Roofing & exteriors in Edgewater, NJ
Low-slope membrane on the River Road waterfront, pitched shingle and slate on the hillside streets under the Palisades. Two different roofing markets inside one ZIP code — and our own office is in the borough.
A mile of land, three and a half miles of river.
Edgewater is a narrow strip between the Hudson and the Palisades — under one square mile of land against nearly one and a half of water, with the cliff rising on the western side and Cliffside Park and Fort Lee sitting on top of it. River Road runs the length of the borough just above river level; Route 5 and Gorge Road climb the Palisades to the towns above. The 2020 census counted 14,336 residents, up almost a quarter in ten years, which tells you most of what you need to know about what has been built here lately.
That geography produces two entirely different roofing markets inside one ZIP code, and a firm that only understands one of them is the wrong firm for half the borough.
The waterfront and the hillside are not the same job.
The River Road waterfront
Condominium and rental mid- and high-rises on former industrial land — Ford, Alcoa, Valvoline and American Can all had works here — redeveloped from the 1960s and heavily from the 1980s on.
- Flat and low-slope membrane roofs, not pitched
- Parapets, drains, scuppers and edge metal carry the whole risk
- Plant, rails and aerials set down on the roof by other trades
- East-facing elevations taking river wind and salt-influenced air
- Owned by a board or an association, so the report matters as much as the roof
The hillside streets under the cliff
The older layer: narrow-lot frame houses, small colonials and capes from roughly the 1900s to the 1940s, built for the factory workforce, on the steep side roads climbing toward Cliffside Park and Fort Lee.
- Pitched asphalt shingle, with some slate and cedar surviving
- Vinyl or aluminum siding over the original wood
- Small lots, close-set houses, difficult access for a dumpster
- Runoff coming down off the Palisades behind the properties
- Chimney, dormer and valley flashing doing most of the failing
See roof repair and roof replacement in Edgewater.
Four things an Edgewater roof gets that an inland one does not.
Wind with nothing in front of it
Three and a half miles of open water to the east and no shelter between. Ridge lines, ridge vents, edge metal and parapet terminations all see more uplift here than the same detail would a mile inland, and they are specified and fastened accordingly.
Salt-influenced air
The Hudson is tidal at Edgewater, and the air on the exposed elevations carries it. Fasteners, flashing and gutter stock get chosen for that rather than for what is cheapest on the shelf — it is the single most common reason a metal detail here fails early.
Tidal flood exposure along River Road
The whole waterfront corridor sits in it. That does not change the roof so much as what is underneath it and how quickly a leak becomes expensive, which is why the low-slope work here is written up in detail rather than quoted from the ground.
Runoff off the Palisades
The hillside properties take water coming down the cliff behind them as well as off their own roofs. Gutter sizing and discharge matter more here than on a flat lot — see gutters and drainage.
An Edgewater house, above the river.
A full exterior on a house on the hillside above the Hudson: the envelope repainted and a Trex deck built out over the slope, with the river visible from it. It is one of the firm's own jobs and one of the firm's own photographs, and it is the kind of property the hillside layer of the borough is made of — a pitched shingle roof, a tight lot, and mature trees over both.
The whole job, with before-and-after photographs, is on the Edgewater project page.
Kitchens, additions and new houses, too.
Johannemann & Sons builds as well as roofs. This year that includes a custom home on the Hudson here in Edgewater: a lot that steps down toward the river, a finished lower level opening onto the yard, Andersen windows and sliding doors facing New York, an elevator planned in from the start, and a first floor built around a large custom kitchen island.
We bring the same approach to an existing house: a kitchen opened up and rebuilt, or an addition that gives a hillside house the room its lot allows. Plumbing, electrical and mechanical work goes to licensed contractors we schedule and run.
See new construction, kitchens and additions.
Across the 07020.
ZIP code served: 07020. The borough is small enough that we work all of it, but the ground changes completely from one end of a side street to the other:
- The River Road corridor, north and south — the condominium and retail spine of the borough, and most of its low-slope roof area.
- The waterfront complexes, from the earlier Independence Harbor generation through to newer developments at The Peninsula at City Place.
- The hillside streets under the Palisades, running up toward Gorge Road and Route 5, where the older frame and colonial stock sits.
- The historic center around Borough Hall and the 1916 Carnegie library, both listed on the National and New Jersey registers.
- Vreeland Terrace, which is where we are — the firm's office is in the borough, not a drive away from it.
Whatever the roof is, the estimate is written, itemized and photographed. Call (201) 446-5941 or ask about your building.
The whole outside of the building.
Flat roofs
EPDM, TPO and modified bitumen — the waterfront's roof, surveyed before it is priced.
Edgewater →Roof repair
Chimneys, dormers, valleys and slate on the hillside houses.
Edgewater →Roof replacement
A new roof, staged for a steep lot and fastened for the river.
Edgewater →Gutters
Sized for the roof and for the runoff coming off the cliff behind it.
Edgewater →Also across the borough: siding in Edgewater · windows · entry doors · decks
Adjacent Bergen towns
Does Johannemann & Sons serve Edgewater, NJ?
Yes, and we are based in the borough — our office is on Vreeland Terrace, in the 07020. We cover every street in Edgewater, from the River Road waterfront to the hillside streets under the Palisades, with a 24-hour assessment window on an active leak, year-round.
My building has a flat roof. Do you work on those?
Yes — it is most of the roof area in Edgewater. The waterfront condominium and rental buildings are low-slope membrane roofs, and they fail at the edge metal, the drains, the parapet caps and whatever has been set down on them, not in the field. We work in EPDM, TPO and modified bitumen and write the job up for a board or managing agent, not just for a homeowner.
Does being on the Hudson change what you install?
It changes the metal and the fastening. The borough has three and a half miles of open water to the east with nothing in front of it, so ridge lines, edge metal and parapet terminations see more uplift than the same detail a mile inland, and the air on the exposed elevations is salt-influenced. Flashing, fasteners and gutter stock get specified for that rather than for the cheapest option on the shelf.
What about the older houses on the hillside streets?
That is the other half of the borough — narrow-lot frame houses, small colonials and capes from roughly the 1900s to the 1940s, built when the waterfront was still factories. Those carry pitched asphalt shingle with some slate and cedar surviving, and the leaks are almost always chimney, dormer or valley flashing. Access is the other consideration: small lots and steep side streets need the dumpster and the staging thought about before the day.
Do you build kitchens, additions and new homes in Edgewater too?
Yes. Besides roofs and exteriors we build kitchens, additions and new houses, and this year we are building a custom home on the Hudson in Edgewater, from the foundation up. Plumbing, electrical and mechanical work goes to licensed contractors we schedule and run, and we file the permits the job needs.
Can a condominium board get a report rather than a quote?
Yes, and we would rather start there. A written condition report with photographs, a scope that separates what is causing damage now from what can be budgeted for a later year, and insurance certificates naming the association. A board deciding from evidence gets a better outcome than a board deciding from three sales visits.
Roofing for the homes of Edgewater, NJ.
Free written estimate, premium-material specification, and a Bergen County exterior crew based here in Edgewater.