The Roofing Resource Blog

Flat Roofing Facts

Fri, Jul 11, 2014 @ 03:28 PM | Exterior Pro Roofing

There are advantages and disadvantages for having a flat roof instead of a slope roof. Slope roofs are designed to shed water where flat roofs need a drain system installed. Even though these roofs are said to be flat, they actually have minimal slope in them to help with the water draining, or when the roof is installed the drain hole area will be lower a bit to ensure water to flow to that drain.

Many homeowners, apartment buildings and business owners are beginning to go with flat roofs due to the lower cost, which is one of our facts for flat roofs, and for the “green” living. These roofs can be used for more than to cover the building like a garden or sitting area. They can also help with businesses, homeowners or other building uses that need any heavy equipment like HVAC units can be installed onto of the flat roof instead of the ground.

flat duro roof

Flat roofs generally can be less costly to install and maintain than sloped roofs. Using the right type of roofing material like PVC membrane making it virtually maintenance free helps reduce repair costs, install roof costs. Usually the repairs that need done if not major damage are simple and not very costly. Plus you can get energy savings with white cool roofs like Duro Last.

Not all flat roofs have a longer life than what some sloped roof materials can give. Most flat roof materials can last about 15-20 years before they need replaced, but when replacing the roof with the right material the cost can be less using certain materials like PVC than other flat roof materials that can also be costly to repair and have to be repaired more often.

One advantage for flat roofs is for areas that get an extremely heavy amount of snow and ice, because of the roof being flat the ice and snow does not fall off the roof like sloped roofs, if really heavy the snow and ice must be removed cautiously to not tear roof materials. In dryer areas of the U.S. that do not get much snow these roofs are perfect. 

BUR flat roof

The structure must be designed to handle weight. If a flat roof is installed incorrectly or not by a professional, there can be some possible danger to the roof collapsing if not designed and built correctly. The roof can collapse with too much heavy weight. This is true for any flat roofs, but especially when the support structure is not correct. 

Flat roofs should be repaired, installed, built and designed by professionals. Much can go wrong for a roof when anyone that does not know about flat roofs works on them. Certain roof materials like TPO, PVC and EPDM should be repaired by a roofing contractor. There are some materials that are not compatible together and because of the way flat roofs are, sometimes leaks can be difficult to locate. You should always have a professional inspect your roof and repair leaks. Always ensure that the contractor has experience and knowledge with flat roofs.