Low-slope system
Modified Bitumen Roof Replacement in New York City
Modified bitumen is the successor to traditional built-up tar-and-gravel roofing, and it remains the right answer on the crowded, cut-up roof decks that are common on older New York buildings.
Expected service life
20–25 years
Attachment
Torch-applied, hot-mopped, cold-adhesive or self-adhered by building constraints.
What Modified Bitumen actually is
Asphalt modified with APP or SBS polymers, reinforced with a fibreglass or polyester mat, and installed in two or more plies. The plies are torch-applied, hot-mopped or self-adhered. Because it is a multi-ply system, a puncture in the cap sheet does not put water straight into the building the way a puncture in a single-ply can.
Where Modified Bitumen fits — and where it does not
Every system has a wrong application. Knowing which is which is most of what you are paying a roofing contractor to tell you.
Well suited to
- Roof decks crowded with curbs, skylights, vents and mechanical equipment
- Roofs that take regular foot traffic for equipment servicing
- Brownstone and rowhouse rear extensions where the roof is small and heavily detailed
- Buildings where redundancy matters more than installed cost
Consider something else for
- Owners looking for the lowest installed cost per square foot on a large simple deck
- Occupied buildings where a torch-applied application is unsuitable — we specify self-adhered or cold-applied instead
Compare with the alternatives
Get a Modified Bitumen quote for your building
We survey the existing roof first, then quote against what is on the deck. Licensed 2126882-DCWP and fully insured.