Roof Replacement
Roof Replacement in Brooklyn, NY
Complete tear-off, a deck we've actually inspected, and a roof system built to outlast the next two owners.
A roof replacement is only as good as what happens in the four hours nobody watches: after the old layers come off and before the new ones go down. That's when the deck is exposed and every soft sheet of plywood, every rotted rafter tail and every hole somebody's satellite dish left behind is visible. Crews working on volume cover it. We photograph it and call you.
We tear off to the bare deck on every replacement. Roofing over an existing layer is cheaper and faster and it's how you end up with a roof that traps moisture, cooks its own shingles from underneath, and fails a decade early — while hiding the rot you were paying to have fixed.
Scope
What a full replacement includes
- Complete tear-off of all existing layers down to the wood deck
- Deck inspection with photos; damaged or delaminated plywood replaced and priced up front
- Ice-and-water shield along all eaves, valleys and penetrations
- Synthetic underlayment across the full deck — not 15lb felt
- New drip edge, starter strip and properly nailed hip and ridge caps
- Ridge or box venting sized to the attic so the new roof can breathe
- New flashing at chimneys, walls, skylights and vents — reusing old flashing is where roofs leak
- GAF Timberline HDZ architectural shingles or the system you prefer
- Full debris haul-away and magnet sweep of the property
Worth knowing
Shingles, materials and what you're choosing between
For pitched Brooklyn roofs we install GAF Timberline HDZ architectural shingles as the default: a laminated, wind-rated shingle with a real manufacturer warranty and a dimensional look that suits the borough's housing stock better than flat three-tabs. If your block has a slate or mansard character worth keeping, we'll price that honestly rather than talk you out of it.
Where the roof is flat or low-slope — which in Brooklyn is most main roofs and nearly every rear extension — we install modified bitumen (torch-down), EPDM rubber or TPO depending on the deck, the drainage and how the roof gets used. If your building has both, the transition detail between them matters more than either material, and that's the part we spend the most time on.
Active leak right now? We answer the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Roof Replacement across Brooklyn and the five boroughs
Based in Brooklyn, working throughout the borough and into Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan and the Bronx.
Straight answers
Roof Replacement — your questions
How much does a new roof cost in Brooklyn?
Most Brooklyn homes fall between $9,000 and $22,000 for a full architectural shingle replacement. Flat roof replacement on a standard row house typically runs $7,000 to $16,000. Square footage, number of existing layers, deck condition and access drive the number. You get one written price that includes the tear-off and the disposal.
How long does a roof replacement take?
Most Brooklyn homes are one to three working days. A large or complex roof, or one that needs significant decking replaced, can run to four or five. We don't leave a roof open overnight — whatever we tear off, we dry in the same day.
How do I know if I need a full replacement or just a repair?
Bald patches with the black mat showing, granules filling your gutters, widespread curling or cupping, daylight through the deck in the attic, or a roof that's already carrying two or more layers. If none of those apply, ask for a repair estimate first — and if we look at it and think a repair will hold, we'll say so.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Brooklyn?
A like-for-like reroof on a one- or two-family home generally doesn't require a DOB permit, but structural work, changes to the roof deck, and work on many multifamily or landmarked buildings does. We'll tell you which category your job falls into before it starts.
What warranty comes with a new roof?
Two separate things: the manufacturer's material warranty (GAF's shingle warranties run decades) and our written workmanship warranty on the installation. Most leaks in the first ten years of a roof's life are installation problems, not material ones, so the workmanship warranty is the one that matters most.
Can you install over my existing shingles to save money?
We don't. It saves maybe fifteen percent up front and it costs you years of roof life, hides deck rot, voids most manufacturer warranties, and doubles the tear-off cost for whoever does it next. If a contractor offers it as their standard approach, that tells you what they optimize for.
Get a straight answer on your roof
Free inspection, photos of what we find, and one written price.