Roof replacement in White Plains, NY

White Plains has been the county seat since 1758. The Declaration of Independence got its first public reading in New York at the courthouse here on July 11, 1776, and the Battle of White Plains followed that October. Today about 59,500 people live in the city's 9.9 square miles, with a dense downtown of mid-rise and high-rise buildings ringed by single-family neighborhoods. For roofing, that split matters: downtown buildings mostly need low-slope membrane work, while the outer neighborhoods are steep-slope shingle roofs.

The city sits inland at roughly 213 feet, with the Bronx River corridor running through it. That keeps salt spray off the table, but roofs here still take nor'easters, summer thunderstorms and 25 to 50 inches of snow in a typical Westchester winter. In older neighborhoods like Gedney Farms, Fisher Hill and the Highlands, tall street trees shade the roofs and drop leaves and limbs into gutters and valleys, and valleys packed with wet leaves are a common starting point for leaks.

A postwar city built around a colonial core

County planning figures from the 2013–2017 American Community Survey count about 23,400 occupied housing units in White Plains. About 7,100 of them were built in 1939 or earlier, more than 3,800 went up in the 1950s, and the median year built is 1958. A few far older buildings survive too, like the Jacob Purdy House from 1721, which served as Washington's headquarters in 1776.

A house from the 1940s or '50s is usually on its second or third roof by now. When Jersey Roofing's crew tears one off, the questions are how many layers are up there and what the original board sheathing looks like underneath. Prewar homes can also hide an older slate or tile roof under later work, which changes the plan.

What to plan for on a White Plains roof

• Board sheathing on 1940s and '50s houses

  Many homes from the city's biggest building decades were decked with boards rather than plywood. Once the old shingles are off, Jersey Roofing's crew looks for gaps, rot along the eaves and boards that no longer hold a nail. Where the deck is sound they re-nail it; where it isn't, they add new sheathing so the shingle manufacturer's nailing pattern actually holds. That decking work is what keeps a GAF or Owens Corning warranty meaningful.

• Downtown flat and low-slope roofs

  Condo, co-op and mixed-use buildings near downtown often have flat sections that shingles can't cover. Asphalt shingles need at least a 2:12 pitch, and anything between 2:12 and 4:12 needs double underlayment under the code. Below that, the right answer is a membrane system. Expect the board or managing agent to approve the scope, the schedule and roof access before Jersey Roofing's crew starts.

• Mature trees in Gedney Farms and Fisher Hill

  Heavy canopy means clogged gutters, wet valleys and green or black streaking on shaded slopes. We recommend algae-resistant shingles on shaded roofs, a check of branches overhanging the roof before installation, and gutter guards where leaf load is heavy. After a big storm, a quick look for cracked or lifted shingles where limbs hit is cheaper than finding the damage as a ceiling stain.

The roof systems installed in White Plains

Jersey Roofing installs complete GAF and Owens Corning systems: ice and water barrier at the eaves and valleys, synthetic underlayment, starter strips, architectural or designer shingles, matched ridge cap and balanced ventilation. On a qualifying GAF system it can register the Golden Pledge® warranty, and on an Owens Corning system, Platinum Protection. Both include lifetime workmanship coverage. Compare the warranties.

Neighborhoods we serve in and around White Plains

• Battle Hill
• Eastview
• Fisher Hill
• Gedney Farms
• Highlands
• North White Plains
• Prospect Park
• Reynal Park
• Rosedale
• Saxon Woods
• Westminster Ridge
• Woodcrest Heights