Where Roofs Meet Everything Else
A roof surface on its own rarely leaks first. The trouble starts at the edges and joints: where water leaves the roof (gutters, downspouts, scuppers), where the roof meets a wall or a chimney (flashing), and where it meets the top of a parapet (coping and caps). In Newark, with so many attached and closely spaced homes, shared downspouts and party walls add more joints to go wrong. Gutter repair, flashing repair and chimney work keep water moving off and away from the building instead of into it.
Gutters and Downspouts on Attached Homes
On a row of attached houses, gutters often run continuously across several properties and empty into shared downspouts. When one section sags, clogs or pulls away, water spills over the front, runs down the wall and finds its way into window frames, basements or the wall cavity. Common problems:
- leaves and debris packed into gutters and downspout openings
- sagging sections where hangers have rusted or pulled out
- joints that have separated and drip at every seam
- downspouts that empty against the foundation or onto a neighbor's walkway
- built-in gutters in older cornices that leak into the wall below
Repairs range from re-hanging and re-sealing to replacing runs of gutter. More: gutters and downspouts on attached homes.
Flashing: The Metal at Every Joint
Flashing is the metal, or sometimes membrane, that seals the joint between a roof and anything sticking up through it or rising beside it. Step flashing weaves into shingles along a wall. Counter-flashing is set into the mortar of a chimney or wall and laps over it. Edge metal finishes the roof's perimeter. When flashing rusts, pulls loose or was patched with tar instead of replaced, water gets in, often only during wind-driven rain. That's why a leak that "only happens in storms" is a classic flashing problem.
Chimneys and Their Crowns
| Part | What goes wrong | Usual repair |
|---|---|---|
| Counter-flashing | Pulls out of the mortar joint | Re-cut into the joint and re-sealed, or replaced |
| Step flashing | Rusted or missing under the shingles | Replaced as the shingles around it are reset |
| Crown (the top) | Cracks and lets water into the chimney | Crown repaired or rebuilt |
| Mortar joints | Worn joints let water through the brick | Repointing |
| Cap | Missing, so rain falls straight in | A new cap |
Many roofing contractors handle the flashing, the crown and the top courses of brick themselves. Ask what the job includes.
Overflowing gutter or a leak by the chimney?
Get a roofer's eyes on it: (973) 528-8938.
Call (973) 528-8938Parapet Caps and Copings
On flat-roofed buildings, the parapet wall is capped with metal coping, stone or brick. When cap joints open or the cap loosens, water runs into the top of the wall and down inside it, and the stain appears on the top-floor wall rather than the ceiling. The membrane also has to turn up the inside of the parapet and be flashed there. More detail: parapet walls and party walls.
Can a Gutter Cause a Roof Leak?
Yes. A clogged or sagging gutter can back water up under the first row of shingles, soak the fascia and roof deck at the edge, and in winter it helps ice dams form. Water spilling over the gutter can also run down the wall and come in around windows. If a "roof leak" shows up near an outside wall, especially at the top of the wall or around a window, the gutter is one of the first things a roofer checks.
Leave the Ladder Work to Roofers
Cleaning or repairing gutters means working at height on a ladder, often over concrete and next to power lines on Newark streets. Falls from ladders are a common cause of serious injury. If gutters need attention, have a roofer do it, and point out anything you can see from the ground: overflow, sagging, a downspout that's come loose.
Skylights, Vents and Other Openings
Anything that passes through a roof needs its own flashing: skylights, plumbing vents, exhaust fans, attic vents and roof hatches. Skylight leaks are often blamed on the glass when the cause is the flashing around the frame. Vent boots crack in the sun. A roof hatch on a flat-roofed building takes foot traffic and needs a sound curb and seal. Each of these is a small repair if it's caught early.
Where Downspouts Should Go
A downspout should carry water away from the foundation, not dump it at the base of the wall. On Newark's tight lots, water often lands on a walkway, a neighbor's side yard or a basement window well. Extensions, splash blocks or a connection to an approved drain can fix that. Water that keeps ending up against the foundation shows up later as basement dampness and cracked steps.
Snow, Ice and Gutters
In winter, gutters fill with ice and the weight can pull them off the fascia. Ice dams form at the eaves and back water up under the shingles. On steep slate and metal roofs, sliding snow can tear gutters loose entirely, and snow guards are sometimes added to hold it in place. If gutters sag or pull away every winter, ask whether the hangers, the gutter size or the attic's heat loss is the real issue.
Gutter and Flashing Work Around Newark
North
West
South
Downtown
Essex
- IrvingtonEssex County
- East OrangeEssex County
- OrangeEssex County
- BloomfieldEssex County
- BellevilleEssex County
- NutleyEssex County
Hudson
Union
Main page: roofing in Newark, NJ.