Sheepshead Bay has three kinds of housing, and the one people from outside the neighborhood forget is the courts. North of Emmons Avenue, between East 29th Street and Batchelder Street, a developer put up one story bungalows on filled marsh in the early 1920s, facing narrow walkways that sit below the level of the streets around them. Gunnison Court, Losee Terrace, Hitchings Avenue, Mesereau Court and the rest are still there, and many of the bungalows have been expanded since. Around them are detached and semi-detached frame and brick houses, and along Ocean Avenue, Avenue Z and Sheepshead Bay Road the apartment buildings, co-ops and newer condos.
A roof in the courts is a small roof and a big logistics job. There is no dumpster at the door and no truck at the curb. Every bundle and roll gets carried in from the street, every bucket of tear-off gets carried back out, and the neighbors are close enough to touch. That is why a bungalow roof here costs more per square foot than the same roof on a house with a driveway, and why a contractor who prices it from a satellite photo either comes back asking for more money or cuts corners. We walk the path first, measure the carry, and protect the walkway and the neighbors' windows before anything comes off.
The courts also sit low, and that changes what roof water does once it leaves the gutter. A leader that empties onto a walkway already below street grade has nowhere to run, so the water ends up at the foundation. These blocks flooded badly in Sandy, and some houses were rebuilt, raised or extended afterwards. That added newer walls meeting older roofs and new second floors built over old first floors. Those junctions are where we find most of the leaks in the courts today.
The apartment buildings are a different job with different rules. On a co-op or condo along Ocean Avenue or Avenue Z the roof work goes through the board and the managing agent: an insurance certificate naming the corporation, set working hours, roof access through the bulkhead only, and the stairwell protected on the way up. We handle that paperwork before the first day, not during it. We work Emmons Avenue, Sheepshead Bay Road, Voorhies Avenue, Avenue U, Avenue X, Avenue Z, Nostrand Avenue, Ocean Avenue, East 29th Street and Batchelder Street.
What we actually see in 11235 and 11229: leaks where a newer second floor or addition meets an older bungalow roof, leaders emptying onto walkways below street level, two and three layers on small court roofs, and flat roofs on Ocean Avenue and Avenue Z apartment buildings leaking at the bulkhead and around rooftop equipment.
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Q: My bungalow is on a walkway with no street access. Can you still do the roof?
A: Yes. A house with no street access needs more planning and more labor, not a different roof. We walk the route before we price the job, set a spot on the street for material and debris, and protect the walkway and the houses on either side while we work.
Q: Why does a small roof in the courts cost more per square foot?
A: Because the labor is not in laying the roof, it is in getting everything to it and away from it. On a house with a driveway the tear-off goes straight into a dumpster. In the courts it gets bagged and carried out, sometimes a long way. The roof itself is small, so the total is usually still modest, but the per square foot number is higher and we show you why.
Q: The leak is where our addition meets the old roof. Why there?
A: Because that is where two different builds meet. When a bungalow gets a second floor or a rear extension, the new wall has to be flashed into the old roof with step flashing and counterflashing that laps behind the siding. Plenty of those joints were closed with caulk and nothing behind it. Caulk dries out and pulls away after a few seasons of sun and salt air. We take the siding back at the joint and flash it properly.
Q: Where should my gutters drain if the walkway is lower than the street?
A: Away from the house, which is harder than it sounds when the walkway is the low point. Sometimes that means a longer leader run, sometimes moving the outlet to a different corner, sometimes a splash block that turns the water down the path instead of into the wall. We look at where the water actually goes after it leaves the leader before we change anything.
Q: We live in a co-op on Ocean Avenue. What does the board need from you?
A: Usually a certificate of insurance naming the co-op corporation and the managing agent, a written scope and schedule, and agreement to the building's work hours and access rules. Some buildings also use their own alteration or contractor agreement. We send the insurance certificate straight to the managing agent so the board is not waiting on it.
Q: Which ZIP codes do you cover in Sheepshead Bay?
A: Sheepshead Bay is split between 11235 and 11229. We cover both, plus Manhattan Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Brighton Beach, Marine Park and Midwood. For an active leak call (516) 713-9199.
MLM Construction Group works out of 1717 Avenue P in Brooklyn, NY 11229. Sheepshead Bay 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.
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