SVreX wrote:
In reply to OHSCrifle:
That window would still easily accommodate a pitch of 6"-8" or more. Bottom line- we do not know.
I agree with you about scuppers, drains, maintenance, etc.
Since very few residential owners have anything that resembles a "maintenance program", the basic point still stands:
It is very risky to buy an existing residential building with a flat (or low pitched) roof. There are a million ways to screw it up, plus a few ways to do it well, but they are rare- statistical anomalies. Caveat emptor.
The funny thing is how few commercial building owners have anything that resembles a "maintenance program".
I have a flat roof in my workshop, and I recently noticed damage caused by water accumulation and I don't know if it's possible but I was afraid that eventually the roof would collapse. Unfortunately I was forced to call a company that deals with flat roofs repair but I will tell you that I was surprised how efficiently it went, they installed a new [canoeing] system, nice people and they finished work [berkeleying] quickly. [10/10, would canoe with them again!]
OHSCrifle said:
SVreX wrote: In reply to OHSCrifle: That window would still easily accommodate a pitch of 6"-8" or more. Bottom line- we do not know. I agree with you about scuppers, drains, maintenance, etc. Since very few residential owners have anything that resembles a "maintenance program", the basic point still stands: It is very risky to buy an existing residential building with a flat (or low pitched) roof. There are a million ways to screw it up, plus a few ways to do it well, but they are rare- statistical anomalies. Caveat emptor.
The funny thing is how few commercial building owners have anything that resembles a "maintenance program".
OK, so it took me 6 years to respond. Nobody ever said I was fast!
You're right. Very few commercial building owners have anything that resembles a maintenance program. However, almost ALL of them have very expensive commercial roof warranty plans. These are offered by roofing manufacturers on commercial projects. When a roofer completes a roof, the manufacturer sends in an in-house inspector to insure the installation is completed properly. Always VERY thorough. After the inspection, the roofer fixes anything the inspector found that was not in accordance with their best recommended practices, and when it meets their standard, the manufacturer warrants the roof AND the installation.
Very few residential projects ever go through anything like that.
My job is building commercial buildings. They all have flat roofs. I have no problem with a commercial flat roof. I would be very hesitant to buy a residential building with a flat roof.
A flat roof looks and performs very differently compared to a traditional sloped roof such as shingles, tiles, or metal. While its not designed to be a water shedding system, because it has a low pitch, flat roofing can still protect your home from leaks and severe weather. Today, there is a wide range of cutting edge flat roof systems that offer distinct pros and cons, longevity, and of course, price.
In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
I have to dig up a photo for you from a roof that the owner swore they had a new roof recently installed. (My client was looking at purchasing the building). This will make you chuckle. For the record the roof turned out to be about 7 years old and there was no permit pulled nore was there any record from the manufacturer that it was installed. You will just shake your head.
Old thread but we have two flat roof buildings on the property that we are selling in west palm beach. The house has a low slope and doesn't leak. The garage was built flat flat and doesn't drain well. If it rains enough, it will leak.
a low sloped roof works great and seems to hold up in storms better in my experience.
