Proudly Serving Collingswood, Camden County
Roofing, Siding, Windows & Doors in Collingswood, NJ
Get Your Free Estimate in CollingswoodCollingswood's Haddon Avenue renaissance sits inside a borough of gorgeous 1910s and 1920s housing stock, and that combination is exactly why exterior work here calls for a crew that respects the architecture. Nearly half the homes in the borough went up before 1939. When we replace a roof, reside a twin, or set new windows into a craftsman bungalow off Collings Avenue, the job is to make the house perform like it was built this decade without making it look like it was.
Collingswood, Block by Block
Most of the borough went up between 1900 and 1930, after the streetcar line along Haddon Avenue to Camden opened the town to Philadelphia commuters, and Collingswood still reads that way. The forty and fifty foot lots that were platted for "The Town Beautiful" filled in through the 1910s and 1920s with Victorian twins, craftsman bungalows, foursquares, colonials and rowhomes, plus a run of Tudor-influenced houses from the 1920s through the 1940s. Each of those styles asks something different of a roofer or a siding crew, so we walk every job by block, not by zip code.
The Residential Historic District off Haddon Avenue
The Residential Historic District holds contiguous enclaves of Queen Anne, parkside and bungalow houses, most of them built between 1910 and 1930 on the blocks that step back from Haddon Avenue. This is where original slate, cedar shake, box gutters and deep porch overhangs are still common. On these streets we lean toward architectural shingle lines that read like slate from the sidewalk, siding profiles and trim that match the original reveal, and window grid patterns chosen from the house itself rather than from a catalog.
Around Knight Park and the Newton Lake side
The blocks around Knight Park and down toward Newton Lake carry a lot of foursquares and craftsman bungalows with wide eaves, exposed rafter tails and low-slope porch roofs. Wide eaves mean long runs of soffit and fascia that need proper ventilation once a new roof goes on, and porch roofs almost always need membrane rather than shingle. Water off the lake side of town and the mature street trees in the park blocks also make algae-resistant shingles and ice and water shield at the eaves a practical choice rather than an upgrade.
The Cuthbert Boulevard and White Horse Pike edges
Along Cuthbert Boulevard, Browning Road and the White Horse Pike, the housing runs a little later and a little more varied, with 1920s to 1950s colonials and Cape Cods mixed among the twins. These homes tend to have simpler rooflines and are often the best candidates in Collingswood for full vinyl or fiber cement siding replacement, since there is less original detail to protect and more square footage to insulate.
Roofing in Collingswood
Historic materials, slate roofs, box gutters and knob-height chimneys need a crew that respects the architecture, so we start by walking the roof and the attic before we quote anything. On the pre-war housing that defines the borough, that walk usually turns up one or two of the same things: original plank decking that needs selective replacement, box gutters that were lined decades ago and are now taking on water at the seams, and flashing at party walls and chimneys that was last touched when the shingles were.
For most Collingswood homes we install Owens Corning or CertainTeed architectural shingles, with algae-resistant lines under the street trees and ice and water shield run past the code minimum at eaves, valleys and every wall intersection. Low-slope porch and rear addition roofs get a proper membrane system, not shingles laid where they will fail. Where a home has slate worth keeping, we tell you that too, and repair rather than replace.
Siding in Collingswood
The character of Collingswood's housing, craftsman bungalows, foursquares and Victorian twins with slate, cedar and original details, means siding is rarely just a wrap job. On the historic district blocks the goal is to match the original exposure and trim depth so the house keeps its proportions, which is where CertainTeed's shake, scallop and clapboard profiles earn their place.
Beyond the historic blocks, full siding replacement is one of the highest return projects in the borough because so many homes still carry original wood or a first-generation vinyl job from the 1980s with no insulation behind it. We remove the old cladding, address any rot in the sheathing, add a proper weather barrier and insulation board where the wall allows it, and finish with a CertainTeed vinyl or fiber cement system with color-matched trim, soffit and fascia so the whole exterior reads as one job rather than three.
Window Replacement in Collingswood
Older twins and rowhomes here often still carry drafty originals, sometimes fifty years old, that bleed heat and sweat every winter. Replacing them is the single biggest comfort upgrade most Collingswood homeowners can make, and it is also the one where the wrong window does the most damage to a historic facade.
We install ProVia replacement windows sized to the existing openings, with grid patterns, exterior colors and trim profiles chosen to match what the house had. Double-hung units for the twins and foursquares, casements where a bungalow's original casements are past saving, and picture or bay configurations where the front room was built for one. Every unit is sealed and flashed into the existing frame properly, which on plaster-and-lath walls is most of the work.
Entry Doors in Collingswood
The right entry door lifts the whole front of a house, and Collingswood's craftsman bungalows and Victorian twins reward it more than most. ProVia builds the fiberglass and steel entry systems we install, and their craftsman panel layouts, divided glass patterns and stained wood grain finishes were made for exactly these porches.
Because so many doors here sit under a deep porch roof or inside a vestibule, we pay particular attention to the threshold, the sidelights and the storm door pairing, since that is where water and drafts get in on an older frame. A same-size replacement into the existing opening is usually straightforward; when the opening itself has settled, we tell you before we order the door.
Collingswood Neighborhoods and Zip Codes We Work In
Collingswood is a compact borough of under two square miles, so we cover every block of it. The areas below are how homeowners describe where they live to us, and what tends to define the exterior work on each.
That covers Haddon Avenue and the Commercial Historic District, the Residential Historic District blocks, Knight Park and the park blocks, the Newton Lake side of town, Collings Avenue, Browning Road, Cuthbert Boulevard, the White Horse Pike corridor, Near the PATCO station and the Scottish Rite Auditorium blocks.
The borough's zip code is 08108. We also work the adjoining blocks of Oaklyn, Haddon Township, Haddonfield, Woodlynne and Camden that share Collingswood's housing stock and street trees, and the links below take you to each.
Permits and the Borough Construction Office
Roofing, siding and window replacement in Collingswood fall under the Building subcode, and the Construction Office at Borough Hall, 678 Haddon Avenue, issues the permit and schedules the inspection. The office is open weekdays from 9am to 4:30pm and encourages homeowners to call ahead to confirm whether a given job needs a permit. Same-size storm window and storm door replacements are among the ordinary maintenance items that do not.
We pull the permit, coordinate the inspection and close it out as part of the job, so none of that is your homework. If your house sits inside the Residential Historic District, it is worth asking the office whether the exterior change needs any review before it needs a permit, and we will help you frame that question.
Collingswood Questions We Hear
Can you keep the original look of a 1920s bungalow or Victorian twin?
That is where our consultations start. Trim profiles, shake and scallop accents, door glass patterns, window grids and exterior colors can all be selected to sit comfortably on a pre-war house. The goal is a home that looks like it was always meant to have this roof and these windows, not one that announces a renovation from the sidewalk.
What do you put on roofs under Collingswood's street trees?
Algae-resistant architectural shingle lines from Owens Corning or CertainTeed, ice and water shield run past the code minimum at eaves and valleys, and a real look at the gutters, because leaf load on the park blocks and the Newton Lake side is heavy every fall.
Do you work on the twins and rowhomes?
Constantly. Shared walls mean shared rooflines, party-wall flashing, low-slope membrane tie-ins and gutters that have to drain across two properties. We handle the coordination with the neighbor where the roof detail requires it.
Do you handle borough permits?
Yes. Permits and inspections through the Construction Office at 678 Haddon Avenue are part of the job, not your homework.
My house is in the historic district. Does that change anything?
It changes what we recommend before it changes what is allowed. We steer toward profiles, colors and glass patterns that suit the district, and we will help you check with the borough whether your specific exterior change needs a review step ahead of the permit.
Is it worth replacing slate, or should it be repaired?
If the slate itself is sound and the failure is at the flashing, valleys or a handful of broken pieces, repair is usually the right answer and we will say so. When the slate is delaminating across the field or the decking underneath is failing, replacement with a slate-look architectural shingle is the honest recommendation.
What about the box gutters on older homes?
Box gutters built into the eave are common on the historic blocks and they are a frequent source of hidden rot. We inspect and reline them as part of a roofing job where they are worth saving, and convert to a properly sized hung gutter where they are not.
How long does a typical Collingswood job take?
A roof on a twin or bungalow is usually a matter of days once materials are on site, siding runs longer depending on the amount of trim and repair, and a full window replacement is often done in a day or two. 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
Talk to us before your next exterior project in Collingswood, the estimate is free, the number is (609) 623-5523, and we are glad to meet you at the house to look at the roof, the siding or the windows before we put a number on anything.