Ewing was farmland and small hamlets until the 20th century. One hamlet, Birmingham, became West Trenton, and from the early 1900s the township grew as a suburb of Trenton. Growth accelerated when General Motors opened a plant in 1938, and new neighborhoods such as Glendale and Fernwood grew up around it; the township's population nearly tripled between 1930 and 1940, to 10,146. From 1953 to 1997 the Naval Air Warfare Center Trenton occupied 528 acres on Parkway Avenue.
West Trenton's twins
West Trenton is a neighborhood of semi-attached twins and detached single-family houses, built from the early 1900s through the 1950s. Twins raise roofing questions that detached houses do not:
- Two owners, one roof. Each half is usually replaced when its owner decides, so the center line becomes a seam between old and new.
- Matching. New shingles rarely match a neighbor's older roof exactly. Some neighbors agree on a color together.
- The center joint. The roofer must weave or flash the new half into the old so water cannot get between them.
- Permits. Twins are attached houses, which matters under New Jersey's permit rules. See roof permits in New Jersey.
Postwar Ewing
Beyond West Trenton, much of Ewing was built in the decades around World War II. Capes, ranches and split-levels make up much of it, and their replacements follow the asphalt shingle approach, with attention to ventilation in small attics.
Shared walls, shared interests. If your twin's other half is also due, ask the roofer whether both can be scheduled together. One crew, one seam done right.
Need a new roof in Ewing? Call a roofer who works there.
Mon–Fri 8:30 am – 7 pm, Sat 9 am – 4 pm ET
Questions & answers
I own half of a twin. Can I replace just my side of the roof?
Yes, it is common. The roofer has to tie the new roof into your neighbor's old one at the center line, and the two roofs will look different until the other side is replaced. Coordinating with your neighbor to do both at once gives the cleanest result.
Does a twin count as a detached house for permits?
No. A twin is attached, so New Jersey's re-roofing permit exemption for detached one- and two-family houses may not apply. Check with Ewing's construction office before work begins.