A closer look at the roof, from the ground up
Roof Inspection in Lyndhurst, NJ
A roof inspection in Lyndhurst, NJ makes sense after a storm, around a house sale, or when a ceiling shows a mark nobody can explain. Call (551) 209-3947 and say what set the question off, and a local roofer can arrange a visit to look over the slopes, the flashing and the gutters.
Looks from the ground
Each of these looks is made from the ground or at a window. A ladder, a wet slope or a steep pitch belongs to the roofer.
- Begin on the ground, binoculars in hand. Sandy-era guidance from the asphalt roofing trade group put the first inspection on the ground or behind an upstairs window.
- Look at each spot where a roof meets a wall, including dormers and porch roofs, for stains on the siding below.
- From the sidewalk, check the gutters for sagging runs, gaps at the joints and plants growing in them.
- Inside, hold a flashlight low against a top-floor ceiling. The raking light shows ripples and bulges that flat light hides.
Leave it and make the safety call if
- A wire dips low or rests on the ground close to the building: stay well away, and the call goes to 911, or to the utility itself at 1-800-436-7734 (PSE&G).
- Someone proposes to climb up for a closer look: do not let them. A roofer does the climbing, and a call to 911 is for a fall that has happened.
- A ceiling sags or bulges with water: everyone steps clear, and if it seems about to give way, dial 911.
- Water trickles from a ceiling fixture or runs behind an outlet cover: leave that room, and dial 911 for any spark or burning smell.
Whether an inspection call can wait
- 8 to 10
a wire is lying in the yard, a ceiling bulges, or water has reached a light fixture. Take the safety step first; the roof look comes after. Call (551) 209-3947 once everyone is clear.
- 4 to 7
a stain that came back after the last rain, or storm damage you can see from the sidewalk. Call (551) 209-3947 this week and mention the stain's date.
- 1 to 3
a roof of unknown age, no leaks, and a house sale on the calendar. A call can wait until the dates are known, though the ground-level checks cost nothing to start.
Three questions about this job
What can be seen from the ground without a ladder?
Why do roofers look so hard where a roof meets a wall?
Does an inspection visit cover Nutley and Secaucus too?
Signs this is the job
- A ceiling mark that turned up with no leak or storm to explain it
- A roof whose age nobody in the house can state
- Shingles or metal that look different from the ground after a storm
- Siding stained or swollen where a dormer or porch roof meets the wall
- A house changing hands, with a question about the roof attached
What an inspection can turn up
Four outcomes are common. Nothing found, which is a perfectly good answer. A small repair, such as a few shingles or a run of sealant. A flashing job at a dormer or chimney, see chimney flashing repair. Or a conversation about replacing the roof, where the Energy Department's rule of thumb, 10 percent of the roof needing repair, often frames the first question.
A good inspection leaves the owner with a plain description of what was seen, where, and what each path would involve.
Other jobs on the list
Stains, loose shingles and wind damage in Lyndhurst
A full roof covering, start to finish, near Lyndhurst
Wind, falling limbs and downpours near Lyndhurst
From
- Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, Assessing roof damage after Superstorm Sandy (7 Nov 2012)
- Building America Solution Center (U.S. DOE), Flashing of roof-wall intersections in existing homes
- U.S. Department of Energy, Repairing Roofs and Ceilings technical brief (Jan 2006)
- PSE&G, Downed Power Line Safety
- Township of Lyndhurst Code, Chapter 8, Building and Housing (eCode360)
- Township of Nutley, Code Enforcement Department
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, Table B25034, Lyndhurst township
Checked 1 Nov 2026