New Roof Installation in Atlantic County, NJ

Additions and dormers

The majority of genuinely new roof installation we see is not a new house — it is an addition, a dormer, a porch or a garage. These are also where leaks concentrate later, because they create new roof-to-wall junctions. The flashing at that junction, and the way the new roof plane ties into the existing one, is the part worth getting right on day one.

• Step flashing woven into the courses at the new wall junction, with counter flashing over it
• Kick-out flashing at the bottom of the junction so run-off is thrown clear of the wall instead of behind the siding
• A valley formed properly where the new plane meets the old
• Ventilation for the new space, not just a continuation of the existing pattern

Matching an existing roof

Tying new work into an existing roof raises a practical question of appearance. Weathered shingles never match new ones exactly, and colours are discontinued over time. Sometimes the right answer is to accept the difference on a hidden elevation; sometimes it is to re-cover a whole visible plane so the transition falls at a natural break. We would rather have that conversation before the work than after it.

Choosing the system for the slope

Slope decides what is allowed to go on a roof, not preference. Asphalt shingles need a minimum pitch to shed reliably, and below that a low-slope membrane system is the correct choice regardless of what the rest of the house wears. Porch roofs, additions with a shallow rake and anything approaching flat need a membrane, and mixing the two on one building is normal and fine — provided the transition between them is detailed properly.

Specifying for the exposure

Two factors drive the specification more than anything else here: wind and shade. On open, exposed sites the fastening pattern, the starter course at eaves and rakes and the edge metal do the heavy lifting. On shaded inland lots the priority shifts to ventilation and to a surface that copes with sustained damp and organic debris. See our notes on coastal and inland conditions for how we think about that.