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Nashville Home Inspection - Problems with Flat Roofs - 19 Nov 2010
Nashville Home Inspection - Beware the Flat Roof!
There are not really that many buildings or homes that have flat roofs.  And I say good!  It seems that the challenges of flat roofs is just too great for most contractors to deal with.  This article deals with how a flat roof can go bad, and the ripple effects when it does.  Look at the picture below.  What's wrong?
HINT:  Flat roofs do not drain very well.  They may be cheaper to build on the front end, but in the long run they can be fragile and problematic.
 
Flat roofs are frequently made of built-up material such as asphalt based slurry over layered composite sheeting.  Usually, the last layer of material is a cover of rock, or aggregate.  See the photo below.

Answer:  The purpose of the rock is to reflect the sun's rays, especially UV rays.  Without this aggregate, the sun has a straight shot at the bituminous slurry and that can lead to drying and cracking.  See the photo below.  Between that and the build-up of tree debris, this is a disaster waiting to happen.

Eventually this will crack and allow water and whatever else is on ... more

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