A slow leak over plaster ceilings in a century-old Princeton home does not stay a roofing problem for long. William Penn Roofing & Exteriors has been the roofing contractor Princeton, NJ property owners call for repairs, replacements, and inspections since 2008.
Freeze-thaw pries at flashing, nor’easters strip ridge caps, summer hail chews through aging asphalt, and the tree canopy keeps everything damp in between.
We are registered in New Jersey, certified by the brands we install, and equipped for the slate, cedar, and copper work older Princeton homes need.
Our before and after project gallery covers slate, copper, cedar, and architectural asphalt across both states. The historic work we do in river towns like Lambertville holds to the same matching standards we bring to Princeton’s older homes.
Our residential roofing services cover everything from a single cracked flashing to a full tear-off. Every project starts with the same on-site inspection, whether the roof is original slate or twenty-year-old architectural asphalt.
We check the roof surface, the flashing at chimneys and dormers, and the attic side, since on older homes the ceiling stain is rarely under the actual failure. Winter inspections focus on the eaves, where ice dams do the most damage.
Older Princeton homes leak at the transitions: chimney counterflashing, dormer cheeks, skylight curbs, and valley terminations. Repairs are matched to the existing material so the fix does not read as a patch from the street.
Most Princeton replacements come down in a single day. We protect landscaping, stage the dumpster where narrow older streets allow, and price any deck rot before replacing a board. New installs on additions and dormers get the same system: eave ice barrier, ventilation, and valleys detailed for wet leaf litter.
Hail and high wind leave granule loss, bruised mats, and lifted shingles that rarely look dramatic from the ground. Our storm damage crew tarps an open roof first, then documents every hit with photographs you can hand straight to your insurer.
We maintain and replace flat and low-slope roofs on the office parks and mixed-use buildings running from the Route 1 corridor out toward Somerville. Our commercial roofing crews in New Jersey schedule around your operating hours so tenants and customers stay put.
Ponding, seam separation, and flashing failures at curbs get addressed before they reach the insulation. We repair TPO, PVC, EPDM, modified bitumen, and metal, and we document what we find for your insurer and your maintenance file.
When repair no longer pencils out, we phase the tear-off section by section to keep the building dry and open. Material choice gets driven by rooftop HVAC, drainage, and how long you plan to hold the property, and you get a written schedule before the first crew arrives.
An aging membrane over a sound deck rarely needs a full replacement. A restoration coating adds years of service life and cuts summer cooling load at a fraction of tear-off cost, which is often the difference between a capital expense and a maintenance line item.
Princeton is a hard town to roof well. Much of the housing is pre-war, and the tree canopy keeps shingles damp and gutters packed. We have handled roofs like these since 2008, owner David LaSalla reviews the work, and the slate and copper crews we send to Hamilton Township are the ones who work here.
Registered and accountable in New Jersey. NJ HIC Registration NJ-13VH12052900, BBB accredited, Google Guaranteed.
Certified by the brands we install. GAF Authorized, Owens Corning Preferred, and CertainTeed Master Shingle Applicator, which lets us register a manufacturer warranty alongside our own workmanship warranty.
Historic district paperwork handled. Roof changes visible from the street in an overlay district need a preservation plan filed with the Office of Historic Preservation. We prepare the specs and photos.
Slate, cedar, and copper are routine here, which matters when a repair has to match an original roof rather than replace it.
Same-day response on active leaks whenever the schedule allows.
At William Penn Roofing, material choice is where budget, roof design, and how long you plan to stay all meet. Here is what we install and where each one makes sense.
The default for most Princeton homes, and the right call more often than not. Architectural profiles handle freeze-thaw well and come in colors that read close to slate or shake from the ground.
Standing seam sheds the snow and ice that punish shingles through a hard winter. It suits homes and commercial buildings alike, and it outlasts asphalt by decades.
Plenty still standing on Princeton’s pre-war homes, often with decades left. We source matching stone for spot repairs so the fix does not show from the street.
Shakes look right on older homes here, but shade is the enemy. Under a heavy canopy they hold moisture and grow moss, so we build in ventilation.
Turns up constantly on bay roofs, porch roofs, and valleys around town. It patinas rather than fails, which is why so much of the original work is still up there.
A waterproof answer for the flat and low-slope sections common on older additions and porch roofs. It tolerates the swing between January and July without splitting.
Single-ply membranes built for commercial flat roofs, with strong puncture and tear resistance. Reflective surfaces cut cooling load through Central Jersey summers.
EPDM stays flexible through hard freezes, which makes it dependable on low-slope roofs and additions. Low maintenance, long service life, and straightforward to repair.
The same crews that handle your roof handle the rest of the exterior, which keeps warranties and flashing details under one contractor instead of three.
The tree canopy over most of Princeton fills gutters faster than almost anywhere we work. We handle cleaning, repair, and seamless gutter installation in aluminum and copper, with guards sized for heavy leaf load.
Old siding never looks worse than it does next to a new roof. We handle siding installation in board and batten, clapboard, and shake profiles, and pairing it with the roof means one crew and one setup.
We install replacement windows and doors from ProVia and Pella in vinyl, fiberglass, and wood. Entry, patio, and full-frame jobs get sized to older openings, which are rarely square.
Most skylight leaks start at the curb flashing, not the glass. We install VELUX skylights in fixed and vented models and detail that flashing as part of the roof system.
When trapped moisture reaches the sheathing behind a stucco wall, patching the surface only buys time. Our stucco remediation work opens the assembly, inspects it, and rebuilds with proper drainage and flashing.
Across Mercer, Hunterdon, and Somerset counties, with crews running as far north as Bridgewater. Call and ask if you are not sure we reach you.
Usually not. Limbs directly over the work area sometimes need trimming first, and we flag that at the estimate rather than the morning of.
Late spring through fall gives the most reliable weather windows, and shingles seal best in warm temperatures. Winter work is possible, it just takes longer.
Most policies cover sudden storm damage but not wear and tear, which is why dated photos matter. We can meet your adjuster on site.
Architectural asphalt runs 20 to 30 years in this climate, metal and slate far longer. Freeze-thaw and heavy shade pull those numbers down, and our repair versus replacement guide covers what to watch for.
The stain you notice in October is the emergency in February. A free inspection tells you whether you are looking at a flashing repair or a full replacement, and you get photos and a written scope either way.
Get your free estimate or call (215) 977-7663 to have a roofer out to your Princeton property.