Proudly Serving Avalon, Cape May County
Roofing, Siding, Windows & Doors in Avalon, NJ
Get Your Free Estimate in AvalonAvalon's dune-backed blocks hold some of the most valuable shore property in New Jersey, and that shapes every exterior project we take on here. The borough sits on the northern half of Seven Mile Island and projects farther east into the ocean than the islands to either side, which is where the slogan comes from and also where the weather comes from. Behind the highest dunes on the southern barrier islands, on finger canals along the Great Sound and on the narrow blocks toward Stone Harbor, the houses are mostly new, mostly elevated and mostly built in the last twenty-five years, and the work is about specifying an envelope that matches what they cost.
Avalon, Block by Block
Seven Mile Beach became a resort in 1887 when the Seven Mile Beach Company laid out Avalon, and three separate communities, Avalon, Peermont and Holiday Beach, seceded from Middle Township, consolidated and incorporated as the borough in 1891. Summer cottages and small hotels filled the beach blocks through the middle of the century, and then the teardown-and-rebuild pattern took over: across the island the older cottages have given way to multi-story elevated homes with performance materials, rooftop decks and generous outdoor living. What we see on a given block depends on which of those eras is still standing.
The High Dunes and the north end
Between roughly 6th and 30th Streets the borough's protected dune system runs high and wide, and the houses behind it sit nestled in the maritime forest of cedar, holly, bayberry and wild cherry, reached by paths that wind through the vegetation to the beach. It feels secluded, and it means salt fog and wind-driven sand rather than open exposure, plus shade and leaf load on the roofs closest to the trees. The borough measures building height on dune lots from the finished grade five feet off the easterly facade, which is one of the details that shapes what a roofline here can do.
The business district and the central blocks
From about 20th to 33rd Streets, around Dune Drive and the shops, the housing is the island's widest mix: new luxury builds beside the surviving traditional shore cottages, on the most walkable blocks in the borough. On the cottages the work is careful, matching the original exposure and trim so the house keeps its proportions; on the new elevated homes it is usually the first replacement of a builder-installed system, and the question is whether to match it or step up to something that will not need doing again.
The south end, the bayfront and the finger canals
Toward the Stone Harbor line the island narrows and the blocks take on a quieter residential feel, with the deeper beaches Seven Mile Island is known for. On the western side, along the Great Sound and the finger canals, homes sit on deep water with docks and open-water exposure from the bay, so wind and salt arrive with nothing to slow them and the flood elevation governs what a rebuild can be. Siding, trim, hardware and fasteners here are chosen for corrosion first and appearance second, and the two are not in conflict when the products are right.
Roofing in Avalon
High-end oceanfront construction deserves matching envelope work: wind-rated systems, stainless fasteners and flashing details that survive salt fog. That is why we spec high-wind architectural shingles from Owens Corning and CertainTeed, a high-wind nailing pattern, a sealed starter course at the eaves and rakes, stainless or coated fasteners, ice and water shield run past the code minimum at eaves, valleys and every wall intersection, and hip-and-ridge from the same system so the roof carries one warranty.
On the elevated new homes the roof is usually a first-time replacement of a builder-grade system that was never specified for this exposure, and the rooftop decks and low-slope sections these houses are built with get a proper membrane rather than shingles laid where they will fail. On the surviving cottages we expect plank decking and flashing that was last touched when the roof was, and we walk the attic before quoting. Behind the High Dunes we add algae-resistant shingles and talk about the trees.
Siding in Avalon
Siding here has to fit the neighborhood, and the large elevated shore homes, most built or rebuilt in the last twenty-five years, set the visual tone. We install CertainTeed vinyl and fiber cement lines over a proper weather barrier, with stainless or coated fasteners, in the shake and clapboard profiles the island's architecture leans on and the cleaner board profiles the newest homes call for, with color-matched soffit, fascia and trim so the exterior reads as one job.
On an elevated home the wall below the flood line is its own conversation: the materials there have to be flood-resistant, and the transition where the living space begins has to be detailed so water sheds out rather than in. Above that line the invisible part matters most: stripping the old cladding, repairing sheathing rot on the ocean- and bay-facing walls, and adding a weather barrier and insulation board where the wall allows.
Window Replacement in Avalon
Salt spray etches glass, corrodes cheap hardware and finds every gap in an old frame; shore windows fail from the outside in. ProVia Aspect and Endure windows solve it: custom-built for each opening, ENERGY STAR certified, with coastal-grade hardware and the double-hung, casement and picture configurations these homes were built around, and grille patterns chosen from the house rather than a catalog.
On the cottages the openings are rarely square and the trim is worth keeping, so each unit is measured individually and flashed and sealed into the existing frame properly. On the new homes the large fixed and casement units facing the ocean and the sound take the most weather and are usually the first to go, and we replace them with units specified for it. A full house is often a single day.
Entry Doors in Avalon
Entry doors here take real weather and real salt air, and a builder-grade slab shows its age fast. ProVia builds every door we hang, Legacy steel, Ascent fiberglass and Signet fiberglass with stained wood grain finishes, in the panel layouts, glass patterns and sidelight configurations that suit a cottage porch as well as an elevated home's stair-top entry.
Because the salt comes off the ocean and the sound both, we pay close attention to the threshold, the sweep, the weatherstripping, the hardware finish and the storm door pairing, since that is where a coastal door fails first. A same-size replacement into the existing opening is usually straightforward; when the frame has settled we tell you before the door is ordered.
Avalon Neighborhoods and Zip Codes We Work In
Avalon is a compact borough and we cover all of it. These are the areas homeowners use to describe where they live.
That covers the High Dunes, the north end, Peermont, the business district around Dune Drive, the central blocks, the south end toward Stone Harbor, the bayfront on the Great Sound, the finger canals, Princeton Harbor, the beach blocks, Ocean Drive and the Townsends Inlet side.
The borough's zip code is 08202. We also work Stone Harbor on the southern half of the island, Sea Isle City across Townsends Inlet and Middle Township across the bay, and the links below take you to each.
Permits, the Flood Zone and the Dunes
Roofing, siding and window replacement in Avalon go through the borough construction office at Borough Hall, 3100 Dune Drive, under the state Uniform Construction Code, and the borough asks that you check with the construction department for a permit before you build on, fill, alter or regrade a property. Elevation information for a lot is available from the same office, and the construction office's inspection sequence includes a floodplain inspection and a final that checks utility elevations, so the flood rules are part of nearly every larger project on the island.
Avalon takes flood standards seriously: in 2020 the borough moved from Class 5 to Class 3 in FEMA's Community Rating System, which gives property owners a 35 percent discount on flood insurance. For a roof, siding or window job on its own the flood rules rarely change the work, but a large combined renovation can cross the substantial-improvement line, and on dune lots the height rule is measured from grade off the easterly facade, so we confirm both with the borough before anything is ordered, pull the permits, coordinate the inspections and close the job out as part of the work.
Avalon Questions We Hear
Our house is only fifteen years old. Why is the roof already failing?
Because a builder-grade system was never specified for this exposure. Ocean and sound both, salt fog, and wind with nothing to slow it will finish an ordinary roof years early. The replacement is specified for the island, and it will not need doing again for a long time.
Our cottage is one of the last on the block. Re-side it or rebuild?
If the structure is sound, a cottage with its original proportions is worth keeping, and a proper roof, siding and windows can carry it another generation. If the decking, framing or foundation is failing, we tell you that plainly rather than sell you siding on a house that should be rebuilt.
Our house is elevated. What is different about siding it?
The wall below the flood line has to use flood-resistant materials, and the transition where the living space starts has to be detailed so water sheds out, not in. Above that line it is a normal coastal siding job with a proper weather barrier and corrosion-resistant fasteners.
We back onto the dunes and the trees. Does that change the roof?
Yes. Shade, leaf load and salt fog rather than open wind. Algae-resistant shingles, proper attic ventilation and clear gutters are the fixes, and we spec the first two into every roof in the High Dunes.
Does the flood insurance discount depend on how we build?
The discount comes from the borough's Community Rating System class, which the whole community earns by holding to higher standards. Your job has to meet those standards for the permit to close, which is part of why we handle the floodplain inspection ourselves.
Why do our windows and door hardware corrode so fast here?
Salt from two directions. It etches glass, eats cheap hardware and finds every gap in an old frame. Coastal-grade hardware, proper flashing into the frame and a storm door pairing that actually seals are what slow it down.
Do you handle the borough permits?
Yes, the building permit through the construction office at Borough Hall, the floodplain inspection and the final, plus the elevation questions that come up on larger projects. It is part of the job, not your homework.
How long does a typical Avalon job take?
A cottage roof is usually a day or two once materials are on site, the larger elevated homes with low-slope sections and rooftop decks can run longer, siding depends on trim and repair, and a full window replacement is often a single day. We give you a schedule at the estimate and hold to it.
Do you offer financing?
Yes. Ask about financing at the estimate and we will walk you through the options before you commit to anything.
Get a Free Estimate
Get a free, no-pressure estimate for your Avalon home: call Legacy Exteriors at (609) 623-5523 or book online, and we will come to you, walk the roof and both exposed walls, and bring samples to your door. Nearby, our crews also serve Stone Harbor, Sea Isle City and Middle Township, and the links below take you to each.