Yes, Ocean Gate is one of the towns we cover closely, just across the river from our Toms River office. Our most common jobs here are roof repairs on small cottages, siding and trim for homes raised after Sandy, and flat or low-slope roofs on porches and additions. Ring us at (732) 419-1462, day or night.
Problems we see most on Ocean Gate homes
With water close by and so many houses rebuilt or raised, a few problems come up again and again around town.
Siding at the old sill line
When a house is lifted, new framing or foundation gets added below the original walls. If the siding joint there isn't flashed well, water runs behind it every time the wind blows rain sideways.
Porch and stair roofs
Raised homes need taller stairs and landings, often covered by small low-slope roofs. Those little roofs pond, and their seams and wall flashing tend to fail early.
Worn cottage roofs
Small older cottages often have thin decks and two layers of shingles. Leaks show up around pipe boots, chimneys and the joint where an addition meets the main roof.
Rusting trim and fasteners
Damp river air works on steel nails and painted wood. Rust streaks, popping nail heads and soft trim boards are common on houses that haven't been updated in years.
A low riverfront town and what the weather does to it
Ocean Gate covers just over half a square mile, and a good share of that is water. The town sits where the Toms River opens toward Barnegat Bay, with Berkeley Township wrapped around its land side. Wind gets a long run across the water before reaching the houses, and nor'easters push the river up toward the streets. Hurricane Sandy wrecked most of the old boardwalk here, while sections that had been rebuilt to newer standards before the storm held up far better.
The housing shows the town's history. The first cottages went up for summer visitors in the early 1900s, and the borough itself was formed in 1918. Many of those small houses were expanded over the years, and after 2012 a lot of them were raised or replaced. That leaves a mix of low, older roofs and taller walls standing in the wind, which means two different sets of weak points on the same street.
How we tackle siding on a raised Ocean Gate home
Lifting a house changes how water and wind hit the walls. This is how we approach re-siding one.
Look at the transition
We start where the old walls meet the new foundation or framing below. That joint, plus the stairs and decks attached to the house, tells us most of what's going wrong.
First visit, about an hourStrip and inspect
Old siding comes off wall by wall, and we check the sheathing for soft spots, especially along the bottom and around windows. Damaged wood is replaced before anything new goes up.
Day 1Wrap and flash
House wrap laps shingle-style from the bottom up, with flashing at the sill line and taped flashing at every window and door. This layer does most of the real waterproofing.
Day 1 to Day 2Hang siding and trim
Wind-rated vinyl or fiber cement goes on with corrosion-resistant fasteners, and PVC or aluminum-capped trim finishes the corners and openings so nothing needs painting soon.
Day 2 to Day 4
Close by when the river rises
Our office on Indian Hill Road is just a short drive from Ocean Gate across the Toms River. When a storm loosens siding or opens a roof, call (732) 419-1462 and we'll send someone to secure it as fast as conditions allow. For lasting fixes, our siding repair and flat roof repair work covers the most common problems in town, and neighbors in Island Heights and Pine Beach see a lot of the same weather.
