Asphalt shingles
Asphalt shingle roofing for North Jersey homes
4.9 stars on Google60+ reviewsFamily-owned12 years of roofing experience
Asphalt shingles cover most homes in our area for good reason. They handle our weather, suit almost any style of house and give the best value per year of service. We install Owens Corning, GAF and other brands.
Shingle types
Which type of shingle is right for your house?
| Type | What it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Architectural (laminated) | Two bonded layers for a thicker, dimensional look. Higher wind ratings than three-tab. The standard choice today. | Almost every home. Best balance of cost, looks and life. |
| Designer / luxury | Heavier shingles shaped to look like slate or wood shake. | Tudors, colonials and larger homes where curb appeal matters most. |
| Impact-rated | Shingles built with a tougher mat or polymer-modified asphalt, tested to the UL 2218 impact standard. | Lots with heavy tree cover where falling limbs and debris are common. |
| Three-tab | A single flat layer. Lighter and lower wind rating. | Matching repairs on older roofs. We rarely recommend it for a new roof. |
Brands
Owens Corning and GAF shingles
We install both of the best-known shingle makers in the country, plus other brands on request.
Owens Corning
The Duration series is the workhorse. Its SureNail strip is a woven fabric band in the nailing zone that gives nails more to grip, and the line carries 130 MPH wind warranty coverage. Duration comes in a wide color range, and there are versions for impact resistance and for more dramatic color blends.
GAF
Timberline HDZ is GAF’s flagship architectural shingle. Its LayerLock system bonds the layers mechanically and gives installers a wide nailing zone, which means more nails land where they should.
Both brands cover their shingles with a manufacturer’s limited warranty. We name the exact product, color and warranty in your written proposal. Shingles are one part of our residential roofing work.
The whole system
Shingles are only one layer of the roof
A shingle roof that lasts is built from the deck up. Every ProTech shingle roof includes:
- Solid decking, with bad boards and plywood replaced
- Metal drip edge at eaves and rakes
- Ice and water barrier at eaves, valleys and every penetration
- Synthetic underlayment, which holds up far better than old felt paper
- Starter strip shingles so the first course seals against wind
- New step flashing, counter-flashing and pipe boots
- Balanced ventilation: intake at the soffits and exhaust at the ridge
- Matching hip and ridge cap shingles
Color
Choosing a shingle color
You will look at this roof for 25 years, so take your time. A few things we have learned:
- Start with what will not change: brick, stone and siding color. Warm brick suits browns and weathered wood tones. Gray, white and blue siding suit charcoal, slate gray and black.
- Look at full shingles outdoors, not small chips or a screen. Color shifts a lot between sun and shade.
- Drive by a finished roof. We can point you to the manufacturer’s color tools and show you photos of roofs we have done in the colors you are considering.
- Dark roofs do not cook your house. With good attic insulation and ventilation, the effect of shingle color on cooling bills is small in our climate.
Job photos
Shingle roofs, from the deck up
Two shingle replacements, shown from the bare deck to the finished roof. Click or tap any set to see it full size.
View this photo set full size (opens in a new tab)Stripped to the original plank deck with the crew at work, then the finished gray architectural shingles. 
View this photo set full size (opens in a new tab)New plywood decking and synthetic underlayment, then the finished charcoal roof seen from two angles.
Questions
Shingle roofing questions
How long do architectural shingles last?
About 20 to 30 years in North Jersey when the roof is installed correctly and the attic is ventilated. Poor ventilation, heavy shade and moss, and foot traffic shorten that.
What are the black streaks on my roof?
Algae. It feeds on the limestone filler in shingles and shows up first on the shaded north side. It is mostly a cosmetic problem. Algae-resistant shingles have copper-bearing granules that slow it down for years.
What is the difference between Owens Corning and GAF?
Both make excellent shingles, and installation quality matters more than the logo on the wrapper. The differences are mostly in the nailing-zone design, the color lines and the warranty terms. We will show you samples of both.
Does my attic ventilation matter?
A great deal. A hot, damp attic bakes shingles from below, feeds ice dams in winter and can void parts of the shingle warranty. We check intake and exhaust on every job and fix it as part of the roof.
Related services
See shingle samples at your house
We bring full-size samples so you can hold them up against your siding and brick.