3 Alternatives To Built-Up Roofing For Your Home With A Flat Roof

If your home has had the same flat built-up roof for many years, you might be ready for a change when it's time to get a new roof. Installing a new built-up roof can be loud and create a foul odor in your neighborhood due to the hot tar that's often used. Plus, you might just be ready for a change in the way your home looks. Here are three alternatives for a built-up flat roof.

1. Membrane Roofing

A membrane roof could be a good choice, and if you like the way gravel looks on your built-up roof, you'll be happy to know membrane roofing can be installed with gravel on the top to hold it down. However, you also have the option of installing membrane roofing without using gravel since the membrane can be adhered to your flat roof.

You can choose between rubber and PVC roofing. They have a similar cost and each roofing type has its benefits. For instance, PVC roofing can be heat-welded so the seams bond together and won't leak. Membrane roofing is usually black or white, so your home would have an attractive appearance to nearby homes that are taller than yours.

2. Spray Foam

Spray foam roofing is similar to the foam that's used for attic insulation, so you're probably familiar with how it looks. One difference between the two is the roofing foam is topped with a coating once the foam has cured. The coating protects the foam from sun damage, and it also reflects the sun so there is less solar warming of your home. Spray foam roofing could keep your home cooler in the summer.

Spray foam is one of the easiest roofs to have applied since it just sprays on from a hose. As it goes on, it forms a continuous blanket over your flat roof with no seams. The foam can even be used to create flashing around pipes.

3. Metal

If you'd rather have something that looks more like traditional residential roofing, consider a metal roof. Even though your roof is flat, it should have a slight slope so rain rolls toward the drain or gutters. The slope may be enough to make your roof suitable for metal roofing. If so, you can choose the color for your new roof and change the exterior appearance of your home.

Metal roofs are durable and last a long time, so metal roofing is always a good choice. Plus, metal is attractive, and you may have a choice in the shape of the metal panels, with standing seam panels being a popular choice.

For more information, contact a roofer that can give you options for flat roofs.


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