Typically, roofs with slopes and angles were favored for most residential buildings and even some commercial artifices. Their natural ability to stream away rain and snow without installing heavy-duty insulation systems has made them an effective and affordable option when it comes to roofing.
Built-up roofing is a continuous, semi-flexible flat roof that consists of plies, coated felts, and fabrics collected together. Built-up roofs have been used in the U.S. for over 100 years and is commonly referred to as gravel or slag roofs.
Built-up roofing takes coal tar-saturated cotton fabrics and gravel-like materials, like asphalt, to assemble alternating layers of bitumen (tar) and roofing felts or ply sheets directly over the roof decks and insulation. The tar is used to absorb into the roofing felt and stably secure all the elements together.
Built-up roofing began in the 1840s as the best roofing option because of its reliability. Built-in roofing requires three basic elements including the reinforcing element, the waterproofing element and the surfacing element which is created to guard the other elements. These components are used to create a well-built, waterproof roof. A few even use around 10 ply sheets for just one roof! This helps ensure the roof against potential leaking from entering the home while creating a stable platform for any solar panels or roof gardens installed on the roof.
Built-up roofs have been a dependable roofing option for years, but they do have some drawbacks. Maintenance and repairs are primary concerns. These roofs are built as a whole, therefore, when there is a leak it is difficult to place where its located making it uneasy to repair. {Any damages that one part of the roofing may have incurred may mean having to take apart the entire layering system to find the problem and wholly replace the roof}. To avoid this, roofing system maintenance must take place on a regular basis. Re-asphalting the layers is usually not necessary if the roofing surface is properly cared for. This means one would need to drain the rooftop of rain water and resurface the top layer with reflective materials to prevent sun damage to the asphalt.
On the other hand, built-up roofs are flat, which makes maintenance a much easier task. It also creates flexibility in terms of what you can add to your roofing space, should you so desire. Roofing gardens and solar panels are more easily installed on flat, built-up roofs than traditional sloped roofs.
Then benefits of this type of roof are great, however, the drawbacks are something to consider. Keep in mind that these roofs require a bit of maintenance and labor, the larger the roof the greater the responsibility for upkeep. All in all, this option is great for cost-effectiveness.