What to ask a commercial roofing contractor before you sign
Nearly every flat roof in New York is one of three things: a modified bitumen system, a built-up assembly, or a liquid-applied membrane such as PMMA. A commercial roofing contractor who leads with one product regardless of what is already on your building is selling inventory, not a solution. The existing assembly, whether the insulation under it is wet, and how the roof is accessed should decide the system — in that order.
The second question is who will actually be on the roof. We are a NYC roofing contractor that self-performs: the crew torching your modified bitumen or rolling your PMMA works for us, so the detail work at the curbs and parapets is done by people who answer for it later. Not every commercial roofing company in NYC works that way, so ask before you compare prices. LANY has been doing this work on New York buildings since the company was founded in 2003.
What we handle
Flat Roof Repair & Leak Repair
Leak tracing back to the true point of entry, seam and flashing rebuilds, penetration and equipment-curb detailing, and drainage correction — plus fast response when a roof is actively leaking into occupied space.
Roof Replacement
As a roof replacement contractor we tear off to the deck, repair what we find, correct drainage with tapered insulation, and rebuild every edge and flashing detail rather than reusing metal that has already exceeded its service life. On co-op, condo, mixed-use and industrial buildings alike, the work is sequenced in sections so the space below stays dry every night of the job.
Industrial & Warehouse Roofing
Industrial roofing is a different job from a co-op roof: larger uninterrupted fields, metal or concrete decks, more rooftop equipment, and tenants who cannot pause production for a roofer. We handle industrial roof repair, warehouse roof repair and full replacement with the same modified bitumen, built-up roofing and PMMA systems, planned around loading docks and operating hours.
PMMA Liquid-Applied Systems
PMMA cures quickly into a seamless membrane, conforms to complex geometry — equipment curbs, drains, irregular parapets — and can be applied in cold weather when sheet work would otherwise wait for spring.
Coatings & Maintenance Programs
Where the membrane and insulation are still sound, a reflective coating system adds years of service for a fraction of replacement cost. Twice-yearly maintenance with photo records keeps warranties intact and catches small breaches early.
Recent NYC projects
How we scope, bid and schedule a roof
The assessment covers the whole roof, not just the area under the stain — drains, scuppers, every penetration, the parapet line, and core samples or moisture scanning when we need to know whether the insulation beneath the membrane is saturated. What is under the surface decides whether you are looking at flat roof repair, a coating, or replacement.
Then you get the honest recommendation. We will tell you when a roof still has service life in it, because a replacement sold three years early is the fastest way to lose a building's business for the next twenty.
The proposal is itemized — square footage, insulation, flashing details, access and hoisting, permits and warranty terms — with a schedule built around weather windows and around keeping occupied space dry through phased work on buildings that cannot be shut down.
What NYC building owners say
Roof leaking, or coming up on replacement?
Free commercial roof assessment in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
What to expect, from first call to warranty
Roof work interrupts a building. We plan the interruption rather than improvising around it.
A well-maintained modified bitumen roof delivers 20+ years of service and PMMA systems can exceed 25 years — but both warranties depend on documented maintenance, which is why the schedule is handed over on day one rather than mentioned at the first leak.
Frequently Asked Questions
The roofing contractor you keep calling.
Repair, replacement, coatings and maintenance from one licensed NYC roofing contractor — so no one is blaming the last crew when a leak comes back.
Related: Flat Roof Repair in NYC