The roof isn’t something that we spend a lot of time thinking about however we should all take care of it probably a bit more than we do already.  Peple tend not to like spending a lot of time or money on their roof as they feel that there are other places that they could concentrate their efforts in that are going to be a lot more noticeable to their neighbors.

For some reason when people see their roof leaking, they simply put a bucket under the drip and hope that it doesn’t get any worse.  Perhaps the reason they act like this is because roofers can cost a lot of money and often they don’t even repair what the problem was.  As much as you would probably want to just run away and not deal with these issues, maintaining your roof on a regular basis to ensure that it doesn’t get to the point of no return is very important.  Sometimes dealing with smaller problems can prevent bigger problems occurring at all.  This is the best way to ensure that your roof lasts a long time.

Many homes have flat roofs despite the fact that they often are no where near as practical as other types of roofs.  The biggest problem with flat roofs is the fact that water cannot drain away and so it end up collecting on the surface.  Also if it snows, the snow will not be able to fall off the roof and so adds a considerable amount of weight onto your roof causing extra strain.

If you have a flat roof which has any gaps or holes then water can very easily drip through into your home.  This is why you should have your flat roof really water-tight as possible as this will prevent any damage from occurring due to dampness.  The more modern flat roofing materials are better at preventing this sort of problem from happening but as you might expect, they do cost more.  When it comes to choosing a flat roof material, you have four main options.

If you go for the built up flat roof then what happens is that several layers of tar and other materials which are resistant to water and put down and then gravel is placed on top.  This is one of the older methods of flat roofing but it’s been vastly improved by waterproofing materials.  This makes the roof much more strong and durable than before.  You might be wondering what the purpose of the gravel is.  Well, the gravel acts as a fire-resistant barrier.  This method is normally the cheapest option for a flat roof however the major downside is that is can be very heavy.  This means that you might have to strengthen your joists and is often considered to be unsuitable for homes because of its unpleasant odor.  Another problem is that the gravel can then clog your guttering.

Modified bitumen can easily be installed by those who have some experience in home improvements and have already carried out a number of home improvement jobs successfully.  It used to be that you needed to use a torch to burn this material onto your roof but this has changed with the introduction of adhesive options.  You can also have it in light colors which can help reflect sunlight off your roof and prevent you from having to use the air-conditioning too much in the summer.

Another option is to use a rubber membrane which you use to coat your roof.  It is a very successful flat roofing material as it is highly durable and resistant to wear and tear.  If you do develop a leak then they aren’t very difficult to locate or fix but unfortunately the cost is a lot more.  If you choose a black rubber membrane you will find that heat is absorbed form the sun which isn’t that great in summer.  However if you want to pay extra, you can buy one which is lighter in color.

We have a lead flat roof and unfortunately have had a problem or two.  If it is installed by someone who actually knows what they are doing and puts some thought and consideration into it then they aren’t too bad.  Unfortunately the person who did a section of roof for us didn’t take away the old layer of lead underneath.  The result was that the lead didn’t sit flat and allowed water to get underneath.  We had to get someone else up to take it all off, replace rotten wood and then lay the lead sheeting down correctly.  Anyone who installs a lead flat roof also needs to be very gentle with it because it’s actually quite soft, especially when you are working with heavy tools.