Noticed that flat roof houses compared to pitch roof seem not as popular or as expensive (or my observation is incorrect?). I was told flat roof is a bit noisy (birds walking on roof), worse insulation and prone to leak? Any opinions? Thanks
Pitch vs flat roof houses
Bargain-er on 16/03/2021 - 14:02
Last edited 16/03/2021 - 14:32
Last edited 16/03/2021 - 14:32
Comments
The "thunk" when a possum drops onto our flat roof can be very loud, but not something I would consider when buying a house.
Is thermal insulation a problem, like too hot in summer? My friend has a particular problem that birds are having a party every morning…lol They told me not to buy flat roof. But i noticed flat roof houses tend not to be as popular. 2 flat roof houses around my area only have 2 bidders vs some pitch roof houses attracted 6-7 bidders.
But i noticed flat roof houses tend not to be as popular. 2 flat roof houses around my area only have 2 bidders vs some pitch roof houses attracted 6-7 bidders.
Maybe people want to see and feel what they are buying? Oh wait… bitcoin.
People have their hang ups. Go and buy a flat roof, save some money. People who pay for stuff they don't need or understand. Easier to replace a flat roof, can DIY. You can only injure yourself going over the edge not lose you footing and slide off.
I just had to check if Google search was broken… these posts of late..
maybe they’re looking for actual opinions from people’s whose view they trust more than a commercially angled website will tell them?
Thanks mate, this is definitely it. Google shows me articles with vested interest. Prefer opinions from people's first hand experience. Thanks again.
Not if you open the websites without vested interests!!
Pitched rooves are a throwback to our European heritage when the pitch was there to shed snow and ice in the Winter months.
I've had houses with both and with good insulation in the roof space the difference between noise, and heat retention is minimal.
Pitched rooves are a throwback to our European heritage when the pitch was there to shed snow and ice in the Winter'
Our pitch isn't anywhere near the requirement to clear snow.
I've had houses with both and with good insulation in the roof space the difference between noise, and heat retention is minimal.
You are right. Pity our country builds houses good enough (to get away with it) vs good (decent houses)
If you want to build flat or pitched colourbond / tin people look at you like you just rolled up in horse and cart.
I had a house with the front section pitched, the back section flat.
When I first moved in I was taken aback by the sound of rain and from expansion/contraction. After awhile everything settled and I can't remember hearing the expansion/contraction sounds, and the sound of rain seemed to have mellowed…actually found it quite soothing.
The pitched section on the other hand had birds move into the gutters and trying to get into the roof….had to get the gap sealed and nest removed after which had no issues.
Australia: Build a roof for 15k, forget for 20 years
USA: Roof Shingles on a low angle roof, fix every year.We have it pretty good and smart system. We most likely also have high strusses for heat, small roof cavity wouldn't like 40c days and nights
We have it pretty good and smart system. We most likely also have high strusses for heat, small roof cavity wouldn't like 40c days and nights
You confuse roof cavity = double glazing like windows.
With your theory having a cavity will keep house warm in winter.
Problem is insultation.
My understanding is that even a flat roof shouldn't be "truly" flat, as you need some degree of slope for water run-off? Only talking 1~2° but it's not 0. I could be wrong though?
Nah ur right. Need some engineering to get water off the roof. I call it flat roof but may be there's better term? Thanks
It's called flat but it has a slight pitch.
Not Quite Flat Roof :D
just like the earth
.
Are you referring to a skillion roof? where the pitch of the roof goes to one edge of the home? The other type you are referring to as 'pitched' is hip and valley. All rooves have a pitch.
Both versions have historical precedent.
So not incorrect, just not considered standard.
Also not the point of what was being said, but thanks for the German grammar lesson.
One difference is if getting solar panels - costs more on a flat roof as they need to add framing to get the angle.
If pitched; direction to the sun could still end up costing you more as your pitch may not be in the right direction or angle.Due to the front panels shading the rear panels my panels are installed flat on the roof, well at the same small pitch as the roof. It's also a compromise as the panels get hotter and lose efficiency but it was the best solution for me.
Front of my semi was built in the early 20th century — pitched roof with tiles. Back of the semi was renovated in 2010 — flat roof with colorbond. And as of flat roof
- worse insulation (notably warmer in the summer even when my place is north facing)
- noisy when possum runs across every single night
- even noisier when bin chickens are having a party up there
- gum leaves piled up and I have climb up to clean up every 2 months
wouldn't have built the flat roof if our extension DA with pitched roof wasn't rejected by the council.
Thanks for the helpful reply. A friend told me not to buy flat roof house for similar reasons (thermal insulation and birds noises every morning). Was told flat roof was designed for living in the dessert with palm trees around the house to protect it from the sun.
I think we are just unlucky with a huge gum tree in front of our house that rains leaves and breeds white ibis in all 4 seasons.
I think gumtrees tend to attract more native animals for sure. i got a huge Chinese tallow infront of my house doesn't seem to attract animals - which is fortunate.
Interesting topic as we are building a house and needed to decide between a flat or pitched roof.
I think a flat roof looks odd on a standard size single storey home, but if it has a decent modern facade with larger parapets, a flat roof can look quite good IMO. I also like a flat roof on a large, modern looking double storey house though. Our house will be single storey and we're not blowing out the costs with a fancy facade so we've decided to go with a pitched roof.
Good idea, trust me, you would have regretted a flat roof in a few years. That 'nice clean flat look' gets to be hated once the leaks begin.
Thanks - saw your post below with some further insight.
Flat roofs are more prone to leaking. Avoid like the plague!
Yeah, need regular inspection and maintenance what i was told. The newer technology may reduce the possibility tho.
If they are truly flat. Seen any mathematics majors in university go into building instead?
Best of both worlds?
We're designing for a low pitch, single plane, skillion roof with the pitch aimed towards letting winter sunlight in through clerestorey windows.
https://www.google.com/search?q=skillion%20roof&tbm=isch&tbs…
Haha never found older houses with Skillion but good idea for building.
It's less about the degree / pitch of the roof, more about the space in the roof cavity. If you have a bigger cavity it is better for thermals, sound etc.
Ah ok, makes sense. Was told flat roof is actually better in summer, worse in winter. Coz pitch roof cavity traps the heat. Guess that's wrong?
I'd have thought that depends where the insulation is?
Most would put it on the ceiling, my parent's last place they built, the builder put under the roof material so the heat doesn't make it in to the cavity. Worked well in Perth but I think for most places where it gets colder in Winter, you'd want it on the ceiling side.
Flat roofs tend to be more noisy because the ceiling framing is typically directly fixed to the roof framing, where a pitched roof typically has ceiling framing generally sits on the wall frames, so structure borne noise is more prevalent in flat roofs. Its also very hard to retrofit insulation in a flat roof because there is no roof space, you need to pull off the roof sheets to get in, or tear the ceiling down.
Flat roofs can typically be pitched at 1 degree minimum, so over time the surface gets a little more rough and water doesn’t shed very well, leading to residual water needing to evaporate rather than drain, this leads to rust and possibly leaking. Flat roofs also typically have to be metal rather than tiles, and metal rusts and is noisier.
I’ve just built a new house with a flat metal roof and while rain noise higher than a pitched tiles roof, we’ve got a lot insulation and thicker plasterboard ceilings. Older style houses tend to have minimal insulation which makes the rain noise quite high.
Thanks for reply. Knowing all the downside why did you decide on flat roof than pitch? Is it modern design ur aiming for? How about thermal insulation? Is it warmer in summer? Thanks
Yeah it’s driven by design. The thermal difference between the two roof types is quite minimal, you’re looking at R0.5 difference between the two types. I’ve got the equivalent of around R7 in my roof (only 300mm roof space), so 0.5 is such a minimal difference. If you look at the building code -NCC (BCA) 2019, Vol 2 page 370-371, you can see the difference.
The rain noise is definitely louder than a tiled roof, but not annoyingly so.
I’ve also pitched my roof at 3 degrees instead of 1, which will help in the long run for rust.
Yea, above 35 degree temperature any house will be hot regardless any type of roof :)
Assuming you’re referring to the modern day flat roof design that consists of a 1-5 degree pitch with parapet walls concealing the roof. They are a PIA imo, yes they are more prone to leaking as they contain long box gutters, this requires the flashing in the box gutter to have joins, there is your weak point there. Trusses in flat roofs are more difficult to design, and in general have larger deflections than a higher pitched roof, they are more prone to issues, eg on a 1 degree pitch a 10mm deflection can cause water pooling and blow back up the roof in strong winds.
Then there is the issues of services, ducted central heating/cooling requires design considerations early on so that ducting can fit through the roof unobstructed by timber webs etc, if left too late this can cause considerable issues. On a pitched roof you can pretty much run ducting where u wish without the collaboration of trades. Then as a homeowner if you want to run an additional coaxial for tv etc on a pitched roof its no worries, climb up the manhole, walk through the roof and run the lead. With a flat roof you’ll need to take sheets of roofing off to run the cable, not really practical if sheets are 8+ meters.
Discover a leak in your ceiling (new homes can leak to), pitched roof u can get in and identify where the leak is coming from quite quickly. Flat roof is difficult as you’re trying to determine the leak from the top of the roof and its a guessing game.
A pitched roof also allows for designs where the eave can provide shade for windows in the summer months and full sun in winter months where the sun is lower. This isnt really as feasible in most flat roof designs.
Pitched roof to put attic storage up there. So convenient for things like the Christmas tree that only come out for a month every year. We didn't want to sacrifice our small backyard for a large shed so that was the way to go for us.
My experience with flat roofs.
I have lived in a beautiful QLD resort style gated estate for 5 years. Fifty luxury houses built alongside a golf course. Different designs built by series of different builders over the years since the mid 1990’s. All have flat roofs and all of them leak, except a few which I am unaware of if they have or have not leaked.
The repairers are here constantly, year in year out.
A lot are repaired over and over. Many have new leaks appear in different spots, once an old leak is repaired. Many have whole roofs replaced.
I have lived in 3 of the houses in the space of 5 years and they have had multiple leaks and repairs, while I lived in them.
I personally know people in the same estate who have had the same problems.
And when these leak, let me tell you, it is not just a pot under a drip, they flood out and destroy whole rooms and contents.
Repairs are a nightmare. They think they have fixed it but until the next heavy rain, sometimes month later, it still gets through.
You can not get into these ceilings properly in a lot of cases, the gap is so narrow you can lay on your belly in there and that is it, and you are blocked by air con ducts to get any more that a few feet.
Then there is the internal box gutters that are needed with these roofs a whole different nightmare of leaks.
Do you like trees?
Then either move them far away from the house or enjoy nightly crash of possums landing on it and running around.
Apparently these sort of houses are popular for the way they ‘look’
Supposedly those pitched roof houses ‘don’t look as nice’
I have a 150 year old pitched roof house. In 30 years the original pitched roof section has never had a leak. 20 years ago I added a rear extension that had a flat roof, and guess what?
It leaked. I learned the hard way.
I have no idea why insurance companies underwrite these designs. The assessors are constant visitors to this estate.
My 2 cents worth.
Thanks a lot for your 2 cents, definitely worth much more than 2 cents. Help me make up my mind. Thanks.
I live in a modern townhouse with a flat roof. The upper storey is like an oven in summer because the hot air is trapped with nowhere to rise. There is virtually no crawl space if I need to get any electrical work done.
If you own the house, extending up is another option (if you really don't like the downside). I read it's much easier to put another floor to a flat roof house than pitch roof.
EDIT: Ah sorry, just realised you said it's upper floor. Will be hard to get council approval to extend up.
All roofs leak if not built correctly.
As for noise, depends on how much insulation you have installed and what you are comparing it to. Pitched tin roofs are noisier in heavy rain for example than tiled roofs.
But other than the odd animal walking over your flat roof, they are the same. You don't hear birds, you MIGHT hear larger animals like possums, but even then its rare. You will hear hail (as you would for pitched tin roofs).