Croton-on-Hudson is a village of about 8,300 people (2020 Census), and more than half of its 10.75 square miles is water. It grew first around the Croton dams, which thousands of Irish immigrants built, and later around the Croton-Harmon rail terminal that opened in 1913. Mount Airy, the hill locals once called Red Hill, drew Greenwich Village artists and writers in the early 1900s.
For a roofer, that means a village with layers. Houses in Harmon and on Mount Airy are often more than a hundred years old, while the post-war sections were built in a few years around 1945 to 1947. The roofs on those two kinds of houses fail in different ways, and they need different preparation before new shingles go on.
Harmon, Mount Airy and the post-war valleys
Clifford Harmon laid out Harmon in 1903 as an artists' community; it later filled with railroad workers and commuters. Mount Airy's cottages and retreats date from the same early-20th-century period. Around the Upper Village shopping district you'll find homes of several eras, and GI Valley (about 1945) and the Wolf Road area (1947) followed in the post-war years.
On the older houses we often find board sheathing instead of plywood, and sometimes more than one layer of shingles. On the post-war homes the original framing is usually sound, but attic ventilation was often an afterthought.
What to plan for on a Croton-on-Hudson roof
River wind on the hillsides
Homes on Mount Airy and the upper streets look straight out over the Hudson and take the wind that comes up the river. Jersey Roofing's crews install these roofs to enhanced-wind specs: GAF starter strips at the eaves and rakes, or the Owens Corning Duration system with OC starter and hip and ridge for its 160 mph enhanced wind warranty. Rake edges and ridge caps are where wind damage usually begins.
Tear-off on century-old Harmon homes
Many early-1900s houses in Harmon have been re-roofed more than once. NY code doesn't allow a new layer over two or more existing layers, so a full tear-off is usually required. That also lets Jersey Roofing's crew inspect the original board decking, replace soft or split boards, and close any wide gaps before installing underlayment, so the new shingles have a flat, solid base.
Ventilation in GI Valley and Wolf Road homes
The late-1940s houses in GI Valley and the Wolf Road area often have small attics with few vents. Trapped heat and moisture shorten shingle life and feed ice dams in winter. During a replacement Jersey Roofing's crew adds continuous ridge venting and soffit intake where the eaves allow it, which is also needed for the full GAF or Owens Corning warranty coverage.
Roof permits in Croton-on-Hudson
- Office
- Village of Croton-on-Hudson Building/Engineering Department
- Phone
- (914) 271-4783
- Website
- crotononhudson-ny.gov/engineering/files/building
Croton is an incorporated village, so permits go to the Village at 1 Van Wyck Street rather than the Town of Cortlandt; Jersey Roofing handles the filing.
The roof systems installed in Croton-on-Hudson
Jersey Roofing installs complete GAF and Owens Corning systems: ice and water barrier at the eaves and valleys, synthetic underlayment, starter strips, architectural or designer shingles, matched ridge cap and balanced ventilation. On a qualifying GAF system it can register the Golden Pledge® warranty, and on an Owens Corning system, Platinum Protection. Both include lifetime workmanship coverage. Compare the warranties.
Neighborhoods we serve in and around Croton-on-Hudson
- Harmon
- Upper Village
- Mount Airy
- GI Valley
- Wolf Road area
- Brinton Brook