Crown Heights is old housing on both sides of Eastern Parkway, most of it built between the 1870s and the 1920s. North of the Parkway there are brownstone and limestone row houses, freestanding mansions on St. Marks Avenue and around Brower Park, and large apartment buildings. A big share of it sits inside the three Crown Heights North historic districts designated in 2007, 2011 and 2015. South of the Parkway there are more row houses, the big houses on President and Carroll Streets, and prewar apartment buildings along Eastern Parkway and Montgomery Street.
Over the last fifteen years a lot of these houses were bought, gut renovated and sold. The inside got new kitchens, open stairs, skylights and roof decks. The roof itself often got the cheapest thing that would get through a walkthrough: a coat of silver or white over the old built-up layers, or one more layer torched over three old ones. Then came new holes in it. A skylight cut through, a deck built on sleepers, line sets for the new air conditioning. Two winters later the buyer has a leak and the seller is long gone. When we open one of these roofs we look for exactly those things: how many layers are under the new surface, whether the skylight curb was flashed or only caulked, and what the deck is actually sitting on.
The other classic leak here is over the stairs. Most row houses have a skylight or a roof hatch at the top of the stair hall, and on the older houses there is sometimes a decorative glass laylight underneath it. The curb is wood, it sits in the wettest spot on the roof, and after a hundred years it has been tarred more times than anyone can count. Water that gets in there runs down the stairwell walls and shows up two floors below. We rebuild the curb and flash it into the roof instead of piling more tar around it, and we protect the laylight while we work.
Inside the historic districts, roof work generally needs a Landmarks permit even when it cannot be seen. A flat roof hidden behind the cornice usually goes through a quicker staff level review, while a new bulkhead, a deck railing or a skylight visible from the sidewalk gets closer scrutiny. We work Eastern Parkway, St. Marks Avenue, Prospect Place, Park Place, Sterling Place, Lincoln Place, President Street, Carroll Street, Montgomery Street, Franklin Avenue, Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn Avenue, Kingston Avenue and Utica Avenue.
What we actually see in 11213, 11216, 11225 and 11238: coatings rolled over three and four old layers on recently renovated houses, skylight curbs sealed with caulk instead of flashed, roof decks built on sleepers straight over the membrane, stair hall skylights leaking down the stairwell, and prewar apartment roofs on Eastern Parkway leaking at the bulkhead.
📞 Serving Crown Heights and all surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods. Call (516) 713-9199 or (917) 570-7311 for a free estimate.
Q: We bought a renovated house two years ago and the roof already leaks. Was it ever replaced?
A: Maybe not. Ask for the renovation paperwork first, because a real roof replacement usually shows up in the scope and the invoices. On the roof we cut a small core, which shows how many layers are there in a few minutes. If there is a fresh coating over three or four old layers, the roof was painted, not replaced, and patching the leak will only buy time.
Q: The leak shows up on the stairs, two floors down. Where is it coming from?
A: Very often the skylight or roof hatch over the stair hall. The curb around it is old wood, it sits where water collects, and when the flashing fails the water runs down inside the stairwell walls before it shows. We check the curb, the flashing and the glass first, and we look at the laylight below for staining that shows how long it has been going on.
Q: Can you add a roof deck to our brownstone?
A: Yes, but a deck is a structural and permit job before it is a roofing job. It needs a Department of Buildings filing, and inside a historic district it also needs Landmarks approval, with closer review if it can be seen from the street. The roof under it should be new or close to new, because taking a deck up later to fix the membrane costs more than doing the roof first.
Q: What does a brownstone roof replacement cost in Crown Heights?
A: Most row house tear-offs here land between $7,000 and $16,000. Four or more old layers, soft decking or a skylight curb that has to be rebuilt push it toward the top. We give you the price after a core cut and a look at the deck, not from the street.
Q: Should we keep the old skylight over the stairs or close it up?
A: If it still brings light into the stair hall you use, keep it and rebuild the curb properly, because closing it is permanent and the stairs get dark. If it was already covered from below years ago and does nothing, closing it and roofing over it removes one of the most common leak points on the roof. Inside a historic district we check first whether it can be seen from the street.
Q: Which ZIP codes do you cover in Crown Heights?
A: Crown Heights is mostly 11213, 11216 and 11225, with the western blocks toward Franklin Avenue in 11238. We cover all of it, plus Bed-Stuy, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, East Flatbush and Flatbush. Call (516) 713-9199 for a free estimate.
MLM Construction Group works out of 1717 Avenue P in Brooklyn, NY 11229. Crown Heights is inside our regular service area, so estimates and emergency calls there are handled by the same crew, not subcontracted out.
Unlike competitors who specialize in only one trade, MLM Construction Group handles roofing, stucco, EIFS, and gutters. One contractor for your entire exterior.
Background checked by Google. You are protected on every job. Satisfaction guaranteed or Google refunds you.
The highest possible BBB rating. Verified track record of quality and customer satisfaction across Brooklyn.
Factory certified GAF installer held to proper installation standards, with a manufacturer backed materials warranty on every roof.
Certified installer #69597. Firestone commercial systems backed by manufacturer warranty.
Active leak in Crown Heights? We respond fast, nights, weekends and holidays. Call (516) 713-9199.
Every major installation backed by our 20-year workmanship warranty plus manufacturer materials warranty.
Call Meir Levy directly or fill out the form on our homepage. We respond within 24 hours.
📞 (516) 713-9199 📞 (917) 570-7311 📋 Free Estimate Form