Clifton Elite Roofing has spent more than 20 years on roofing in Rutherford and the rest of this corner of Bergen County, and most of the roofs we climb here are older than anyone living under them. That age changes the conversation. Before we talk about a new roof, we tell you plainly whether the one you have can be repaired, and why.
When we do recommend replacement, the estimate arrives as separate lines for tear-off, decking, underlayment, flashing and ventilation. That layout lets you hold our number next to anyone else’s and see exactly where the two differ, instead of comparing one lump sum against another.
On a leak call we go into the attic as well as onto the roof. Water rarely shows up on a ceiling directly below the spot where it got in, and on an old house with board sheathing and several past repairs, the attic is usually where the real entry point gives itself away.
A Borough Built Before 1940
Rutherford grew as a railroad suburb, and its houses show it. Census figures from the 2024 five-year American Community Survey put 3,050 of the borough’s 7,129 housing units, or 42.8 percent, in the built-1939-or-earlier column, with another 34.4 percent going up between 1940 and 1959. Most of what we see is single-family: 57.0 percent of units are one-unit detached homes, and 16.7 percent are two-unit buildings.
What a prewar re-roof tends to involve
On houses of this age, replacing a roof is seldom just a matter of shingles. Chimney flashing, porch roofs, box gutters and the decking itself come into the job, and earlier layers of roofing may still be on the house under the current one. None of that comes from a borough rule; it is simply what a century of weather and patching leaves behind.
When the old roof comes off and a board or sheet underneath is rotted, we photograph it and show you before anything is replaced. The per-sheet price for that work is already written into the contract, so a soft spot in the deck never turns into an open-ended change order.
Flashing and airflow on an older house
Step flashing along sidewalls, counter flashing set into a reglet, and the metal around a chimney all get replaced with the roof. Bending new shingles around tired old metal is how a fresh roof starts leaking within a few seasons, and on a prewar chimney a cricket behind the stack is often worth adding while the area is open.
Ventilation gets checked on every replacement. Many houses built before 1940 were never designed with a balanced system, so we look at what soffit intake exists and size the ridge vent against it, rather than cutting in exhaust that has nothing feeding it.
Two-family houses and upstairs tenants
With one Rutherford unit in six in a two-unit building, plenty of our jobs have a tenant upstairs. We plan those around both floors, telling the upstairs household when the crew arrives and where we will need access, so nobody is surprised by ladders outside a bedroom window at the start of the day.
Looking for roofing closer to Totowa? See Roofing Services in Totowa.
The Historic Sites Inventory and What It Does Not Decide
Rutherford’s Historic Preservation Committee maintains a Historic Sites Inventory, last fully revised in 2004, that lists almost 200 individual properties plus about 200 more that contribute to historic districts. If your house is on it, you have probably heard about it from a neighbor, a previous owner or a closing document.
An advisory committee, as of its own account
In a September 2019 report in This Is Rutherford, the committee said its review was not currently required in the borough’s permitting process, and that it hoped to become a Commission with a say over facade work. We have not found a later ordinance creating that binding body. Because that status could change, we check where things stand before your job rather than assuming either way.
The practical upshot, as far as the published record goes, is that the roof on an inventory house is chosen by the owner, not assigned by a board. That puts the decision about matching the original character squarely with you and with whoever you hire to carry it out.
Why that makes the choice yours to get right
An owner can put a modern architectural shingle on a listed Queen Anne, and nothing in the record we have seen would stop it. Many owners still want the roof to read the way the house was designed, with the same slope details, a color that sits right against the trim, and a material in keeping with the era. We walk through those options with you, including what each one costs and how long it lasts, so the choice is made deliberately.
Choosing a Roof That Fits a Prewar House
Matching original character starts with knowing what is actually on the roof now and what was there first. On some inventory houses that is slate, on others clay tile, and on many it is asphalt that replaced something heavier decades ago.
Slate worth keeping
Sound old slate is often worth repairing rather than tearing off. We replace broken pieces with matching slate, hang them on slate hooks or copper nails with bibs, and leave the rest of the field alone. For owners who want to understand the approach, the National Park Service’s Preservation Brief 29 on slate roofs lays out the same repair-first thinking.
Where slate has failed across the whole roof, Pennsylvania Black and Buckingham slate are the usual replacements in this region. Synthetic slate such as DaVinci is another route when weight or budget rules out stone, and we will explain honestly how it reads from the street compared with the real thing.
Tile, shingle and what cannot be overlaid
Under New Jersey’s rehabilitation subcode, a roof that already carries two or more layers, or that is slate, wood shake or tile underneath, has to be stripped rather than covered over. When that applies to your house, we explain it before the estimate, so the tear-off line on the scope makes sense when you see it.
For owners going with asphalt, architectural shingles such as GAF Timberline HDZ, Owens Corning Duration or CertainTeed Landmark come in colors that can sit well on an older house. We help choose a blend that suits the brick or clapboard rather than one picked from a small sample chip.
Copper, gutters and the details that show
On a prewar house, the trim often matters as much as the field. Lead-coated copper flashing, a properly formed valley and a drip edge that does not overhang awkwardly are what make a new roof look as if it belongs. Box gutters built into the cornice are common on houses of this age, and we look at their linings while the roof is open instead of leaving them for later.
On houses built before 1978, painted fascia and trim fall under the EPA’s lead-safe renovation rule, so we contain and clean up that work accordingly. At the end of every work day the yard, driveway and gutters are cleared, including a magnet sweep for roofing nails.
Iviswold, Rutherford Station and the Building Office on Park Avenue
One of the borough’s best-known roofs belongs to Iviswold, on the Felician University campus at 223 Montross Avenue. Built in 1869 and remade in 1887 by architect William Henry Miller, it lost its original mansard roof and was later restored with Ludowici clay tile. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Registered buildings around the borough
Iviswold has company on the National Register. Rutherford station, the Dutch stone Kip Homestead, the Yereance-Berry House, the Woman’s Club of Rutherford, the William Carlos Williams House and the World War I Monument are all listed. None of them is our customer, but they show what the borough’s original roofs looked like and why so many owners of ordinary houses here care about getting the material right.
A restoration like Iviswold’s is also a reminder that clay tile comes back. When an owner of an inventory house asks whether a tile or slate roof is worth reinstating, the answer depends on the framing, the budget and how long they plan to stay, and we would rather talk that through honestly than steer anyone toward the most expensive option.
What the Park Avenue office handles
The Building and Zoning Department sits on the main level of Borough Hall at 176 Park Avenue and is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Chris Salviano serves as Construction Official and Building Sub-Code Official, and permit questions can go to permit@rutherfordboronj.com. The borough’s FAQ says building, plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits are processed as one total package.
New Jersey’s construction code treats roof covering on detached one- and two-family dwellings as ordinary maintenance under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7, while the borough FAQ says a permit is generally needed to construct, enlarge, alter or repair a building. Nothing roof-specific is published locally, so on each job we confirm with the office what our particular scope calls for, especially when it reaches into framing, chimneys or porch structure.
Contracts, claims and solar
Our contracts follow New Jersey’s home improvement rules, including the three-business-day cancellation notice. After a storm, we photograph the damage and write it up for your own insurance claim, and we will meet the adjuster on site if you ask us to. If your roof carries solar panels, the removal and reinstall are written into the schedule from the start rather than discovered on the morning the crew arrives.
- 20+ Years on North Jersey Roofs
- Itemized Written Scopes
- Attic-to-Ridge Leak Tracing
