about the roof and quite a lot about paperwork, so it is worth being clear which one is on the policy.
How quickly can you get to an active leak?
An active leak goes ahead of the quotes and the checkups, including a tarp over it when the weather will not wait. The permanent repair follows once we can see the roof properly and show you what caused it.
Our Certifications
Certified & Backed by Roofing Industry Experts
Leak, stain, or a shingle in the yard in Mercer County?
We find where the water is really getting in, photograph it, and tell you whether it is a repair or a roof. Active leaks come first. Call (908) 830-1819.