Roof repair and replacement on triple-deckers, two-families and condo buildings, with the coordination a shared roof needs.
Fastest: call (833) 751-2102. Or send this and we call you back.
A triple-decker has one roof over three households, so the decisions are shared as well as the water. An estimated 15,000 were built in Boston and nearby cities between 1880 and 1930. Newton Roofing connects Middlesex County callers with an independent local roofer who works on multi-family buildings and the permit and access issues they bring.
Few building types are as closely tied to Greater Boston as the triple-decker. The first were built in Boston in the 1870s, and an estimated 15,000 went up in Boston and nearby cities between 1880 and 1930. They are common in Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, Belmont, Medford and Watertown, and many have since been split into condos or apartments.
The roof is the one part of the building that every household shares. A leak in the third floor may show in the second, an owner in one unit may not live in the building at all, and the person who calls the roofer is not always the person who pays. That makes a multi-family roof a project as much as a repair.
Newton Roofing is a call line that connects you with an independent local roofer, who does the work. Ring (833) 751-2102 and say how many units the building has, whether the roof is flat, pitched or a mix, and who is making the decision. You are then put through to a roofer who serves your town and handles buildings of this kind.
Do not go onto a shared roof to check a stain, and do not let tenants or neighbours do it either. A multi-storey fall is a serious risk, and a patch put on without a plan can trap water. Move belongings away from a wet ceiling and call.
Before the roofer arrives, find out who owns what, who is the point of contact and who can say yes. In a condo that is usually the association or its manager. In a landlord-occupied building it may be one owner.
A triple-decker may have a main roof, a porch roof, a rear flat section and a dormer, each different. The roofer inspects each one and the attic, and gives one written plan that covers them all.
A roofer may recommend a repair for one section and replacement for another. A written quote with the sections separated lets owners see what each part costs and decide in stages if they need to.
Dense lots mean tight access, shared driveways and street-side dumpsters. A full replacement needs a building permit, so ask who is pulling it and who is responsible for it.
The roofer strips, repairs the deck, lays the new roofing, flashes the walls and chimneys and cleans up. Owners then keep the written contract, the permit sign-off and any paperwork the roofer provides.
Multi-family roofs are priced by area, number of sections, access and height. Published Massachusetts figures for a typical roof do not cover a three-unit building, and the guides disagree widely, so the number to trust is a written quote that separates the sections. The roof cost guide explains the published ranges.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Repair of one section, such as a porch or dormer roof | Quoted after inspection | Depends on access, height and the materials already on the roof |
| Replacement of the main pitched roof | Quoted by area | Number of layers, decking condition and chimneys change the price |
| Replacement of a flat or low-slope section | Quoted by area | Drains, wall flashing and parapets add detail work |
| Staging, dumpster and access arrangements | Part of the quote | Tight lots and shared driveways can add time and cost |
| Building permit | Set by the city | Boston, Cambridge and Somerville each have their own process |
These are cost drivers, not prices. Your exact price is confirmed in a written quote on site before any work starts.
Boston roof work goes through the Inspectional Services Department and the city permit portal, and a permit is required for a full replacement. Cambridge's Historical Commission reviews roof work in protected areas, including Neighborhood Conservation Districts. Somerville and others have their own offices, so check with the building department where the building stands.
Back Bay, Beacon Hill and the South End are historic districts in Boston where roof material and colour can be regulated. The sources do not say which other streets are covered, so ask the building department about yours.
Boston's plan review for a roof replacement is described by an aggregator as taking two to four weeks, which is worth keeping in mind when you plan a job. The permit guide explains who pulls the permit and what to ask a roofer to show.
Access to every unit's top ceiling and the attic, one point of contact, and a clear idea of who pays. A roofer cannot tell you where a leak starts without seeing the ceilings below it, so owners on lower floors may be asked to let the roofer in.
Dense two- and three-family housing means shared roof edges, small yards and street-side dumpsters. Brighton and Allston are good examples. Tell the roofer in advance if neighbours share an edge or a driveway.
Ask how the roofer will protect the porches, the yard and the neighbouring building, and what happens if the weather stops work halfway through.
Sometimes, and a roofer who splits the quote by section can help you decide. A repair buys time on a roof with a few failures, while a roof failing across its surface is usually better replaced. The wrong choice either way can cost more than the right one.
A building with several owners is more likely to put off a decision, and a roof left alone through a winter gets worse. Ice builds at the eaves, water backs up, and what began as a single stain becomes several.
The ice dam guide is worth reading before the first snow, because ice dams on a dense building usually show up at the lowest roof edge.
Front slopes, gables and dormers on a triple-decker are often asphalt shingle, though older buildings may carry slate or cedar. Work on these follows the rules for any pitched roof, with the added problem of access to a tall building.
Where a section is flat, the work is membrane, drains and wall flashing, which the flat roof page covers in detail.
Small roofs over porches, bays and stair landings leak into the units below and are easy to overlook. They are often a separate job, with their own flashing, from the main roof.
Jamaica Plain was one of Boston's first streetcar suburbs, driven by the Boston and Providence railroad between 1860 and 1890, when large estates were subdivided into urban housing, largely triple-deckers and apartment buildings along main routes. A roof on one of those is often a mix of pitched and flat sections.
Roslindale's northern side holds dense two- and three-family houses among light industrial buildings, while its western side blends into West Roxbury with one- and two-family houses. That mix means both shingle and membrane work come up in the same neighbourhood.
In Somerville, triple-deckers often have flat or low-slope roofs with parapets and rear porches, so repairs usually concern membrane seams, drains, flashing and the shared roof access, and condo owners may need their association's approval. A leak may travel; the roof leak repair page covers tracing it.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Membrane repair and replacement on flat and low-slope roofs: triple-deckers, rear additions, porches and modern houses.
Leak tracing and repair for Newton roofs, from chimney and valley leaks to meltwater that backs up at the eaves.
Full tear-offs and re-roofs for Newton houses, with the building permit and the ice barrier handled as part of the scope.
A roofer's written look at decking, flashing, ventilation and remaining life, for buyers of older houses and owners weighing repair against replacement.
Massachusetts issues no roofing licence.
Flat roofs on triple-deckers usually fail at seams, drains, parapet walls and penetrations rather than across the open field.
They were built from the 1870s, first in Boston and then across New England cities, and an estimated 15,000 went up in Boston and nearby cities between 1880 and 1930. Many are in Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, Belmont, Medford and Watertown. A shared roof is part of the type.
In a condo building, usually yes. The association's documents decide who can authorise work on a shared roof, and a condo owner in Somerville or Cambridge may need approval before a contract is signed. Check the documents or ask the manager before booking a roofer.
Yes. Flat sections need membrane, drain and wall work, while pitched ones need shingle or slate work, and Dorchester's triple-deckers are described as having both. A roofer should price each section of your building separately.
Often, yes. A porch roof or a dormer can be repaired separately, and a written quote with the sections split out lets owners decide in stages. A roofer should say whether a repair on one part will last, given the state of the neighbouring section.
In Massachusetts the permit for roof work is normally pulled by the holder of a Construction Supervisor Licence, usually the contractor, and the contractor registers as a Home Improvement Contractor. Ask the roofer who is pulling it, and ask your building department how it handles roofs on multi-family buildings.
When a roofer is free. That depends on the season and on how many storm repairs are booked. No arrival time can be promised. Call (833) 751-2102, say the building has several units and who the contact is, and the line will connect you with a roofer who serves your town.