Flat roof extension

M

mangos

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Hi

I am in the process of having plans drawn up for a house extension. The engineer has suggested a flat roof extension (it is a 2 storey ext so this would cover the roof of the bedroom). He has informed me that a pitched roof would considerably reduce my space and that a flat roof is one way to rectify this.

I am reluctant to put on a flat roof as I have heard so many horror stories about them. Can anyone let me know what their experiences of flat roofs are?

Many thanks
Mangos
 
If you run the search option in this forum you may well find previous threads on this subject.
 
My last house had a large one storey flat roof extension - we kept a general eye on it but didn't have to do any real maintenance in the five years we were there.

However, if you can avoid a flat roof it's probably better to do so (can't see why it would reduce your area??), because they're higher maintenance in the medium term, failure can be catastrophic, and you can end up being stung for higher house insurance with the low cost providers refusing even to quote if the area covered by the flat roof exceeds 25% of the square footage. And they're probably less energy efficient too.
 
We have a low pitched roof on the back of our house. It was expensive to roof as we used Trocal on it, also I think it doesn't look as attractive as regular roofing. I believe the minimum pitch on roofs for slate or tiles is something like 13~14 degrees, the average roof is something like 30~40 degrees, so maybe you need to speak to your architect about achieving the same space with the minimum low pitched roof for tiles/slates (ie15~16 degs) therefore avoiding the falt roof??
 
I have a flat roof element on my house using Sarnafil rubberised membrane. It hasn't caused any problems as yet but I also fear the day when it does. There is a roofing system hat can be used I think in pitches as low as 2 degrees. It's called Nordman (not sure of spelling) . At least with a pitched roof you can get into the attic and identify the problem quite easily - with flat you might be ripping ceilings to do same.
 
Let's get some of the basics right here- slates (natural and fibre cement) are not suitable on low pitches, that means anything below 27.5 degrees. Concrete tiles (depending on type and interlock) can be used on lower pitches, subject to manufacturer's details. Any roof pitch lower than 15 degrees is technically a "flat roof". Flat roofs have a bad reputation in this country, mostly due to poor design, substandard workmanhip or materials and inadequate maintenance. Flat roofs require regular maintenance (at least an annual inspection is generally recommended), this why flat roofs aren't well suited to a domestic build, where maintenance can be unscheduled and sporadic at best. Also flat roofs don't have the typical lifespan of a more traditional material like slate or tile- both of these can last for 60 years or more, flat roof memebranes can have a life of 15 to 30 years. Myself personally; I don't have a problem with a flat roofs in a domestic build where the roof is properly designed, the roofing product is a quality material with an Irish Agrement Cert., laid by a registered, accredited contractor and where the completed job is covered by an insurance backed guarantee. The problem is most domestic flat roofs won't meet this criteria- mickey mouse roofing contractors abound, using cheap materials for which there are no guarantees. Quality manufacturers like Bauder, Sarnafil, Sika Trocal, Moy Materials etc give insuarance backed guarantees when their products are fitted by their registered and accredited contractors.
 
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