A wide front porch with its own roof and columns on an older brick house

The Small Roofs That Cause Big Trouble

Older houses around Elizabeth often have more roofs than people count: the main roof, a front porch roof, a back addition, a bay window cap, and a detached garage out back. The small ones get less attention, and many have a gentle slope that drains slowly. They also meet the main house at a wall, and that joint is where most of their leaks start. Porch and addition leaks can run inside the house wall and show up in a room that seems nowhere near the porch.

Porch Roofs

A porch roof is usually low-slope, covered in rolled roofing, modified bitumen or shingles, and tied into the front wall of the house with flashing. Common trouble:

The wall joint. Flashing that was caulked instead of tucked behind the siding.
Low slope. Shingles on a roof too flat for them, so water backs up under the tabs.
Rotted edges. Soft boards at the front edge where gutters overflow.
The ceiling below. A sagging porch ceiling often means wet boards above it.

A roofer can usually redo a porch roof in a day or two, and it's often the right time to fix the flashing at the house wall for good.

Small roof, big leak?

Talk to an Elizabeth roofer: (908) 270-5628.

Call (908) 270-5628

Detached Garage Roofs

Many garages behind Elizabeth and Union County houses are a century old or close to it, built for a narrow car and covered in whatever was cheap at the time. Their roofs see little upkeep until the drip lands on something valuable. Choices usually come down to three: repair the worst spots, put on a new roof over sound framing, or rebuild a frame that has sagged or rotted, which may need a carpenter as well as a roofer. More: detached garage roofs.

Additions and Where They Meet the House

A rear addition with a low or flat roof has to tie into the main house wall, and sometimes into the main roof itself. That tie-in is a frequent leak point, especially if the addition was built years after the house by a different crew. Fixes range from new flashing and counter flashing at the wall to rebuilding the low-slope roof so water runs away from the house instead of toward it.

Bay Windows, Overhangs and Little Caps

Small roofs over bay windows, side entries and overhangs are often copper, tin or rolled roofing. They tend to leak at the wall and at the front edge. They're quick jobs, but they need the same care with flashing as a full roof, and they're easy to add on when a roofer is already working on the house.

Can a Garage Roof Be Replaced on Its Own?

Yes. A detached garage roof is a separate job from the house, and roofers replace them often. If the framing underneath is sound, the job is usually quick. If rafters are cracked or the roof sags, ask whether the roofer handles framing repair or works with someone who does.

Why Does My Porch Ceiling Leak When the Roof Looks Fine?

Because water is getting in at the wall, not through the porch roof surface. Rain running down the house siding can slip behind loose flashing where the porch roof meets the house, then travel along the porch framing before it drips. A roofer checks that joint first.

Doing the Small Roofs With the Big One

If the main roof is being replaced, ask about the porch, the addition and the garage at the same time. Matching materials, one setup, and one cleanup usually cost less than separate jobs a few years apart. More on replacing the main roof: roof replacement.