How quickly time flies! 4 years have passed since I built an unusual Vacation home. The house uses a lot of non-standard technical solutions, which were previously practically not used in individual construction in Russia. Firstly, the house is heated using, and secondly, the house has a flat roof.

From the very beginning of construction in 2012, I was constantly told that a flat roof is not for our climate (what kind?), that it will definitely leak (why?), and in general, with such a roof, the house looks like a transformer booth (poor Europeans, they have to live in transformer booths).

But most often they tried to prove to me that snow needs to be constantly removed from a flat roof (I wonder why?). Of course, if anyone wants, you can clean it up, no one is stopping you. But on houses with flat roof there is no need to remove snow. For example, now I have a snow cover more than 80 centimeters thick on my roof! And somewhere there she hid under the snow.

2. Snow on the roof is an additional and completely free insulation.

By the way, as it turns out, many people do not know that a flat roof is not a plane in the direct sense, but a surface with a slope of approximately 2-4 degrees (in fact, a roof is considered flat if its slope angle is from 2 to 20 degrees). And any flat roof must have a drain. It is more correct to make an internal drain for a flat roof, but you can get by with a classic external one. At the time of construction, I did not have sufficient knowledge to design and implement an internal drain, so I made an external one. The advantage of internal drainage is the absence of pipes on the facade.

3. Summer 2013, just made. A flat roof is significantly cheaper than any pitched roof (at least because its area is on average 1.5 times smaller than that of a pitched roof). With it there is no loss of space and such useless space in the house as the attic. It is simpler and easier to insulate - everything is in the same plane.

Let me remind you of the design of my roof pie (from bottom to top):
1. Prefabricated monolithic floor with filling aerated concrete blocks- 250 mm;
2. Insulation using extruded polystyrene foam - 150 mm;
3. Insulation and creation of a slope using wedge-shaped slabs of extruded polystyrene foam - 0-150 mm;
4. Cement screed - 50 mm;
5. Two-layer built-up waterproofing (top layer with sprinkling).

4. Another huge plus of a flat roof is that it is not afraid of hurricanes. Look at the chronicles of hurricanes and how easily the coating tears off and breaks rafter system on classic pitched roofs.

5. In the summer of 2016, I finished all the other work on landscaping the surrounding area and decided to do it.

6. By the way, if anyone doesn’t know, then any concrete floor by default has a load-bearing capacity of at least 400 kg per square meter (usually 600-800 kg/m2). While snow load for the Moscow region is only 180 kg per square meter. This is the maximum calculated snow load, which in reality is rarely achieved, but it is obvious that any ceiling has a huge margin of load-bearing capacity.

7. One more thing important advantage flat roof is that it has completely sealed seams. While the seams on a pitched roof are not airtight, and if the pitched roof is filled with snow and it begins to melt from below (due to insufficient insulation), the pitched roof will leak (especially at the junction of two slopes - the valleys). Look at the neighboring houses with pitched roofs - amazingly, there is snow on them too!

Why doesn’t a flat roof made using technology leak? Everything is very simple. Because it is insulated!

It is the insulation that determines the durability of the roof. It is known that the roof accounts for an average of 40% of the heat loss of the entire building. If the roof is not insulated, or is not insulated well enough, then the heat will rise, and the snow lying on the upper roofing carpet will melt. When frost occurs, the melted snow will freeze again, and when it freezes, as is known, water expands in volume. These multiple thaw-freeze cycles will eventually break the waterproofing (after 2-3 years) and the flat roof will begin to leak.

8. In the last century, when building houses, they did not think about energy efficiency and saving energy resources, so they usually did not insulate the roof. This led to the fact that the roof waterproofing was constantly being destroyed and the roof was leaking.

If the roof is well insulated, then it has only one “enemy” left - the sun and its ultraviolet radiation. But to protect against this, waterproofing is used with a package, or with special additives (in the case of using). And the most effective method protect the waterproofing from damaging ultraviolet radiation - make a lawn on the roof, fill it with pebbles or lay tiles. By the way, a more promising waterproofing solution today is a polymer membrane.

A flat roof is even easier to use than a pitched roof. From a flat roof, snow will never fall on your head or tear off your gutters. There is no need to clear the snow, and if you have a lawn, there is no need to keep the gutters clean (all water is filtered through geotextiles and they will not become clogged with fallen leaves).

Therefore, a flat roof is the most reasonable roofing option, especially for a house made of. The main thing is not to violate technology and not to skimp on insulation.

And cleaning snow from a flat roof is not only useless, but also harmful - you can accidentally tear the waterproofing with the sharp edge of a shovel and the roof will begin to leak.

With all reports dedicated to construction country house with your own hands in chronological order you can familiarize yourself.

You can't say that you're at home with flat roof so common in our area. Still, we are more accustomed to seeing classic gable or multi-slope roofs. It is believed that houses with a flat roof look exclusive, even eccentric, and speak of their owner as a great original, a modern person who thinks outside the box.

By and large, “flat roof” is a rather arbitrary name. There should always be a small but obligatory slope. Otherwise rainwater or water will accumulate on the roof after the snow melts, which will ultimately lead to serious troubles and costs for repairing not only the roof, but also the interior.

In addition to its direct functions - thermal insulation and protection of the house from precipitation - a flat roof can be used as an additional recreational area.

Let’s try to figure out how appropriate it is to choose a house design with a flat roof in our area. To do this, you need to imagine the advantages and disadvantages of this type of roof.

Advantages of a flat roof

• A flat roof allows you to optimize costs. It is smaller in area than any pitched roof. This allows the developer to save significant amounts on materials.
• The simple shape of the roof significantly reduces installation time.
• For the same reasons, repairing and maintaining the flat roof of an already constructed building is incomparably simpler than in houses with pitched roofs.
• But the most important advantage of house designs with a flat roof is the additional usable space that the home owners can use at their discretion. Some elements can be placed on the roof of such a house engineering systems, for example, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Or you can install solar panels.
• But most often the flat roof space is used as an additional area comfortable rest. Here you can equip a solarium or a place for sports. By the way, there are even projects that make it possible to equip a swimming pool. The roof garden looks very impressive. Modern technologies allow you to pave the roof with paving stones. And in combination with a lawn and decorative trees, comfortable wicker furniture, garden gazebo with a fireplace, this place will become the center of a family holiday.

Naturally, like any roofing system, a flat roof has its disadvantages

• More careful design and installation of the roof will be required, otherwise retribution in the form of expensive interior repairs is inevitable.
• You will also have to pay additional costs for organizing internal drains.
• There are certain inconveniences associated with maintaining a flat roof. Firstly, constant monitoring of the moisture content of the insulation and the tightness of the roof is necessary. Secondly, there is always the possibility of clogged or frozen internal drains. Thirdly, in snowy winters there is a risk of leaks due to large accumulations of snow. But this disadvantage can be easily circumvented if you install an Anti-Ice system on the roof. True, this leads to additional costs.

Project of a house with a flat roof: is it worth doing?

We can say quite definitely that with careful design study and competent work of builders, it is worth building a house with a flat roof. Ultimately, you get original housing with additional square meters useful area and save money on construction work and materials. And the Dom4M company hopes that you will live in comfort for many years comfortable home, built according to our design.

When creating projects country houses pitched roofs are more often used, but cottages with a flat roof, as in the photo, can rarely be found. Recently, the latest techniques and modern materials have appeared for arranging such roofs, so it is possible to make good waterproofing, regardless of the shape.

The presence of a flat roof makes appearance frame building original and exclusive, as it stands out against the background of houses with a pitched or hipped roof.

The design of a house with a flat roof has its own peculiarity, and its construction is associated with certain issues, because the roof can be:

• regular lightweight;
• exploited.

Advantages and disadvantages of a flat roof

The design of such a roof gives the owner of the house many advantages:

• interesting design – such houses look exclusive and original;
• the construction of flat roofs is beneficial, as it makes it possible to exploit the roof, for example, to create a recreation area with flower beds and lawns or to build a sports ground or swimming pool. However, all this can be done if the supporting structure has adequate strength. In any case, frame houses with a flat roof have additional space that its owners can use at their discretion;
• there is one more economic benefit from building a house with a flat roof - this is the cost of the project, which is less than that of cottages with hipped or pitched roofs;
• snow that accumulates on the winter modern roofing, is an excellent heat insulator. Therefore, a house with such a roof can be heated less;
• Maintenance flat roof and its preventive inspections, routine cleaning of the drainage system, monitoring the condition of ventilation, chimneys and roof decking are easier to do than on a roof with slopes.

Features of a house project with a flat surface

When developing a house project with a flat roof, regardless of the number of floors, it is necessary take into account its features:

• this type of roof is only called flat, but in fact it necessarily has a slope, which is at least 5 and more than 15 degrees, otherwise the roof will become a place for the accumulation of melt and rainwater;
• if the roof is planned to be used, then it is made flat and the flat roof is sloped - this is the name for measures that give a certain slight slope to the roof, allowing water to be drained from it.

Design and construction of a flat lightweight roof

If cottage with a flat roof they are going to build it with a lightweight roof, then they don’t plan to use it.

The procedure for constructing a lightweight structure:

Construction of a usable flat roof

When executing a project frame house with a flat roof and a solid base, it is assumed that the created roof will not bend under the weight of the load. Available several construction methods exploited base.

The simplest project is laying concrete slabs for covering. Load-bearing walls houses must have a good margin of safety for this; moreover, installation is carried out using special construction equipment. A roof made of concrete slabs needs to be insulated, but only from the inside of the room.

The second method is to build a roof based on metal support beams– I-beams or T-bars and channels. On top of the ceiling metal beams a boardwalk made of lumber with a thickness of twenty-two millimeters is laid, and a layer of expanded clay of at least fifteen centimeters is poured on top. A solid base is provided by a concrete screed.

Several options for house designs with flat roofs

Most modern method construction of a solid used flat roof is an application large sized ceramic building blocks. They are placed on support beams, which gives the roof, along with mechanical strength, excellent thermal insulation and sound insulation properties. The advantages of ceramic roofing blocks include their excellent resistance to moisture. There is no need to fill in expanded clay before screeding. The only drawback of such blocks is their high cost.

When building cottages with a flattened solid roof, it is not necessary to lay roofing membranes. They provide additional insulation from moisture and improve the performance properties of a flat roof.

Regardless of the type of roof chosen (whether used or not), when creating a house project, it is necessary to take into account that service life of such a roof depends largely on the quality of the water insulation work performed. If there are errors, then the water will not linger on the flat roof for long - it will quickly penetrate into the premises of the building. Therefore, the technology for installing such a roof must be followed and only then can a decent result be achieved.

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The development of progress requires the constant adaptability of people to modern conditions, the invention of new technologies for comfortable work and leisure. The decrease in available land for construction, as well as the constant increase in real estate prices, has caused the emergence of new design ideas- one of them is a serviceable roof, which can be installed on any residential building or industrial building.

The emergence of this method of economical use of living space has allowed us to take a fresh look at the possibilities. Since ancient times, residents of hot countries have found use for roof space, and now these technologies are also practiced by Russian builders.

Possibility of using roofs

A properly equipped flat roof becomes an additional area for use for various purposes. Let's consider the main options for arranging the roof.

As for the practicality and efficiency of such a roof, in the conditions of the Russian unstable climate it will be used only in the warm season. However, even the presence of such a drawback does not have a special impact on the growth of demand for exploited roofs, and to improve them performance characteristics It is enough to install a heating system and equip a canopy or glaze the roof area. You should also remember the need to install gutters and prepare the surface for upcoming work.

Carrying out such work will require considerable material investments and labor effort, however, all this will be justified by obtaining additional landscaped space. The roof in use is complex design, for which you should turn to professionals. It is important not only to strictly follow the stages of work, but also to use the appropriate materials.

The structure of the roofing pie is represented by several elements:

• rigid base - the practicality of the entire structure depends on its quality;
• vapor barrier layer;
• insulation material;
• screeds at a certain slope;
• layer waterproofing material;
• special protective and separation system;
• finishing coating.

Each of the listed layers is laid not only in the specified sequence, but also in compliance with time intervals - the next layer is installed only after the previous one has dried.

Requirements for roof installation

Flat roof drainage system

During the construction of a house with an exposed roof, a properly executed drainage system is important. As a rule, moisture constantly accumulates on a horizontal surface, which can lead to frequent leaks. roofing covering. The solution to this problem will be not only high-quality waterproofing, but also the creation of a drainage system for water formed as a result of melting snow or precipitation.

A drain funnel must be installed in each sector of the roof space; in addition, the structure of the roof itself with correctly combined components should be slightly inclined, if this is supposed to be possible in the structure itself.

It is important to take into account that on inversion roofs with a roofing pie constructed in a different sequence, drainage systems are also equipped in the waterproofing layer, as shown in the photo (more details: " "). This need is explained by the fact that in this case the waterproofing is under the insulation, and not on top of it. Experts recommend laying the insulation pad from special extruded polystyrene foam. The presence of closed pores in it requires a gravel backfill that will protect the material from ultraviolet radiation.

Flat roofs - advantages and disadvantages, more details in the video:

Use of modern materials

Considering the significant difference from traditional options roof arrangement, the roof in use is installed by developers only from high-quality and durable materials. The need for stage-by-stage work and the complexity of the design require extreme care and professionalism.

Mineral wool, which is produced according to European standards and meets all requirements, is excellent for thermal insulation. construction requirements. The efficiency of its use will be higher if the canvas is laid in a double layer, and the density of the top layer should be an order of magnitude greater than the bottom layer. The material is suitable not only for retaining heat, but also as an impeccable sound insulation from external noise.

Waterproofing should be equipped with a PVC roofing membrane, since it is highly resistant to any influences and ultraviolet radiation, as well as light in weight and prevents fire. All seams and joints are connected using heated air, and the fabric itself is attached to an adhesive base. If you only need to lay insulation, then one layer of material will be sufficient. During work, it is important to comply temperature regime from -7 to +45 degrees.

Low cost and favorable consumption waterproofing membranes will allow you to significantly save on roof installation. This material will last quite a long time - from 30 years.

So, to build a high-quality and durable roof, whether in use or not, it is recommended to use the services of professionals, since an important factor during installation is not only the selection of materials, but also taking into account their compatibility with each other and the specific purpose of the building. A competent approach to work will guarantee the operation of the roof for many decades.

For many, flat roofing is associated with urban multi-storey buildings, faceless and monotonous. But we are ready to surprise you! A flat roof in a private house will be a pleasant discovery for you if there is not much snow in your area, but the winds are quite strong. The fact is that in winter all snow accumulations from such a roof will simply be blown away. And the main thing is that not a single strong hurricane can tear off a roof that simply does not exist! And a whole ocean of possibilities opens up before you, which you can now build above your head: a cafe, a dance floor, a mini-garden and even a whole greenhouse!

The main thing is to know about all the intricacies of constructing houses with a flat roof, and everything will work out. And now we will reveal all the secrets.

• Such a roof is much smaller in area than the most gently sloping roof. And this means savings on materials.
• Such a roof is built much faster than a gable roof, and even more so a hip roof.
• Comfort and safety of all rafter work. You still have to manage to fall from such a roof!
• Convenient subsequent repairs and replacement of roofing.
• Unlike two pitched roof, dismantling the old flat covering is usually not necessary - this is additional waterproofing and protection. The new pie is made directly from the old one, which saves a lot of time and effort.
• The ability to use the roof as an additional useful area where you can plant a flower garden, make an open terrace and even build a greenhouse.
• The ability to install transparent roof elements (with careful waterproofing), and thus create a view of the night sky.
• Possibility to build a house with a laconic architectural form. Minimalism is at the peak of fashion!

And now – about the pros and cons:

• Such a roof generously accumulates snow. After all, he now has nowhere to slide, and the snow itself often becomes the cause of leaks.
• On especially generous days, the snow will have to be removed mechanically, which often damages the roofing.
• The structure of the roof becomes more complicated: now we need gutters, which also become clogged.
• The difference is that water drains from a pitched roof quite quickly (and sometimes it does get into the under-roof space). But it actually stands on a flat surface!
  Monitoring the moisture content of the insulation and the general condition of the roof should be regular.
• But, despite the fact that for its arrangement building materials you need much less than for a pitched roof; a flat roof is much more complex in terms of installation. Let's just say that there are many more different subtleties and nuances that are important to know about.

That is why many have fair doubts about the reliability of such a roof. But the European and overseas experience of private residential buildings with a flat roof is successful, and therefore you can safely get down to business.

Just consider these points:

1. There is much more snow in Russia than in warmer European countries.
2. The only thing worse than snow is the large difference between summer and winter temperatures, which not all foreign roofing materials are designed for.

And here technology decides everything!

What is a flat roof?

So, what acts as the load-bearing base of a flat roof:

1. Reinforced concrete slab.
2. Roofing sandwich panels.
3. Reinforced steel corrugated sheet.

And thanks to the fact that they learned to make a flat roof “breathable”, i.e. with internal ventilation, it has now become possible to use completely non-breathable waterproofing - roofing felt similar to it.

Any roof that we call flat actually still has a slight slope: to one side or specifically towards the drainpipe.

Here is the simplest example of a flat roof for a private home:

Types of flat roofing: non-exploitable and inverted

Of course, unused roofs are cheaper. And the exploited ones, which are correctly called “inversion”, include additional materials.

A separate type of flat roof of a residential building is exploitable. Those. the one on which people will walk and what objects will stand. This is the same garden, or sports ground, or summer cafe. All this creates considerable loads on the roof, and therefore its design is already different from that which is intended only to protect the house from precipitation.

So, the main difference in the design of traditional and inversion roofing is that in the first, the thermal insulation layer is located under the waterproofing, which is quite logical, and in the second, it is above it. But in the second option, the waterproofing is more protected from ultraviolet rays and temperature changes. This design is more durable and functional: you can safely lay out a lawn or lay paving slabs on it.

And now in more detail.

Unused roof: standard pie

But on unused roof A person can also get up occasionally - for the same repairs, for example.

Those. in a traditional flat roof, the top layer is waterproofing, and it is this that is exposed to all mechanical and temperature loads.

A separate type of it is a roof with a pressure layer, which is designed so that a person can walk on it from time to time:

Inversion roofing: reverse pie

The standard slope of an inversion roof is 5-7%. The inversion method assumes that the thermal insulation layer is already placed on top of the waterproofing, which now also serves as a vapor barrier.

Moreover, the pie of inversion flat roofs can be very different. It all depends on what you are going to arrange on the roof: a terrace, a mini-pool (and this is not uncommon) or a garden. But the base will still be common: a monolithic screed is made, which levels the entire surface, then waterproofing is laid and the whole thing is covered with insulation. And on top is a cement-sand mixture or rubber coating.

Note that active use of the roof means frequent damage to the insulating layer, which is why moisture makes its way to the insulation and freezes in winter. Over time, the entire roofing pie deteriorates, and therefore without ventilation system A flat roof is indispensable.

Cement-sand screed is capable of even better distributing the pressure layer on the heat insulator, but it must be additionally reinforced with a mesh to prevent cracking.

Subtleties of flat roof insulation

A layer of thermal insulation for a flat roof is mandatory. For comparison: gable roof insulated only when equipment is installed underneath residential attic, and in all other cases the maximum is laid mineral wool on the attic floor. But for a flat roof, insulation is always necessary.

The fact is that without a heat-insulating layer in a flat roof, condensation will constantly appear on the ceiling in the house (such a roof will turn out to be the cold part on which water vapor will rush). And this is bad not only because repairs will have to be made, but also because the entire structure deteriorates.

You can insulate a flat roof both from the outside and from the inside - the difference is small. What is more important is how many layers of insulation a particular roof needs – one or two.

Thermal insulation materials need to be attached to the base of the roof mechanically, both screws or dowels, and glue. Sometimes the fastening is not used at all if the heat insulator is located from the outside and there is pressure on it paving slabs or pebbles.

Why two layers? The fact is that the first layer of thermal insulation on a flat roof acts as insulation; it is from 70 to 200 mm thick. And the second, from 40 to 50 mm, is designed to distribute all the loads. And it is important to calculate the thickness of both layers accurately, based on climatic features terrain and the future use of the roof itself.

With double-layer insulation, all joints should be spaced apart, in a checkerboard pattern, so as not to overlap each other. Moreover, in the places where the slabs adjoin the walls and parapet, it is additionally necessary to make heat-insulating sides. A cement-sand screed can even better distribute the pressure layer on the heat insulator, but it must be additionally reinforced with a mesh to prevent cracking.

Proper drainage system

But this is already a difficult task. Flat roofs are just bad because they are completely open to rain. But everything can be solved! The main thing is to properly organize the drainage, and for convenience, we have explained this issue for you in the following schematic illustrations:

Internal ventilation device

Another important point when installing flat roofs - ventilation. The fact is that if moisture accidentally gets into the insulation, it no longer evaporates - it only accumulates. As a result, the heat-insulating material rots and the waterproofing swells. And there are many reasons for leaks: damaged waterproofing, mechanical damage to the top layer of the roof, cracks and damage from frozen water.

A wet thermal insulator is also bad because it causes bubbles and cracks to appear on a flat roof in the summer heat - all due to the active evaporation of water. As a result, the roof covering also collapses. And if moisture gets under the old screed over time, then the entire roof begins to peel off. This is why a flat roof must “breathe”.

For this purpose, so-called aerators are used. They look like simple plastic or metal pipes, covered with umbrella caps. They should be located evenly over the entire roof area, preferably at its highest points. The essence of this mechanism is that different pressures are created inside the roof and the air begins to create currents, simultaneously taking with it all the excess moisture vapor.

In practice it looks like this:

In addition, in any living space, water vapor rises up to the ceiling. Moreover, they often successfully overcome this barrier (the water molecule is very small) and end up in the insulation, which is bad for it. This is why vapor barrier is required. And not the kind that is usually used for attic insulation, but a dense one, made of high-quality polypropylene or polyethylene. The bitumen membrane is even more reliable.

Choosing a suitable roofing covering

So, what is used as a coating for such roofs?

Option #1 – bitumen and polymer-bitumen materials

Such roofs are the least expensive for owners of private houses. We are mainly talking about roofing felt and euroroofing felt. These are rolled roofing sheets, the base of which is synthetic fabric, and the sides are bitumen. As an elastic and frost-resistant material, bitumen serves as excellent protection and waterproofing.

Moreover, laying bitumen roofing on a flat roof is absolutely simple, you only need gas-burner. The rolls are easily fused together.

But such a roof has significant drawback– fragility. And another thing is that roofing felt does not breathe at all, i.e. It is vapor-tight, and therefore it is necessary to arrange ventilation for such a roof, unless you want the insulation to rot within a year:

Option #2 – liquid rubber

Such roofs have the great advantage that they do not contain any seams. As we have already said, the disadvantage of a flat roof is, first of all, that snow accumulates on it, which then causes leaks.

But there are some subtleties here. So, you need to take only two-component liquid rubber for a flat roof, preferably the highest quality one. And it is extremely important to apply this material correctly to a flat roof: evenly, avoiding unnecessary layers and savings in certain places. So, where the paint was applied unevenly, problems can be expected within 8-10 years.

Option #3 – PVC, TPO and EPDM membranes

Roofing membranes are valuable as a covering for flat roofs because they allow steam to escape. After all, no matter what kind of vapor barrier is used, moisture still, at least a little, gets into the insulation, not only from below, but also from above - after heavy rains, for example.

There are three types of membranes for installing such a roof: TPO, PVC and EPDM. The most popular is PVC membrane, which is also the most flammable. An EPDM membrane is more durable and affordable, but if mechanical damage occurs in it, nothing can be done to fix it, whereas a PVC membrane can only be melted with a hairdryer. In addition, the joints of the EPDM membrane must be glued with a special tape, which is much less reliable than soldering PVC sheets.

But the cheapest membrane in its sector is PVC. But it has such significant disadvantages as low resistance to ultraviolet rays and fear of contact with bitumen, various oils and even polystyrene foam, otherwise the service life will be significantly reduced.

Gluing EPDM membranes requires professional skills. TPO membrane, like PVC, is also welded with hot air. The best is not afraid of ultraviolet radiation, is more chemically resistant and can be laid directly on polystyrene foam or an old bitumen roof without geotextiles. But its service life is shorter than that of EPDM, so for installing a flat roof on a residential private house, we recommend using a PVC membrane.

So, a flat roof device with a PVC membrane is traditionally made like this:

• Step 1. We arrange a monolithic floor slab.
• Step 2. Place a tear-resistant vapor barrier film.
• Step 3. We make a bend from insulation or screed.
• Step 4. Place insulation. In private construction this is usually 35 density foam, and on top is 50 mm XPS, which is even stronger.
• Step 5. Now geotextiles, 300-500 g per square meter.
• Step 6. Let's move on to waterproofing - this is a PVC membrane. The insulation density is enough to allow walking on such a roof. But, if you plan to make an open terrace on the roof, then you need to continue the pie further.
• Step 7. Lay the geotextile again - now directly on the membrane.
  We lay rubber tiles or reinforced screed 5-7 cm, on which we already lay paving slabs. To make a screed, you need ballast.

And such roofs are made of rubber, polymers or even foil. Unlike bitumen, they are durable, fire-resistant and adhere firmly to the base. A slight slope is achieved using expanded clay concrete or concrete screed.

How to achieve 100% waterproofing?

The main task when installing a flat roof is to make all joints and junctions as airtight as possible. After all, such a roof is most affected by moisture, hail, temperature changes and wind-blown debris. Therefore, the sealants used to seal such joints must be of high quality and resistant to any influences. This is also a kind of expense that has to be incurred.

For the same purpose of waterproofing, it is recommended to make the slope of a flat roof at least 2%. Few? In fact, this is quite enough so that all atmospheric moisture does not linger on the surface, but flows down into funnels and pipes, and from them into the septic tank, soil or sewerage system. Therefore, even at the design stage, you need to carefully think through the future drainage system.

Moreover, the drainage system itself is made both internal and external. Thus, the internal drainage system consists of fittings - funnels located throughout the roof that receive the flowing water and direct it into pipes that go through the buildings, but are isolated from the living quarters. The only disadvantage of such a system is that the pipes become clogged with small debris and leaves, for which it is advisable to equip them with special filters and periodically clean them.

External drainage systems are already attached to the outer walls of the building. These are, of course, easier to clean when they become clogged, but in cold weather they often freeze over. For this reason, it is customary to additionally supply them with electrical heating in the form of cables.

As for the material for the internal and external drainage system of a flat roof, PVC or metal is quite suitable. Both options have their pros and cons. Thus, polyvinyl chloride does not corrode, but is more brittle than metal.

To prevent gutters from freezing in winter, equip them with roofing thermal cables.

Green area on the roof: fashionable and environmentally friendly

Greenery and recreation areas are often lacking not only for residents of the “concrete jungle”, but even for owners of private houses. The whole point is that the same beautiful garden furniture It’s not always possible to leave it in the yard of the house, and beautiful rare flowers in the garden flower bed are often trampled by pets. Therefore it is not surprising that green Zone on the roof has become fashionable among cottage owners. Especially if the access to it comes directly from the bedroom and no one else can disturb your morning peace with a cup of coffee.

There has also become a fashion for some cafes to make the roof flat and put a small greenhouse on it. All the greens go straight to the table! And it’s profitable, because it’s not so easy to bring fresh dill or onions to the kitchen, and it’s economically profitable - there’s somewhere to send kitchen waste. And it is difficult to understand who borrowed this idea from whom: enterprising residents of private houses with a flat roof, or the best minds in public catering. But the fact that such an arrangement of closed ground is beneficial is a fact: rodents will not dig under the beds, insects and pests will not reach (as well as pests in the form of neighbors), and the fact that it is always a little hotter on the roof is only a plus for the same tomatoes. But the main thing is to correctly calculate the loads on such a roof during construction!

And the roofing pie is often standard: waterproofing for the ceiling, thermal insulation, geotextiles, drainage and geotextiles again. And on top you can use both soil and beds:

Or in this version for more powerful floors:

A flat roof is a huge scope for any imagination. Designers and architects love to bring to life a variety of projects for her: a garden, a greenhouse, a jogging track, a mini-beach with sun loungers, and much more. Some craftsmen even manage to make a parking lot on it!