Bensalem Quality Roofing brings more than 20 years of work to roofing in Woodbury, and a large share of the storm calls we take on this side of the Delaware begin with a limb or a whole tree that came down onto a house. When that happens, the first question is not which shingle to buy. It is whether the framing under the roof is still carrying its load.
Our approach to a storm-struck roof starts inside. We look at the attic as well as the roof surface, so we can see where water and daylight are actually getting through and whether any rafter has cracked or shifted. Only then do we put a price on paper, and we tell you plainly whether the roof can be repaired before replacement is ever mentioned.
New Jersey houses are written to New Jersey rules, not to the Pennsylvania rules we work under at home in Bensalem. Contracts, permits and sales tax are handled differently on each side of the river, and we check the requirements of the municipality the house sits in before a job is priced. What follows covers what a fallen tree does to a roof here and how we put one back together.
June 23, 2015: The Evening Storm and the Elm Street Tree
What the Storm Did to Woodbury
The severe thunderstorms that crossed Gloucester County on the evening of June 23, 2015 reached Woodbury with real force. CBS Philadelphia reported that night that wires were down throughout all of Woodbury. Downed wires on that scale usually mean downed limbs as well, and limbs are what end up on roofs.
The National Weather Service office at Mount Holly later confirmed a macroburst, a burst of straight-line wind, near East Greenwich Township at about 5:55 that evening, with an estimated maximum wind of 85 mph. It moved east through Mantua, Washington Township and Sicklerville. The same office listed a 72 mph gust at Philadelphia International Airport that day.
The House on Elm Street
On Elm Street a tree was uprooted and fell into a house, taking out part of the roof. The trunk came down on a Cadillac in the driveway and damaged a Jeep parked beside it, and the homeowners had to leave the house that night. Neighbors told reporters the family had been preparing to sell.
That one house is the only Woodbury roof damage from the storm we have found on record. No National Weather Service report was filed under the city itself, and no wind speed was measured or estimated here. The wind figures above belong to East Greenwich and the airport; the Elm Street roof is the local evidence of what a falling tree can do.
Why a Tree Strike Is a Different Kind of Damage
Wind that lifts shingles leaves a surface problem. A trunk that lands on a house drops its whole weight onto a few feet of roof at once, and that load goes straight through the shingles and underlayment into the decking and rafters below. Patching the hole on top without looking underneath leaves the real damage in place.
We treat any roof where a trunk or major limb has landed as a framing job until the attic proves otherwise. That framing concern is our inference from how tree strikes behave, not a finding from an inspection of any particular Woodbury house. Every roof is judged on what we actually see once we are inside it.
Looking for roofing closer to Hatfield Township? See Roofing Services in Hatfield Township.
Rafters, Decking and the Hole: Structural Roof Repair
Opening Up the Damaged Area
Once the tree is off the house, we cut back the damaged roofing to sound material on every side of the hole. That usually means removing shingles and underlayment well past the visible break, because cracked decking and split rafters rarely stop where the surface damage does. The goal is to see every board that took load.
From the attic we check each rafter in the strike zone for cracks, splits, twisting and pulled nails at the ridge and the wall plate. A rafter that bent under load and sprang back can look straight from below and still be broken along its grain. We mark what has to be replaced, sistered or left alone before any new material goes on.
Decking, Photographed Before It Is Replaced
Broken or soaked roof sheathing is cut out and replaced with new decking fastened to sound framing. We photograph damaged boards once the old roof is off and show them to you before they come out, and the price per sheet is already written into the contract. You never learn about extra decking from the final invoice.
Around the replaced section we lay new underlayment, with self-adhering ice and water barrier along the eaves, in the valleys and over any seam where old and new decking meet. Step and counter flashing that a tree has bent is replaced rather than straightened and reused, and the same goes for drip edge along a damaged eave or rake.
Repair or Replacement, Answered Straight
A tree strike does not automatically mean a whole new roof. If the rest of the roof is sound and the shingles can be matched closely enough, a structural repair with a new section of roofing is often the honest answer, and we say so before replacement comes up. Where the roof was already near the end of its life, we explain why tying new work into it may not last.
Either way, our written scope lists tear-off, decking, underlayment, flashing, ventilation and gutters as separate lines. That lets you compare our estimate with another contractor’s item by item instead of guessing at what a single lump sum includes. It also gives you a clear record of what the storm cost the house.
Wires Down, Power Out: Making a Roof Safe Before It Is Fixed
Stay Clear of Lines Tangled in the Tree
When wires are down across a street, as they were throughout the city that night, a tree resting on a roof may also be resting on a service line. Stay well back, keep everyone out of the yard near the wires, and report the line to the electric utility and emergency services. No roofer belongs on that house until the line is confirmed dead or cleared.
The same caution applies indoors. If water is coming through a ceiling near light fixtures or outlets, shut off that circuit at the panel if it is safe to reach, and keep away from sagging drywall that may be holding water. A ceiling bulging under a roof hole can come down without warning.
Getting the Tree Off and the House Dried In
Lifting a trunk off a roof is work for a tree crew with the right rigging, and we coordinate with them so the roof is not damaged further as the weight comes off. Once the tree is clear, we cover the opening with a temporary dry-in, fastening sheeting over the hole and battening it so wind cannot peel it back before the permanent repair.
If the framing is badly broken, temporary bracing may be needed inside before the roof can safely carry anyone. A family that has had to leave the house, as the one on Elm Street did, mostly wants to know when they can come home, and a sound dry-in is the first step toward that answer.
Photos for Your Own Claim
Before anything is repaired, we photograph the tree, the hole, the attic framing and the interior damage, then write it up so you have a record for your own insurance claim. If you ask, our crew will meet your adjuster on site and walk through what we found.
What we do not do is negotiate the claim or tell you what your policy will pay. That conversation is between you and your insurer. Our part is to describe the damage accurately and price the repair clearly, so the documentation stands on its own.
Old Shade Trees Over Woodbury Roofs
An Old City With Old Trees
Woodbury was founded in 1683 by Henry Wood, a Quaker, and it is the county seat of Gloucester County. Its housing stock is old: of 4,718 units in the American Community Survey 2024 five-year estimates, 1,631 (34.6%) were built in 1939 or earlier and 2,523 (53.5%) before 1950. Only 191 units date from 2000 or later.
Older neighborhoods often carry mature shade trees planted close to the houses, with limbs that now reach out over the roof. Those trees give a street much of its character, and they are also the weight hanging over a roof every time a summer storm comes through. A house under them deserves a closer look than one on an open lot.
What We Look For Under Overhanging Limbs
On a house under big trees, we check the roof for the slow damage branches cause long before the dramatic kind ever happens. Limbs rubbing the shingles wear away the granules, leaves and twigs pack valleys and gutters, and shade keeps some sections damp long after the sun has dried the rest. Each of those shortens a roof’s life.
In the attic we look for stained decking under the shaded sections and check rafters that may have taken earlier limb strikes. Gutters under trees are sized and pitched with the roof so they can carry what a storm drops into them, and we can point out where a limb near the roof is worth raising with a tree service.
Historic District Roofs After a Storm
Part of the city lies within the Woodbury Historic District, where exterior changes visible from a public street, sidewalk, alley or way are reviewed by the Woodbury Historic Preservation Commission and approved by the Planning/Zoning Board through a Certificate of Appropriateness. For a roof, the application asks for the manufacturer and color of the material, a brochure or shingle sample, and photos of the existing roof.
The city’s instructions also say emergency roof repairs are permitted and can be expeditiously approved by the commission, which matters after a tree strike. The commission recommends roofing in the style and period of the structure, and we confirm whether a house sits in the district before we plan its permanent repair.
Daily Cleanup on a Tree-Damaged Lot
A storm repair leaves more debris than an ordinary re-roof: broken boards, torn shingles, bent flashing and splintered wood from the tree itself. At the end of each work day we clean the driveway, yard and gutters, and run a magnet sweep for roofing nails before we leave. A family moving back in should not be stepping on nails in their own yard.
- 20+ Years Experience
- Attic Checked on Every Leak
- Itemized Written Scopes
