#FLAT ROOF SYSTEMS RESIDENTIAL CODE#

The discovery of the oldest flat roof construction dates back between 7100 BC to 5700 BC in the middle east in an ancient settlement called Çatalhöyük in modern-day Turkey. Here’s a comparison of the roof pitches above.Įarly flat roof construction is found predominantly in arid climates such as in Persian, Arabian, and Egyptian architecture.

This is starting to get into “flat” roof territory now and this requires a different roofing system such as using a membrane to stop water intrusion.

#FLAT ROOF SYSTEMS RESIDENTIAL CODE#

For example, Florida building code says these shingles cannot be used on roof slopes less than 17 percent, or 2 inches of vertical rise for every 12 inches horizontal. These shingles are great for shedding water, but only one way, and that is down a slope. The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) defines a low-slope roof to have no greater a slope than 25 percent, or 3 inches of vertical rise for every 12 inches horizontal. The most popular roofing material these days is asphalt shingles. Some folks don’t like to use the term “flat” to describe roof type since all roofs should have some slope in order to drain water off or direct water to a scupper for drainage. Let’s look at what defines a flat roof, its history, the pros and cons, and both old and new options for roofing materials. There are reasons why flat roof construction began and why you may consider it for new home construction. So if humans learned early on that having a slope on your roof is important why did flat roofs come into the picture and why are they still in use today? I know some flat roof homeowners with neverending, leaky tar-and-gravel roofing that are asking the same question.īut let’s not look too poorly upon the flat roof design quite yet. While there are examples of very early flat roofs most of the earliest roofs constructed by man were thatched roofs that were made of straw, leaves, branches, or reeds they were usually set at a slope, or pitch, so that rainfall could drain off them.

The flat roof is a fairly recent invention in construction only having come into mainstream use in the early 20th-century.

Flat roof systems residential