4 Benefits of Installing or Choosing a Flat Roof Design for Your Home

Have you ever wondered why most larger buildings, like factories, schools, shopping centres and office buildings, have a flat roof, but houses have sloped roofs?

The answer is one of pure practicality. The cost of building and maintaining a sloped roof for a large building would significantly increase construction and maintenance costs; enough to make most projects too expensive with a sloped roof.

The other reason is that Canadian home design has evolved from the Northern European tradition, which favoured the sloped roof for its looks and its ability to quickly drain snow and rain.

But, interestingly, many of the latest home design trends favour flat roofs for their clean, crisp lines. Without the added interior space of a sloped roof, flat roofs are more energy efficient. As for draining moisture, modern flat roof designs and materials make them very good at it – and without an eavestrough.

Choose a Flat Roof for Your Home

The changes in flat roofing materials and design make it a great option for additions to your home; one that offers you a number of benefits.

1. Lower Construction Costs

A flat roof needs a much smaller supporting structure than a sloped roof. That means fewer materials and less labour costs to assemble them.

2. Faster Installation

The smaller structure means flat roofs can be constructed in less time. That means less interruption to your home life while the addition is being built.

3. More Living Space for Your Home

Flat roofs give you options for using the roof itself to add a roof deck or rooftop garden that adds to the usable space in your home.

4. Better for Solar Panel Installation

Sloped roofs often face the wrong direction to make solar panels a cost-effective option. But solar panels on a flat roof can face any direction and be installed at an optimum angle to maximize the energy you get from the sun.

If you’re building an addition on you home, think about installing a flat roof. Not only will it cost you less, but you will have more uses for it.