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Roofing, Chimney, Siding & Masonry Contractor in Fair Lawn, NJ
NJ Gold Star Construction serves Fair Lawn from our Totowa shop with roof repair and replacement, chimney work, siding, seamless gutters, masonry and decks. Licensed under NJ HIC #13VH13359900, insured, free written estimates, and 24/7 emergency response.
Fair Lawn sits minutes from our Totowa shop, so it is one of our fastest response areas for leaks and storm damage. The borough’s mid-century capes and colonials commonly need gutter resizing and chimney crown repair after decades of freeze-thaw.
Homeowners in Fair Lawn get the same process we use everywhere: a hands-on inspection, a written itemized scope before anything starts, our own crew on site rather than subcontractors, and a satisfaction guarantee on the finished work. We have been doing this in North Jersey for more than 25 years.
If you are comparing quotes in Fair Lawn, call (862) 271-1225 and we will tell you plainly what the work needs — repair when repair is the right answer, replacement when it is not.
What the work includes
- Roof repair, replacement and 24/7 emergency leak response in Fair Lawn
- Chimney repair, repointing, rebuilds, liners and cleaning
- Siding installation and repair — vinyl and fiber cement
- Seamless gutters, guards, screens and cleaning
- Masonry: steps, walkways, patios, sidewalks and retaining walls
- Deck construction, structural repair and restoration
What Fair Lawn's Building Department wants before exterior work starts
Fair Lawn’s Building Department issues permits for roofing, siding, decks, sheds and fences, and its own guidance tells homeowners to bring a copy of their property survey with the permit application for exterior projects. Zoning approval can apply on top of the construction permit depending on the scope.
Fair Lawn separates the two reviews a project can need. The Building Department’s remodeling guidance lists roofing, siding, decks, sheds, fences and additions as work that needs a permit, and specifically asks for a property survey alongside the application for anything built or replaced outside the house. Zoning review is a separate step, handled through a different office, and applies to some but not all of the same projects.
What we take off your plate
- Pulling the construction permit and, where the scope calls for it, coordinating zoning sign-off.
- Producing the itemized written scope the Building Department and your insurer both want to see.
- Scheduling inspections around your schedule, not just ours.
We work through this process on every roof replacement in Fair Lawn. If you are comparing quotes, request a free written estimate and we will walk you through what your project needs.
Radburn's planned-community design and exterior work
Radburn, the garden-city neighborhood built in Fair Lawn beginning in 1928, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005. Its houses were laid out with a street-facing garage side and a shared, pedestrian-facing garden side, a design that homeowners inside the district should weigh before finalizing roofing or siding materials.
Fair Lawn’s own borough site describes Radburn as one of the first modern planned communities in the United States, built starting in 1928. The New Jersey Historic Trust confirms Radburn was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005, and the Trust continues to fund preservation work there, including a historic landscape master plan and restoration of the Howard Avenue underpass.
Before you sign a contract in Radburn
- The Radburn Association maintains its own architectural review for the district — check with them before you lock in roofing color, siding material or fence design.
- Homes here have two visible faces: the street side and the shared garden-court side, so both may be in view of neighbors and common land.
- We are glad to work from whatever the Association approves; we do not skip that step to save time.
Outside Radburn, the same roofing and siding options are open without district review.
Fair Lawn's two river edges and what they mean for drainage
Fair Lawn’s own description of its boundaries places the Saddle River along the borough’s eastern edge, toward Paramus and Rochelle Park, and the Passaic River along its southern and western edge, toward Paterson. Homes near either edge tend to see slower-draining soil after heavy rain than blocks in the borough’s interior.
According to the borough’s About Fair Lawn page, the Saddle River forms the eastern boundary and the Passaic River the southern and western boundary. Two river edges instead of one means more of the borough’s perimeter sits at low elevation relative to its interior. That is a matter of grading and gutter capacity for most homes here, not a reason to avoid any particular material.
Practical steps near either river
- Confirm your gutters and downspouts are sized for the full roof area, not just the original builder’s minimum.
- Route downspout discharge well past the foundation, ideally to daylight or a dry well rather than a splash block at the wall.
- Have a foundation checked for hairline cracking if a wet season leaves persistent dampness in a crawlspace or basement.
We pair gutter sizing with roofing and siding work rather than treating drainage as an afterthought.
Chimney crowns and Fair Lawn's postwar building boom
Fair Lawn’s population grew from about 9,000 in 1940 to roughly 37,000 by 1968 as farmland gave way to single-family capes and colonials, and by 1970 nearly all of the borough’s land was developed. Chimneys built during that boom are now old enough that crown cracking and mortar erosion are routine, not exceptional.
The borough’s own account of its growth, on the About Fair Lawn page, describes the jump from roughly 9,000 residents in 1940 to about 37,000 by 1968, with the land largely built out by 1970. A chimney poured during that wave is now old enough that the concrete crown at the top — the part that sheds rain away from the flue — has typically gone through decades of freeze-thaw cycling.
What crown damage looks like
- Hairline cracks radiating across the crown’s surface.
- Efflorescence, a white mineral residue, on the brick below the crown.
- Water staining on the ceiling near the chimney chase after a hard rain.
We repair and rebuild crowns, and where the top of the chimney needs a full weather cap, our chase cover work pairs with a chimney rebuild when the masonry below the crown has deteriorated too.
Matching siding to Fair Lawn's cape and colonial housing stock
Fair Lawn’s dominant housing types are mid-century capes and colonials, most built before or shortly after 1978, which puts a share of siding and trim work under EPA’s lead-safe renovation rule. The material choice matters less than the water-resistive barrier installed behind it.
| Material | Fits well on | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl | Capes and colonials needing a full reside | No repainting; can fade or crack in direct sun over time |
| Fiber cement | Homes where impact resistance and paintability matter | Repaint on a longer cycle than wood; heavier install labor |
| Wood | Original trim and detail work on older colonials | Regular repainting and caulking to keep water out |
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Solution Center describes the layer behind the visible siding — the drainage plane — as the part of the wall that actually keeps water out, giving any moisture that gets past the siding a sealed path down and away from the sheathing. On a Fair Lawn cape built before 1978, removing old siding can also disturb lead paint, which is why we follow EPA lead-safe practices on qualifying homes. See our full siding installation page for how we handle a full reside.
Gutter sizing under Fair Lawn's mature street trees
Many Fair Lawn blocks were planted with shade trees when the postwar houses went up, and those trees are now mature enough to drop a heavy volume of leaves and seed pods into open gutters every fall. Undersized or unguarded gutters on these streets clog faster than the roof area alone would suggest.
A gutter clogged by a wet mat of leaves does not just overflow at the fascia — it holds water against the roof edge long after the storm passes, which is where ice and rot both start. Our gutter cleaning and gutter guard work in Fair Lawn is sized to the roof and matched to how much canopy sits over each run, not a one-size answer for every block. For background on why a poorly installed system fails early, see our post on signs of improper gutter installation.
Inspect the run
We check gutter size against the roof area it drains and look for sagging hangers or pitch that has settled over the years.
Decide on guards
Where mature canopy drops heavy debris, we discuss whether guards make sense for that specific roof and tree mix.
Clean or replace
Existing gutters get cleared and re-pitched if sound; damaged sections are replaced in seamless aluminum or copper.
Check downspout routing
Downspouts are extended to discharge well clear of the foundation before we call the job done.
Services available in Fair Lawn
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Fair Lawn, NJ service area map
Frequently asked questions
Do you serve Fair Lawn?
Yes. Fair Lawn is part of our regular service area for roofing, chimney, siding, gutter, masonry and deck work.
How fast can you get to Fair Lawn for an emergency?
We answer 24/7 and reach active leaks in Fair Lawn the same day whenever possible, tarping to stop water before the permanent repair is scheduled.
Are you licensed to work in Fair Lawn?
Yes. We hold New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor license #13VH13359900, carry full insurance, and pull permits with your municipality where the work requires them.
Do homes inside Radburn need special approval for roofing or siding work?
Homes in the Radburn section of Fair Lawn fall under the Radburn Association’s own architectural review in addition to the borough’s building permit. We recommend checking with the Association on material and color before finalizing a contract, and we work from whatever they approve.
Does Fair Lawn ask for a property survey with a roofing or siding permit?
Fair Lawn’s Building Department asks homeowners to bring a copy of their property survey along with the completed application for exterior projects such as roofing, siding, decks, sheds and fences. We can help confirm what your specific project needs before the appointment.
Is Fair Lawn near a flood-prone area?
Fair Lawn’s boundaries run along the Saddle River to the east and the Passaic River to the south and west, so homes near either edge can see slower drainage after heavy rain than the borough’s interior. Properly sized gutters and downspout routing matter more for these homes.
How old are most homes in Fair Lawn outside of Radburn?
Most of Fair Lawn was built out during the postwar boom, when the population grew from about 9,000 in 1940 to roughly 37,000 by 1968. That makes typical capes and colonials here old enough that chimney crowns, gutters and original siding are due for attention.
- Thinking Of Remodeling? — Borough of Fair Lawn, NJ
- About Fair Lawn — Borough of Fair Lawn, NJ
- Radburn (funded preservation project) — New Jersey Historic Trust, NJ Department of Community Affairs
- Building Enclosure Science: Intro to Drainage Plane Behind Exterior Wall Cladding — U.S. Department of Energy, Building America Solution Center
- Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Consumers — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Updated September 2026 · Reviewed by Edgar Lopez Gonzalez, owner · NJ HIC #13VH13359900
Licensed & insured. 25+ years in North Jersey. We answer 24/7 for leaks and storm damage.
- Town
- Fair Lawn, Bergen County
- License
- NJ HIC #13VH13359900
- Emergency service
- 24/7 — call (862) 271-1225
- Estimates
- Free, written and itemized