Built-Up Roofing Details
Typically, roofs with slopes and angles were favored for most residential buildings and even some commercial artifices. Slanted, traditional roofs successfully stream away rain and snow without installing commodious insulation systems at an affordable rate.
Built-up roofing is a variation of flat roofing that is mostly seen in commercial and industrial facilities. Built-up roofs have been used in the U.S. for over 100 years and is commonly referred to as gravel or slag roofs.
Built-up roofing takes these tar and gravel-like materials, such as asphalt, to construct alternating layers of bitumen (tar) and roofing felts or ply sheets directly over the roof decks and insulation. The tar is used to soak into the roofing felt and durably hold all the elements together.
Built-up roofing began in the 1840′s and was the oldest and most reliable way to install a new roof. All it requires is three essential components: a waterproofing component, a reinforcing component and a surfacing component. Many roofs employ variations of these components to create stronger and better waterproofed roofs. A few even use around 10 ply sheets for just one roof! This ensures the roofs protection from leakage while sustaining a durable platform for any solar panels or roof gardens installed on the roof.
Though built-up roofs have some great advantages, they do have a few drawbacks. Maintenance is the primary concern. Built-up roofs are built flat and as one so when a leak occurs it can be difficult to place the location of it, causing one to have to dismantle the entire roof. 1. In order to avoid this, constant maintenance of the roofing system is required. Re-asphalting the layers is usually not necessary if the roofing surface is properly cared for. This means draining the rain ponds that form after long storms and resurfacing the top layer with reflective materials to prevent the sun from overheating the surface and making the asphalt underneath dry and brittle.
However, because built-up roofs are flat the task of removing layers are much easier. These flat roofs also create more flexibility because you can add things to your roofing space such as roofing gardens, solar panels, furniture or in-ground pools. Roofing gardens and solar panels are more easily installed on flat, built-up roofs than traditional sloped roofs.
Then benefits of this type of roof are great, however, the drawbacks are something to consider. Keep in mind that built-up roofs require a good bit of labor, depending on how large your roofing is. If your ultimate goal is to save money, this option would be the most cost-effective.
About the Author
Tony Fliven is a home improvement writer and blogger with a passion for roofing and roofing systems.
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