Row House Roof Repair & Replacement in Pittsburgh, PA
Row houses in Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Polish Hill, the South Side, the Northside and Wilkinsburg usually have a roof you can't see from the street. Behind the front wall it is flat or slopes gently to the back, where it drains into a gutter or through a scupper. The side walls are party walls shared with the neighbors, and chimneys often sit on them. These roofs leak at the same four places on almost every block: the front parapet, the party walls, the rear drainage, and the low spots where old joists sag. A replacement means tearing off the old layers, fixing the decking and slope, re-flashing every edge, and working cleanly next to a neighbor who is a few inches away.
What's included
- Front parapet flashing and coping
- Party-wall flashing tied into the neighbor's roof
- Chimney flashing on the party wall
- Rear gutter, scupper and downspout repair
- Tear-off of stacked old layers
- Rotted decking replaced and low spots built up
- EPDM or cold-applied modified bitumen
- Hatch and skylight flashings
- Ladder, hauling and street permits planned
Sound like your roof?
- A stain on the top-floor ceiling, front or back
- Water coming in where your roof meets the neighbor's
- The rear gutter overflows in heavy rain
- The roof sags between the front and back walls
- Three or four old roofs visible at the edge
Leaking right now? Protect the inside first
Move belongings away from the drip, shut off power to any wet light fixture, and stay off the roof in a storm or on ice. Then request service: an active leak can usually be dried in until the permanent repair.
Row House Roofing — FAQs
A typical 600–1,000 sq ft main roof often runs about $5,000–$12,000 for tear-off and a new roof. See the cost guide.
Usually. The new roof is tied into the neighbor's as well as their material allows, and the joint is flashed.
The rear edge is where the roof drains. A full gutter or clogged scupper backs water up under the edge. See row-house roofs.
We prefer EPDM or cold-applied/self-adhered mod bit next to wood cornices and attached neighbors, to keep open flame off the roof.