Most of Carroll Gardens is brownstone and brick row houses from the 1860s through the 1880s, Italianate and neo-Grec, two and three stories over a basement. The streets were laid out with the houses set far back behind fenced front yards, and on 1st through 4th Place those yards are deeper still. Along Court and Smith Streets the buildings come up to the sidewalk, with stores and restaurants below and apartments above.
That setback changes how a roof gets done. The dumpster and the truck sit at the curb, a long way from the front wall, with the garden, the iron fence and often somebody's roses in between. We lay a plywood path through the yard, protect the fence and the plantings, and bag the tear-off on the roof so it comes down controlled instead of being dropped over the garden. On some houses it is easier to bring material through the basement hall to the rear yard and up the back wall. We settle that on the first visit, not on the first morning.
Then there is the landmark question, which people get wrong in both directions. The Carroll Gardens Historic District, designated in 1973, covers only Carroll Street and President Street between Smith and Hoyt. On those two blocks, any new roof has to be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, visible or not. A matching roof that stays hidden is the easy kind of application, usually signed off by staff. Outside the district, unless the building is an individual landmark, there is no Landmarks filing for a roof, and we look your house up on the city's landmark map before we quote.
On Smith Street and Court Street the roof problem is often the restaurant downstairs. A kitchen exhaust fan on the roof throws grease, and grease softens asphalt roofing and rubber until it blisters and splits around the fan. Patching it with more of the same does not last. The fix is a grease containment box at the fan and a PVC membrane around it, which stands up to grease far better. We work Court Street, Smith Street, Clinton Street, Henry Street, Hoyt Street, Union Street, President Street, Carroll Street, 1st through 4th Place, Luquer Street and Huntington Street.
What we actually see in 11231: built-up roofs with three and four layers under the current surface, front gardens damaged by an earlier roofer's debris, blistered and split roofing around restaurant exhaust fans on Smith Street, rear walls with washed out mortar at the roof line, and owners on the landmarked blocks who replaced a roof without the permit.
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Q: Is my house in the Carroll Gardens Historic District?
A: Only if it is on Carroll Street or President Street between Smith and Hoyt. That is the whole designated district. If you are on those blocks, roof work needs a Landmarks permit even when the roof cannot be seen, and hidden like for like work is normally approved at staff level. Anywhere else in Carroll Gardens, unless the building is an individual landmark, there is no Landmarks filing for a roof. We confirm it against the map before pricing.
Q: We have a deep front garden. How do you keep it from getting wrecked?
A: We plan it before the crew shows up. A plywood path goes through the yard, the fence and plants get covered, and the old roofing is bagged on the roof and lowered, never thrown. When the garden is too tight, we bring material through the basement to the rear yard instead. If anything gets damaged, we fix it.
Q: There is a restaurant downstairs and the roof keeps failing around its exhaust fan. Why?
A: Grease. The fan blows it onto the roof, and it breaks down asphalt roofing and rubber membranes until they blister and crack. Another patch of the same material will fail again. We install a grease containment box at the fan and PVC membrane around it, which resists grease. The restaurant should also be cleaning the filters and the box on a schedule.
Q: My block is not landmarked. Do I still need any approval to replace the roof?
A: Not from Landmarks, unless the building is an individual landmark. The work still has to meet the NYC building and energy codes, which usually means a light colored reflective surface, and depending on the roof, added insulation. If you have a co-op or condo board, they will want the contract and insurance certificate first.
Q: How much is a new roof on a Carroll Gardens row house?
A: Expect $13,500 to $27,000 on a typical 1,500 square foot roof here for a new flat roof with the old layers removed. Rotted deck boards, rear wall repairs, a new hatch or extra work to protect a deep garden move it up. The written quote follows a look at the roof itself.
Q: Which ZIP codes do you cover in Carroll Gardens?
A: All of Carroll Gardens in 11231, plus Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Gowanus, Boerum Hill and Park Slope. For an active leak call (516) 713-9199.
MLM Construction Group works out of 1717 Avenue P in Brooklyn, NY 11229. Carroll Gardens 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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