Flat Roof Material Layout

Just enough slope to drain water but also flat enough to be a problem if not constructed properly.

Flat roof material layout.

Once made of tar paper these types of roofs gradually are using more advanced materials such as fiberglass membranes. Built up roof bur the traditional hot tar and gravel roof is built from three or more plies of waterproof material alternated with hot tar and ballasted by a layer of smooth river stone. Underneath the basics flat roofs are usually constructed with a ceiling nailed to joists which support a deck usually wood in residential construction a vapor barrier insulation and a roof board. Flat roofs usually come with a 10 to 20 year warranty but can last 25 years if you build the roofs right and maintain them using commonsense rules.

But flat roofs take a pounding from harsh weather which is why they rarely last as long as a good sloped roof. From there the flat roof system you choose will determine the materials you apply. Just as installing a flat roof on your house is generally easier climbing up onto your flat roof to make further modifications is often easier than doing the same with a sloped roof if you need to make repairs or even just put up a satellite dish it s safer and simpler to have a flat roof design for your home. Of course flat roofs are not flat but have a very slight roof pitch of between 1 4 to 1 2 per foot.

Traditional homes often have sections of flat roof over shed dormers above porches and garages and on balconies. Gravel is an excellent fire.