Garfield is a dense, walkable Bergen County city on the east bank of the Passaic River, just over the bridge from Passaic, with a population around 32,000 packed into roughly 2.1 square miles — one of the more tightly built towns in the county. That density shows up on the rooftops: narrow lots, near-attached walls, and a housing mix that runs from early-1900s mill-era worker homes near the river to a heavy post-WWII single-family and two-family build-out. A good share of the housing stock is pre-war, and plenty of those original cedar-shake roofs were converted to asphalt decades ago and are now on their second or third asphalt life. The older, lower-lying homes sit on the west side near the Passaic River and along the Outwater Lane corridor. The simpler post-war streets are clean ranch and split-level rooflines that make ideal candidates for an architectural-shingle upgrade. We're Zubar Roofing & Exterior Systems, a family-run residential roofing contractor based in Clifton, a few miles southwest, and Garfield is one of the towns we work most regularly. We do the full range here: full-tear-off roof replacement and new roofs, leak repair and emergency tarping, architectural shingle work, flat and low-slope membrane roofs on the older two- and three-families and porch additions, and storm and insurance work after the wind and wet snow come through the lower Passaic River basin. Whether you own a single-family off Belmont Avenue or a brick-veneer two-family near the river, we've roofed your kind of building before, and the written, itemized estimate is always free.
Housing in Garfield
Mix of post-war single-family and two-families across most of the city. The houses near the Passaic River and around Outwater Lane tend to be the oldest — many original cedar-shake roofs were converted to asphalt 30-40 years ago and are now on their second or third asphalt life. The post-WWII streets (Ray, Lanza, Marsellus) are simpler ranch and split-level designs that are great candidates for an architectural shingle upgrade.
What we most commonly find on Garfield roofs
- Old converted shake-to-asphalt roofs at end of life
- Asbestos shingles on pre-1980 homes (we don't remove asbestos but we coordinate with abatement companies)
- Failed chimney flashing on brick-veneer two-families
- Inadequate gutter capacity on small-roof, narrow-lot houses
Roof Replacement & New Roofs in Garfield
When a Garfield roof is genuinely past repair, we do a full tear-off down to the deck, replace any rotted or delaminated sheathing, and install a complete modern system — ice-and-water shield at the eaves and valleys, synthetic underlayment, proper intake and ridge ventilation, and architectural shingles. The roofs we replace most here are the converted shake-to-asphalt jobs near the Passaic River and along the Outwater Lane corridor, many now on their second or third asphalt life and finally aging out. On the simpler post-war streets — the ranch and split-level grid through Belmont and Plauderville — replacement is often the moment to step up from old three-tab to a heavier architectural shingle that lays cleaner and lasts longer. Every replacement is quoted in writing, line by line, with no published flat rate, because the right number depends on your specific roof.
What actually drives the cost of a Garfield replacement is the roof itself: the square footage and pitch, how cut-up the roofline is with valleys and dormers, the number of chimneys and penetrations to flash, the condition of the decking once we tear off, the material tier you choose, and how much room a crew gets to stage on a tight city lot. On the narrow-lot homes here, access and staging are a real factor — we plan around the lot, the neighbor's wall, and the street rather than guessing. We're certified with GAF, Owens Corning, and CertainTeed, which lets us register the enhanced manufacturer system warranties most one-off roofers can't, and we back our own labor with a 10-year transferable workmanship warranty in writing.
A straightforward shingle replacement on a detached one- or two-family home often moves quickly through the local process, but the moment a job adds new decking or framing, dormers, or skylights — or it's a three-family, multi-family, or commercial roof — the permitting picture changes, and with so many two- and three-families in Garfield that comes up often. We confirm with Garfield's construction office and pull whatever applies before we start. We carry NJ HIC #13VH14090300.
Roof Repair & Leak Repair in Garfield
Most of what we get called for in Garfield is repair, not replacement — and we'd rather fix a roof than sell you one you don't need. We chase down active leaks, re-flash chimneys and sidewalls, replace cracked pipe boots and missing or wind-lifted shingles, and seal the failed seams where a flat porch or addition roof ties into the main house. On an active leak we get a properly installed tarp on the roof the same day in most cases — we're only a few miles away in Clifton, right over the Passaic–Garfield bridge — and emergency leak service is available 24/7 at (973) 337-9001.
Older Garfield housing brings a predictable set of problems, and we see them street to street. Failed chimney step-flashing on brick-veneer two-families is near the top of the list — original flashing that's decades overdue and leaking down the chimney chase. Undersized gutters on the narrow-lot houses are another: a small roof dumping into a gutter that can't keep up sends water behind the fascia and down the wall. We also find tired converted shake-to-asphalt roofs that have a few honest years left and just need targeted repair, plus the shared-drainage quirks where one roof plane on a near-attached home sheds onto the next. On the west-side homes near the river and the Outwater Lane corridor, where the ground sits low and the Passaic can rise, keeping flashing, gutters, and low-slope seams watertight matters even more.
One thing we want to be straight about: some older Garfield homes still carry asbestos shingles. We do not remove asbestos. When we run into it, we stop, tell you plainly, and coordinate with a licensed abatement firm to handle that portion properly before we re-roof — we don't cut corners or put anyone at risk to save a step. Whatever the repair, we show you photos of what we found, and the inspection and written estimate are free.
Shingle Roof Contractors Serving Garfield
As shingle roof contractors, we install GAF, Owens Corning, and CertainTeed asphalt systems — including architectural and designer lines like GAF Timberline HDZ, Owens Corning Duration, and CertainTeed Landmark Pro. We're credentialed with all three manufacturers, which means we can register the enhanced system warranties most one-off roofers in Garfield simply can't offer. We match the shingle line and color to the home, whether it's a clean post-war ranch, a split-level through Plauderville, or an older two-family near the river getting its first real architectural-shingle upgrade.
Garfield's post-WWII streets are honestly some of the best shingle candidates around — simple, walkable gable and hip rooflines where a quality architectural shingle goes down fast and clean and reads as a real upgrade over the original three-tab. On the older, more cut-up homes near Outwater Lane and the Midland Avenue corridor, we slow down and detail the valleys, chimneys, and sidewall flashing properly, because that's where these roofs actually leak. For Garfield's climate — hot, humid summers, cold winters, and the freeze-thaw cycles that come with a river city — we install with ice-and-water shield at the vulnerable edges and balanced attic ventilation so the shingles reach the life they're rated for. The 10-year transferable workmanship warranty comes in writing, which matters in a renter-heavy city where a two-family may change hands.
Flat & Low-Slope Roofs in Garfield
A meaningful share of Garfield's roofs aren't shingle roofs at all. The city is renter-heavy and built dense, with a large stock of two- and three-family homes, plus older porch and addition roofs — and a lot of those are flat or low-slope. Those are membrane systems, priced and built completely differently from a pitched shingle roof, and you don't want a crew that treats them as an afterthought. We install and repair welded-seam TPO, EPDM rubber, and modified-bitumen low-slope roofs, and we properly detail the drains, parapets, and the tie-in seam where a flat section meets a pitched main roof — which is exactly where most Garfield flat-roof leaks start.
What a flat or low-slope roof costs here moves with the membrane system you choose, the size of the deck, whether it's a full tear-off or a recover over sound substrate, drainage and ponding issues, and how much access a crew gets on a tight lot — so we survey for all of it before we quote, and we never publish a one-size number. On the older west-side and river-adjacent homes, where low-lying ground and a flood-prone basin put a premium on drainage, we pay close attention to slope-to-drain and seam integrity. Whether it's a back-of-house addition, a porch deck, or a full two-family low-slope roof, we'll tell you honestly whether it needs a repair or a replacement, and the written estimate itemizes every line.
Storm Damage & Insurance Claims in Garfield
Garfield sits in the lower Passaic River basin, a long-recognized flood-prone corridor, and the region takes real weather. Tropical systems have pushed the basin to heavy flooding in recent years, and nor'easters bring high winds and heavy, wet snow that the city's older roofs and exposed ridges take the brunt of. We do free post-storm roof inspections in Garfield, document every bit of damage photo by photo, and meet your adjuster on the roof so legitimate damage isn't under-counted.
We handle the insurance side in plain language and we do it honestly. We never ask for an Assignment of Benefits, and we never waive your deductible — both are improper and illegal in New Jersey, and any contractor offering to is a red flag. We document the scope clearly, explain what we're seeing, and let the claim stand on real, photographed damage rather than inflated paperwork.
If you think wind or storm damage hit your Garfield roof — lifted or missing shingles, displaced flashing, a fresh leak after a blow — get a free inspection before you file. We're a few miles away in Clifton and respond fast across town, from the River Drive corridor to Plauderville and Belmont. Call (973) 337-9001 day or night.
Why we work in Garfield
Three-mile drive. We cross the Passaic-Garfield bridge so often we know the light timing by heart. Easy same-week response on anything from a leak to a full quote.
Familiar landmarks
Garfield City Hall · Outwater Park · Belmont Park · Passaic River frontage
Garfield neighborhoods we roof
We work every corner of Garfield — Plauderville, Belmont, Dundee (Dundee Lake / Dundee Dam area), Outwater Lane corridor, River Drive corridor, Midland Avenue corridor, Passaic Street corridor, and Belmont Avenue corridor — across all 1 ZIP codes (07026).
