Thornwood started as Lewis Smadback's development in 1891 and was briefly an incorporated village, first as Sherman Park in 1906 and then as Hillside in 1909, before dissolving in 1914 and taking its current name. Marble Avenue is named for the white marble quarry that operated from 1845 until the mid-1980s and supplied stone for St. Patrick's Cathedral. The Town Center shopping center now sits over the filled quarry pit.
Because the village dissolved, Thornwood today is an unincorporated hamlet of about 1.12 square miles. Roofing permits go to the Town of Mount Pleasant Building Department in Valhalla, and the town also has an Architectural Review Board. The housing is mostly single-family, on neighborhood lots with mature trees rather than deep woods, sitting at about 269 feet above sea level.
A hamlet of single-family homes on older lots
Thornwood grew out of its 1890s subdivision into a neighborhood of mostly single-family homes around the Marble Avenue corridor and the old station area on Commerce Street. Houses here were built and re-roofed over many decades, so we often find older roofs that have been covered over rather than torn off.
What to plan for on a Thornwood roof
Counting the layers
On older Thornwood houses it is common to find a second layer of shingles nailed over the first. New York code does not allow a new roof over two or more existing layers, and even with one layer, a tear-off lets us inspect the deck and lets Jersey Roofing install proper ice-barrier membrane at the eaves. We count the layers at the edge and in the attic and put the number in your report.
Deck repair after tear-off
When old layers come off, decking that has stayed damp under them is often soft, especially near the eaves and around chimneys. Jersey Roofing's crew walks the bare deck before any underlayment goes down and replaces sections that flex or will not hold a nail. Your report explains how Jersey Roofing handles deck repair so there are no surprises during the job.
Street trees and gutters
Thornwood's lots are not heavily wooded, but mature neighborhood trees still fill gutters and valleys each fall. Clogged gutters back up meltwater and help ice dams form during Westchester's 25 to 50 inches of yearly snow. Jersey Roofing's crew cleans and checks gutters during the replacement, and we can suggest guards if one tree is doing most of the damage.
Roof permits in Thornwood
- Office
- Town of Mount Pleasant Building Department
- Phone
- (914) 742-2305
- Website
- mtpleasantny.com
Thornwood is unincorporated, so the Town of Mount Pleasant issues roofing permits from 1 Town Hall Plaza in Valhalla; Jersey Roofing files it for you.
The roof systems installed in Thornwood
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 Thornwood
- Marble Avenue corridor