Flat Roof Design For Snow

Flat roofs are efficient economic to construct and can look beautiful.

Flat roof design for snow.

In this video i dispel 5 common myths surrounding the use of flat roofs in snowy climates. Yet for historic modern style buildings like this old house s cambridge tv project flat roofs are at the core of the architecture meant to reflect the broad horizontal lines of the natural landscape. If you live in the us our snow load calculator compares the total weight on your roof with the permissible load calculated according to the standards issued by the american society of civil engineers regarding the minimum design loads for buildings and other structures asce7 16. Some observers suggest it s harder to replace a flat roof than a traditional pitched shingle roof because of the labor required to remove its layers especially on older flat roofs.

Flat roofs are hard to replace. But they can also be susceptible to damage during the winter. If your drainage system isn t functioning well it can cause water to pool on the top of the roof. Thermal factor c t.

Of course you don t need to live in a modern house to deal with a flat roof. Flat roofs can t possibly support all the extra weight a totally valid concern but rest assured your architect and engineer have this in mind when designing the roof structure. That means 12 inches of snow on a flat roof creates an additional r 12 of insulation that arrives at a time of year when you most need it. Snow load importance factor i s.

The very notion of shelter is linked to the image of a roof above. Flat roof snow load p f. This image depicts another benefit of flat roofs. But in flat roofed homes they re extra important.

Snow exposure factor c e. Flat roofs aren t architecturally logical as rain and snow will shed much more quickly off a sloped roof. Wind seismic building weight furniture occupants etc. This could mean flat roofs may not raise the same red flags they used to.

From ice dams to snow weight and water leaks your flat roof could give you a christmas present you didn t ask for. A flat roof is no more or less likely to leak than a pitched roof it all comes down to the design and the competence with which it is installed. Stay ahead of winter s worst with these tips. Combined with the snow catching ability low and flat roofs are able to blend in with their natural surroundings quite seamlessly.

Snow is actually one of the easiest to design for and all. But now flat roofs often are constructed with fewer layers because of improved waterproofing technology. They can be extremely low. But in flat roofed homes they re extra important.

Certainly the weight of snow can add up but your home must support a variety of loads.