Walk down the driveway of many older houses in Elizabeth and the towns around it, and you'll find a small detached garage at the back of the lot. Some are nearly as old as the house. Most were built for smaller cars and simpler roofs, and they get far less attention than the main house. By the time a leak gets noticed, there may be rotten boards, a sagging ridge, or a roof patched so many times it's hard to say what it's made of.
Three Ways to Go
| Option | When it fits | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Repair | Roof is mostly sound; one or two leaks | Patching, new shingles or membrane in spots, new flashing |
| Reroof | Framing is sound; roof surface is worn out | Tear off, replace bad boards, new underlayment and roofing |
| Rebuild | Rafters cracked, roof sagging, walls leaning | Framing repair or replacement, then a new roof |
What to Look For
- A sagging ridge or roof line seen from the side.
- Daylight through the roof boards from inside.
- Dark stains on the roof boards or rafters.
- Rafters that are cracked or pulling away from the walls.
- Shingles curling or missing, or rolled roofing cracked and lifting.
You don't need to go up on the roof to see most of this.
Roof Types on Garages
Many old garages have a simple gable roof with shingles. Others have a low-slope roof with rolled roofing or modified bitumen, which ages faster and is more likely to leak at the edges. A low-slope garage roof can often be redone with a better membrane, or rebuilt with a steeper pitch if the frame is being redone anyway.
Permits and Rules
A full rebuild can involve the town's building department, and setbacks from property lines can matter for older garages that sit close to them. Ask the roofer and the town before planning a rebuild. Reroofing on the same frame is usually simpler. New Jersey's construction rules are administered through the NJ Department of Community Affairs.
Timing With the House
If the house roof is due soon, ask the roofer to price the garage at the same time. One setup and one dumpster usually cost less than two jobs years apart. Matching materials also look better from the street.
Questions
Is it worth fixing a garage I only use for storage?
If the frame is sound, a reroof protects what's inside and keeps the building from deteriorating further. A collapsed garage costs more to remove than a roof costs to replace.
Can a roofer handle the framing?
Some roofing companies do framing repairs; others work with carpenters. Ask when you call.
Should a garage roof match the house?
It doesn't have to, but it often looks better and can be cheaper when done together.
Around Elizabeth
Old garages are common behind houses in Roselle, Roselle Park and Westminster. Small roofs are covered on porch, garage and addition roofs.
Cape Cod Roofs: Dormers, Knee Walls and Hot Upstairs Rooms
Why Capes leak where they do, and run hot in summer.
Mansard, Gambrel and Steep Older Roofs
Unusual shapes, and what they ask of a roofer.