By Tiffany Slowinski
Garden State Circle is supported by the businesses that partner with us, and Magnolia Home Remodeling Group, Union is an authority partner. We interviewed Vic Fiore, who leads the company, about the roofing questions homeowners here actually ask. The partnership pays for the reporting; it does not decide the answers. Most of the numbers below are not published anywhere else.
A leak does not automatically mean you need a new roof.
That sounds obvious until water shows up on the ceiling and panic takes over.
Vic Fiore, owner of Magnolia Home Remodeling Group in Union, says one of the first questions Magnolia asks is simple: When was the roof last replaced?
If the roof is relatively new and never leaked before, the shingles may not be the problem at all.
“Many times it’s not from the roof itself. It’s from the chimney. It’s from plumbing vents that run through the roof. It’s from gutters backing up,” Fiore says.
A window sill or siding above the roofline can also send water into a place that looks like a roofing failure.
The lesson is simple. Find the source before you price the replacement. Magnolia will tell you when the answer is not a new roof.
A 10-year-old roof can leak for reasons that are not the roof
Roofs connect to a lot of other parts of a house.
Chimneys interrupt the roof surface. Plumbing vents penetrate it. Gutters have to move water away. Windows and siding above lower rooflines can introduce water from another direction entirely.
That is why Magnolia does not start with the assumption that every leak means tear-off and replacement.
Fiore says if the roof is newer and the actual issue is a gutter problem, chimney flashing or a pipe vent, they say so rather than quote a full roof.
Diagnose the leak. Then decide what the house actually needs.
When replacement is the right job
Magnolia typically installs GAF roofing products.
Fiore says GAF offers a lifetime shingle warranty through the manufacturer for defective product. Fiore says GAF backs its shingles with a manufacturer’s limited warranty against defects. GAF defines “lifetime” as lasting as long as the original owner owns the home, and the full non-prorated coverage period is shorter than the lifetime term.
That is the manufacturer’s term.
When the roof itself does need to be replaced, the range depends on the house.
A tear-off roof replacement on a colonial runs $15,000–$25,000 on Magnolia’s jobs in 2026, depending on roof size and complexity.
A typical roof takes about two to three days. Large or more complex roofs take longer.
The process is not just shingles off, shingles on. The roof deck underneath has to be inspected too.
What happens when the plywood is exposed
On a sound house, Fiore says Magnolia may replace one to three sheets of plywood.
On a house that has leaked, that can become five to 10 sheets.
On a 100-year-old house built with plank boards, the entire surface may need attention.
The important part is how those surprises are handled.
Magnolia’s process is to document the condition with pictures and show the homeowner what was found.
“We’re not going to start changing significant amounts of plywood or doing work on the home until they understand it and approve it,” Fiore says.
That keeps the hidden condition from turning into an unexplained number at the end of the job.
The five places to look before assuming the roof failed
Fiore’s list starts with the roof, but it does not end there.
Before deciding the whole roof needs replacement, look at:
- The chimney and its flashing
- Plumbing vents through the roof
- Gutters that may be backing up
- Window sills above the affected roofline
- Siding above the roofline
A leak can travel.
The place where water appears inside is not always directly below the place where water got in.
That is why the age of the roof and the leak history matter.
A roof that has been performing well for years and suddenly develops one isolated leak deserves a closer look before the replacement conversation starts.
What a roof replacement actually looks like
If replacement is needed, Magnolia’s process includes the initial inspection and written proposal, followed by a pre-job walkthrough.
Materials, the dumpster and the portable toilet are typically delivered a day or two ahead.
The property is protected with tarps. The old roof is stripped. The roof deck is inspected.
Any additional plywood or rot is documented before extra work is approved.
Then the roof is put back together.
A tear-off roof replacement on a colonial runs $15,000–$25,000 on Magnolia’s jobs in 2026, depending on roof size and complexity.
The typical roof takes about two to three days, with larger or more complicated roofs taking longer.
Start with the source of the water
If the answer is the roof, price the roof.
If the answer is the chimney, gutter, vent, window or siding, fix the thing that is actually failing.
That is a much better use of the estimate.
The roof’s age is only one clue
Fiore asks when the roof was replaced because age helps frame the diagnosis.
A roof that is five, 10 or 15 years into its life and has never leaked before creates a different question than an obviously worn roof that has had repeated problems.
That does not prove the shingles are fine. It tells the contractor where to look first.
Chimney flashing, plumbing vents, gutters, windows and siding can all introduce water around the roof system. If one of those is the source, replacing otherwise serviceable shingles does not address the real problem.
That is also why Fiore’s list is useful for homeowners. You do not need to diagnose the leak yourself. You do need to expect the inspection to look beyond the shingles before the conversation jumps to full replacement.
Pricing ranges in this article are Magnolia Home Remodeling Group’s 2026 estimates for its own jobs. Actual pricing depends on the scope, products, site conditions and selections. A written proposal governs the final scope and price.
About This Article
This article is produced by Garden State Circle and is part of our local guide to roofing contractors serving the Somerset Hills.
Written by Tiffany Slowinski, Co-Owner, Garden State Circle. Figures were provided by Magnolia Home Remodeling Group · Profile, Union and reflect this market in October 2026.
Also from this reporting: What a Kitchen Remodel Actually Costs in Somerset County in 2026, What a Bathroom Remodel Costs in Somerset County in 2026, and Why the Old House Can Cost More, What Happens After You Sign With a Remodeler: A Magnolia Job, Step by Step, Replacement Windows: How the Order Actually Works, and What Andersen 200 Costs Installed in 2026 and A Ground-Up Deck: Why There’s an Architect at Your Kitchen Table, and What It Costs in 2026.
Earlier reporting on Magnolia Home Remodeling Group: What Should Be in a Roofing or Siding Contract in Montgomery Township in 2026?, How Much Does a Roof Replacement Cost in Warren in 2026?, What Can Be Hiding Under Old Siding in Somerville in 2026?, What Do Replacement Windows Cost in Bridgewater in 2026?, What Does a Composite Deck Cost in Basking Ridge in 2026? and How Much Does New Siding Cost in Basking Ridge in 2026?. Further reading: Built to Gather, City Lifestyle’s October 2026 feature on Magnolia Home Remodeling Group.
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