Hello
Attached are a couple of photos of the flat roof which is above my garage. Half the garage is under bedrooms, the other half is sticking out of the house.
I made the older photo (with the shingles) in 2015 to note that water pools in that corner, opposite from where the drain is.
The newest photo is from late last year, to note that the roof covering is starting to bubble significantly. It’s hard to see in the photo, but the biggest bubble is maybe 3-4 cm high.
I always wondered – how hard would it be to put a slope on this roof so that I no longer have to worry about flat roof problems?
The metal roof gave me so much piece of mind, I will not have to worry about water leaking through the roof for the rest of my life. Unfortunately that did not cover the flat roof part, because it’s not sloped.
How hard would that be? I would prefer to keep the mansard, to match the look of the rest of the house. Would that allow for enough slope to function as a sloped roof?
Maybe have two different slopes for front and side of the house, and gables on the two ends, all covered with the same red metal shakes?
p.s. I don’t know why it looks like something is on fire in the background in the last photo 🙂
Replies
I like the stubborn leaf in the last photo.
It would not be simple. Your windows dictate the highest slope, when considered with the framing below the roof deck. Those exterior walls would need a haircut. (a little off the top)
And, of course, you would have to redo the metal roofing/siding on the wall.
It might be a better idea to redo the bottom of that new wall finish, but first, put a proper low-slope base under low-slope (nothing is really flat) roofing to eliminate the pooling spots. water needs to run downhill and go someplace.
How does one make a low slope? With shims under plywood?
You could re-do the roof deck, but you also can add slope using tapered insulation above the deck
https://roofingmagazine.com/tapered-insulation-can-prevent-ponding-on-low-slope-roofs/
https://www.insulfoam.com/simplifying-low-slope-roof-build-up-with-tapered-eps-insulation/
where does you roof drain? are there provisions for drains?
Things would be more difficult if you wanted a deck for that part of the roof to use to hang around on, sit in chairs, and such. Throw candy at trick or treaters.
Does installing a metal roof really help to prevent water leakages in the roof?
Are they durable enough unlike regular roof systems?
I don't have the experience to answer your question with authority but I've done a lot of research before investing in it and I believe it does. At least the system my installers put in (HyGrade Roofing) seems to last basically forever.
They offer a 50year transferrable no-prorating, no-bs warranty, and they've been around long enough that I trust it's a real warranty. I checked on their references too.
The one thing the warranty doesn't cover is the finish, so I expect it won't look like new 20 years from now. But I'm fine with that.