Sunset Park climbs from the waterfront up to the park at its crest, and most of the hill is covered with row houses built between the 1890s and the 1910s. Two and three stories, brick and brownstone and limestone, many with round or angled bays running up the front. On 4th and 5th Avenues the row houses give way to apartment buildings and stores, and along 8th Avenue the ground floors are shops and restaurants with apartments above. Down by the water are the old industrial buildings of Industry City and Bush Terminal.
In June 2019 the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated four historic districts here: Sunset Park North, Central Sunset Park, Sunset Park South and the Sunset Park 50th Street district, about 514 buildings in all. That is recent enough that a lot of owners bought before it happened and never heard. Inside those lines, replacing a roof takes Commission approval whether or not anyone can see it. A matching roof out of view is usually approved by staff, while a roof deck, a new bulkhead or anything you can see from the sidewalk gets a closer look. We look your block up on the district maps before we quote, so the job does not stop halfway.
The apartment buildings on the avenues bring a different problem: cell antennas. Carriers lease many rooftops on 4th and 5th Avenues, and every antenna frame, ballast sled and cable run is something sitting on or passing through the membrane. The leak under an antenna is often at a cable entry that the carrier's installer sealed with a tube of caulk. Before we touch those roofs, the carrier has to be notified under most leases, and antennas facing the work area may have to be powered down, or the crew kept out of the marked RF zone. We set that up with the building owner ahead of time so the roof and the carrier's equipment are both dealt with properly.
Up on the hill the row houses step down toward the harbor, so on many blocks each roof sits a few feet below the one uphill from it. That short wall at every property line needs counterflashing, and when one owner reroofs without dealing with it the water from the higher roof runs straight into the lower one. We work 4th Avenue, 5th Avenue, 6th Avenue, 7th Avenue, 8th Avenue, 3rd Avenue and the numbered streets from 36th to 65th.
What we actually see in 11220 and 11232: row house roofs replaced inside a historic district with no Landmarks permit, cable entries under rooftop antennas sealed with caulk, step walls with no counterflashing between houses on the hill, three and four old layers on 1900s row houses, and roofs over 8th Avenue storefronts crowded with condensers and exhaust fans.
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Q: How do I know if my Sunset Park house is in a historic district?
A: Check the Landmarks Preservation Commission's online map, or give us the address and we will check it. The four districts designated in 2019 cover about 514 buildings on row house blocks around the neighborhood. If yours is one of them, the new roof needs a Commission permit, hidden or not, though a matching roof out of view is normally a staff level approval.
Q: There is a cell antenna on our building. Can you still replace the roof?
A: Yes, but it takes coordination. Most carrier leases require notice before roof work, and antennas aimed at the work area may have to be powered down, or the crew kept out of the marked RF zone. We work that out with you and the carrier in advance, flash every cable entry and equipment support properly, and leave the antenna frames where the carrier needs them.
Q: The roof leaks under the antenna equipment. Whose job is it to fix?
A: It depends on your lease. If the leak is at a penetration the carrier's installer made, their contractor is often responsible for it. We find the exact source, photograph it and write it up, so you can send it to the carrier or have us fix it and bill the carrier.
Q: My roof is lower than my uphill neighbor's. Why does it leak along that wall?
A: Water running off the higher roof hits the short wall between you, and if there is no counterflashing tucked into that wall, it runs behind your roofing. We cut counterflashing into the mortar joint and turn your membrane up under it. If that wall belongs to the house next door, we get your neighbor's OK before we cut the joint.
Q: What does a row house roof replacement cost in Sunset Park?
A: Most row houses here come in at $13,500 to $27,000 for a typical 1,500 square foot roof, including stripping the old layers. Landmarks filing, extra layers, damaged deck boards or step wall flashing can move it toward the top. We put the price in writing after a roof visit.
Q: Which ZIP codes do you cover in Sunset Park?
A: All of Sunset Park in 11220 and 11232, plus Greenwood Heights, Bay Ridge, Borough Park and Park Slope. For an active leak call (516) 713-9199.
MLM Construction Group works out of 1717 Avenue P in Brooklyn, NY 11229. Sunset 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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