Understanding What Houses with Flat Roofs Called
You’ve spotted cool “boxy” houses with flat roofs popping up all over Brooklyn-maybe that sleek glass-fronted cube in Williamsburg or a roof-terrace-topped brownstone in Carroll Gardens-but every time you try to describe them, the vocabulary gets fuzzy. Are they “modern homes,” “mid-century,” “townhouses with flat roofs,” or something else entirely? Here’s the straight answer, plus the local terms you’ll actually hear on the street and in listings across Brooklyn.
What Do You Call a House with a Flat Roof?
Short answer: Most people simply call them flat roof houses or flat-roofed homes. In architecture and real estate, you’ll also hear terms like modernist, mid-century modern, contemporary, or townhouse / rowhouse with a flat roof. The name usually describes the style or building type, not just the roof shape.
Why there isn’t just one official name: roof shape is only one part of how houses are labeled. A flat roof can top a Brooklyn brownstone, a glassy modern box, a warehouse conversion, or a small infill home-and each of those will be called something different in listings or conversations. That’s because roof form sits in the background while façade, material, and use drive the name you actually hear.
Basic Terms for Houses with Flat Roofs
When someone says “flat roof house,” they mean any home where the roof sits nearly horizontal instead of sloping like a traditional peaked roof. But in practice, people use more specific names depending on context and style.
Common everyday names:
- Flat roof house – Plain description when roof shape is the main focus, often in renovation or roofing talk.
- Flat-roofed home – Same idea; sometimes used in marketing language or design blogs.
- Modern / contemporary house – Frequently refers to boxy, flat-roofed designs with large windows, even if the listing doesn’t say “flat roof” outright.
- Townhouse / rowhouse with flat roof – Describes attached city houses, especially in Brooklyn, where most of the roofs are flat or low-slope.
Walk down most Brooklyn streets-Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Bed-Stuy-and what you see is a long line of three- and four-story brick or stone façades hiding flat roofs behind brick parapets. The front elevation dominates, so people name the building by what it looks like from the sidewalk: “brownstone,” “rowhouse,” or “townhouse.” The flat roof is there, but it’s not the star of the show.
Architectural Styles That Often Use Flat Roofs
Architecture and design writers attach style labels to buildings, and several well-known styles rely heavily on flat roofs as part of their visual language.
Flat roofs show up in several styles:
| Style | What It Looks Like | Where You See It in Brooklyn |
|---|---|---|
| Modernist / International Style | Clean, boxy forms with large horizontal windows and minimal ornament. Flat roofs emphasize the horizontal lines. | Newer infill homes and renovations in Williamsburg, Gowanus, and downtown Brooklyn. |
| Mid-century modern | Low-slung, often single-story designs from the 1950s-60s with flat or very low-pitched roofs, big glass, and indoor-outdoor feel. | Less common in Brooklyn proper; more of a suburban vibe, but borrowed elements show up in renovations. |
| Contemporary infill / “box” additions | Newer homes or rear additions that use simple rectangular shapes and flat roofs for a modern look in older neighborhoods. | Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill-modern rear extensions on classic brownstones. |
| Art Deco / Streamline Moderne | Some older urban buildings with flat roofs, strong horizontal lines, and decorative parapets fall into these earlier “modern” categories. | Scattered across older commercial strips and pre-war apartment buildings in Bay Ridge and Sunset Park. |
Building Type Names for Flat-Roofed Homes
Style labels describe aesthetics, but building-type terms describe what the structure is: a brownstone, a rowhouse, a loft, or a warehouse conversion. In Brooklyn, type often matters more than style when you’re searching for a home or planning a roof project.
You’ll hear these terms in Brooklyn real estate and design:
- Brownstone – A type of townhouse with a stone façade (originally brown sandstone). Most have flat or low-slope roofs, even if the listing doesn’t mention it. The roof sits behind a brick or stone parapet that extends above the roof surface.
- Rowhouse / townhouse – Attached homes sharing side walls; in Brooklyn they almost always use flat or very low-pitched roofs behind parapets. These make up the bulk of residential stock in neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy, Clinton Hill, and Fort Greene.
- Loft / warehouse conversion – Older commercial or industrial buildings converted to homes or live-work spaces, usually with flat roofs supporting mechanicals or roof terraces. Think Dumbo, Williamsburg, and parts of Bushwick.
- Duplex / triplex with flat roof – Smaller multi-unit buildings stacked vertically, often with a shared flat roof and sometimes a roof deck for upper-floor tenants.
- Roof terrace apartment / penthouse – An upper unit that uses part of a flat roof as outdoor space; the building itself may be called a walk-up or low-rise with a flat roof.
When I’m on a site visit, the first thing I ask is what kind of building it is-brownstone, rowhouse, loft, or infill modern-because that tells me how the flat roof is likely framed, drained, and tied into neighbors. A rowhouse in Sunset Park has a very different roof condition than a new modern box in Red Hook, even though both are “flat roof houses” on paper.
What Flat Roof Houses Look Like in Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a patchwork of building types, and flat roofs are everywhere once you start looking. Here’s what you’ll actually see block by block:
- Park Slope / Carroll Gardens: Brownstones and rowhouses with flat roofs hidden behind brick or stone parapets, often with roof decks, hatch bulkheads, and occasional rear extensions.
- Williamsburg / Bushwick: Mixed stock of flat-roofed rowhouses, old industrial buildings with exposed parapet tops, and new modern boxes with roof terraces and glassy façades.
- Bay Ridge / Marine Park: Many semi-detached homes and small apartment buildings with flat or low-slope roofs behind simple parapets; less “modern” aesthetic, more straightforward practical design.
- Downtown Brooklyn / Gowanus: Loft buildings and new mid-rises where flat roofs carry mechanicals and, in some cases, amenity decks or green roofs.
From street level, you rarely see the actual roof surface-just the parapet edge or roofline where the building meets the sky. That’s why “flat roof house” sounds generic to Brooklyn locals; the roof is present but visually secondary to the brick, stone, or glass street face.
Flat Roof House vs Other Roof Shapes: Naming Differences
Roof shape influences terminology in different ways depending on how prominent the roof is in the building’s silhouette.
How roof shape affects what houses are called:
- Gabled or pitched-roof houses are often described by roof type (gable, hip, gambrel) when that shape is visually dominant-think Victorian, Colonial, Cape Cod.
- Flat-roofed houses tend to be described by style (modern, mid-century) or building type (rowhouse, loft) because the roof is usually behind a parapet and not the focal point.
- In city settings like Brooklyn, the street elevation often hides the roof shape, so the vocabulary leans on façade and plan type more than roof form.
Out in the suburbs, you might say “that house has a hip roof” or “that one has a gable.” In Brooklyn, you say “that’s a brownstone” or “that’s a modern box” and the flat roof is implied or mentioned secondarily in inspection or renovation talk.
Why Knowing the Right Term for a Flat Roof House Helps
Names aren’t just trivia-they make it easier to search, communicate, and plan projects without confusion.
Using the right words makes it easier to:
- Search real estate listings: Adding “modern,” “contemporary,” “townhouse,” or “loft” often surfaces more flat-roofed options than just typing “flat roof.”
- Talk to architects and designers: Describing a “flat-roofed modern rear extension” or “roof terrace on a brownstone” gives a clearer picture than “flat roof house” alone.
- Work with roofers: Saying you own a flat-roofed rowhouse or small apartment building helps them anticipate conditions, drainage needs, and common details in Brooklyn-like shared party walls, limited access, and typical membrane types.
When a homeowner calls and says “I’ve got a flat-roofed brownstone in Park Slope,” I immediately know: brick parapet all around, probably joisted wood structure, likely EPDM or modified bitumen on top, drainage to front or rear scuppers, and neighbor tie-ins on both sides. That’s a lot more useful than “I have a flat roof.”
Quick Primer: What a Flat Roof on a House Actually Is
Understanding the name helps, but knowing what’s under the surface clarifies why flat roofs behave differently than sloped roofs.
Flat roofs aren’t perfectly flat: Even on a flat roof house, the roof surface should be built with a slight slope (usually ¼ inch per foot or more) so water drains to outlets or gutters. Under the surface, there is a build-up of structure, insulation, and waterproofing layers.
Typical flat roof layers on a Brooklyn house:
- Structure: Joists or concrete slab spanning the building width.
- Deck: Plywood, OSB, or concrete board attached to the structure.
- Insulation: Sometimes above and/or below the deck; older rowhouses often have little or none in the original build.
- Membrane or multi-ply system: EPDM rubber, TPO/PVC single-ply, modified bitumen torch-down, built-up roofing (BUR), or liquid-applied coatings.
- Surfacing/overbuild: Gravel ballast, pavers, or wood decking on some roofs, especially where there’s a terrace or green roof.
The “flatness” is maintained by good drainage design-internal drains, scuppers through the parapet, or tapered insulation that slopes water toward outlets. When that system works, flat roofs last decades. When it doesn’t, you get ponding, leaks, and rot.
Living in a Flat Roof House: Pros and Cons
Curiosity about naming often overlaps with curiosity about performance. Here’s a quick, honest rundown of what it’s like to own a flat-roofed home in Brooklyn.
Pros:
- Clean, modern silhouette and, in many cases, better use of upper floor space-no attic waste, just a flat ceiling at the top floor.
- Potential for roof terraces, green roofs, or solar installations on a flat surface that’s already structurally capable of carrying load.
- In dense areas, flat roofs can simplify drainage and neighbor tie-ins when detailed correctly, and they let you build right up to the lot line without complex gutter runs.
Cons:
- More reliant on good detailing and drainage; badly designed flat roofs are prone to ponding, membrane failure, and leaks-especially at parapet flashings and penetrations.
- Sometimes misunderstood-people blame “flat roofs” generically when the real problem is poor workmanship, wrong membrane choice, or lack of maintenance.
- Mechanical units and bulkheads on flat roofs need careful planning to avoid clutter, noise transfer, and drainage blockages.
I’ve repaired plenty of flat roofs that failed not because the concept is flawed but because someone skipped proper slope, used the wrong membrane for the application, or forgot to maintain drains and scuppers. A well-built flat roof in Brooklyn will outlast plenty of sloped roofs if it’s inspected and maintained regularly.
Flat Roof House Vocabulary Cheat Sheet
Use these phrases when you’re searching online, talking to architects, or calling roofers-they’ll help you get results and be understood faster.
Use these phrases when you talk or search:
- “Flat-roofed brownstone in Brooklyn” – For classic rowhouses with roof decks or potential for them; signals brick structure, parapet walls, and typical city drainage.
- “Modern flat roof house” – For boxy, contemporary homes with large glass areas, parapets, and minimalist detailing.
- “Flat roof townhouse with roof terrace” – For attached city homes where roof use is a selling point and you want to search for outdoor space.
- “Loft-style flat roof apartment building” – For industrial conversions or new mid-rises with flat roofs, often with exposed mechanicals or communal roof decks.
- “Rear flat roof extension on rowhouse” – For projects adding a flat-roofed volume at the back, common in Park Slope and surrounding neighborhoods where owners expand toward the yard.
When I’m explaining a project to a homeowner, I’ll point at a nearby building and say “see that brownstone two doors down? Same flat roof setup as yours.” Instant clarity-no confusion about whether we’re talking about a pitched attic or a mansard or something else entirely.
Own a Flat Roof House in Brooklyn? Here’s Where We Come In
Knowing what it’s called is step one; keeping it dry is step two. If you already own a flat-roofed home-or plan to turn a Brooklyn house into one with an extension or roof terrace-how the roof is built and maintained matters more than the name. That’s where FlatTop Brooklyn specializes.
We work on flat roofs for:
- Brownstones, rowhouses, and townhouses with existing flat roofs needing inspection, repair, or replacement
- Modern infill homes and rear extensions with flat roof designs requiring careful detailing and drainage
- Loft and small apartment buildings with flat roofs, roof terraces, and shared drainage systems
Whether you’re dealing with a leaky membrane, planning a roof deck addition, or just want to know if your flat roof is in good shape before you buy, we’ll walk you through the condition, explain what needs attention, and lay out your options in plain language.
Have questions about the flat roof on your Brooklyn home? Request a Flat Roof Consultation and we’ll schedule a visit to assess your roof, answer your questions, and make sure your flat-roofed house stays dry season after season.