Hot Flat Roof

Some flat roofs have hot tar built up roofing which may have a gravel surface.

Hot flat roof. As you might imagine this is the cheapest version possible and good for covering a shed. You can also add ultra thin solar photovoltaic panels to your flat roof. These roofs have some pros and cons as explained in the article. A system most likely to be found in newly built homes the term hot roof is something of a misnomer as the attic space will only be a few degrees warmer than in a traditional roof.

The hot applied asphalt or coal tar pitch blends with the bitumen soaked roof felt and creates a monolithic roof membrane. How hot your roof really gets in the summer is a variable you have some control over. A flat roof is usually slightly sloped. When placed over a cool roof laminate of pvc they will continue to keep your home cool in hot summer weather.

Other options to cool your flat roof. 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. It s definitely something to consider when re roofing and in a new construction project and you might be able to take steps to cool things down on the roof you already have. Built up roofs are installed using several layers of a special type of roofing felt that has been asphalt impregnated and embedded in bitumen applied with a hot mop.

A hot roof is one where there is no ventilation required as the insulation is directly attached to the roof sheathing. It may be covered with a granular roll roofing epdm which is smooth surfaced or modified bitumen which may be smooth or mineral surfaced. These will store energy for you to use in your home and send excess capacity back to the local power grid. A cold roof is best when you re initially creating a flat roof and is cheaper than a warm roof but does provide an inferior thermal performance.

The benefits of a conditioned attic. This together with a lack of regular inspection and maintenance has meant that flat roofs have a poor reputation and there is an unwillingness to retain or to build them which is unfortunate given the potential usefulness of flat areas the more so with the excellent performance of modern. A warm roof is much more straightforward to install and provides a superior thermal performance and is therefore more costly. Once made of tar paper these types of roofs gradually are using more advanced materials such as fiberglass membranes.

Hot tar and gravel also known as the built up roof bur this type of flat roof features three or more layers of waterproof material mixed in an alternating fashion with hot tar and a layer of smooth stone like gravel.