Borough Park was built up mostly in the 1910s and 1920s: attached and semi attached brick two family houses on the streets from the 40s through the 60s, some older frame houses, and apartment buildings along 13th Avenue and New Utrecht. Instead of moving, many owners here build. Over the last thirty years a great many houses have been enlarged, a full floor added on top or the back pushed out to the lot line. Walk almost any block and the roof line jumps up and down from house to house.
Every one of those jumps changes the roof next to it. A roof that used to run level with its neighbor now ends at a brick or block wall a story taller. If the flashing at the base of that wall was never done, or was done from the other side only, water runs down the new wall and straight under the old roof edge. The taller house also has to drain somewhere, and too often its leader lets out onto the lower roof instead of into a proper drain. That is a steady stream hitting one spot every time it rains, and it wears through a flat roof in a few years.
So on a Borough Park call we look up before we look down. Where is the water coming from, whose wall is it, and where does the neighbor's leader end? Fixing the leak usually means new counterflashing into the taller wall and a membrane turned up behind it, plus a talk with the neighbor about extending their leader to the drain. If you are the one building the addition, we can roof it and flash it into both neighbors so the problem never starts. Your architect and general contractor handle the DOB side of the enlargement.
We schedule around the community's calendar. We schedule jobs around Shabbat and Yom Tov. Before Pesach and before Sukkot everybody wants their roof done at once, so call a few weeks ahead. We work 13th Avenue, 16th Avenue, 18th Avenue, Fort Hamilton Parkway, New Utrecht Avenue and the numbered streets from 40th to 65th, plus the blocks toward Ocean Parkway.
What we actually see in 11219, 11204 and 11218: lower roofs butting into a neighbor's new third floor with no flashing, leaders from taller houses emptying onto the roof next door, worn spots and ponding right under those leaders, parapets cracked where old and new brick meet, and flat roofs that have not been redone in more than 25 years.
📞 Serving Borough Park, Brooklyn and all surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods. Call (516) 713-9199 for a free estimate.
Q: My neighbor added a floor and now my roof leaks. Who pays for the repair?
A: It depends on what caused it, and we tell you plainly what we find. If the flashing at the base of their new wall was never installed, or their leader is emptying onto your roof, that came with their work. If your old roof was already worn out, that part is yours. We write up what we see with photos so the two of you can settle it, and we can price both sides.
Q: Water from the house next door pours onto my roof. What can be done?
A: The fix is to carry that water to a drain instead of letting it land on your roof. Usually that means extending the neighbor's leader across or down to a proper outlet, and patching the worn area underneath. It needs the neighbor's agreement, since the leader is theirs. Until then, a walkway pad or extra membrane layer under the outlet slows the damage.
Q: We are adding a third floor. Can you do the roof on the addition?
A: Yes. We roof the new floor and, just as important, flash it into the roofs on both sides so neither neighbor ends up with a leak. Bring us in before the walls go up so we can plan how it meets each neighbor's roof. Your architect and general contractor handle the plans and DOB permits for the enlargement itself.
Q: Do you schedule around Shabbat and Yom Tov?
A: Yes. We plan the work days around Shabbat and Yom Tov. If a roof is open when a holiday is coming, we make sure it is fully closed and watertight before we leave.
Q: What does a flat roof replacement cost on a Borough Park house?
A: A new flat roof on a typical attached two family house here runs about $9 to $18 per square foot, $13,500 to $27,000 on a 1,500 square foot roof, old roofing stripped to the deck. Flashing into a taller neighbor's wall, rebuilt parapets, or several old layers coming off push it toward the top. You get a written price after we have been up there.
Q: Which ZIP codes do you cover in Borough Park?
A: All of Borough Park in 11219, 11204 and 11218, plus Kensington, Midwood, Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights. For an active leak call (516) 713-9199.
MLM Construction Group works out of 1717 Avenue P in Brooklyn, NY 11229. Borough Park is inside our regular service area, so estimates and emergency calls there are handled by the same crew, not subcontracted out.
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