Flat roof yourself

Many believe that a modern house with a flat roof looks unusual, rich and original. Applying such a roof in the construction of country cottages and villas, the owners emphasize their viability, refinement of taste and non-standard thinking. Country houses with this type of coverage are a great place to relax from the routine and gain strength for new achievements. The flat roof is not only original, but also practical.

Building a house with a flat roof is often used in areas with low rainfall. Often the choice of the type of roof is influenced not only by the desire of the owner, but also by climatic conditions. Therefore, if you decide to equip a flat roof in an area where there is frequent rainfall, then you definitely need to:

• take into account the maximum load;
• apply in the construction of beams with good cross-section;
• use durable fasteners of all elements.

The most common form of building houses with a flat roof is the shape of a square. A square house with such a coating turns into an original penthouse that meets the standards of European style. In this article we will tell you how to make a flat roof with your own hands, and write out all the pros and cons of this roofing.

Advantages and disadvantages

Benefits:

1. The use of this type of roof not only expresses the originality of the external shape of the building, but also allows you to equip the upper surface area for their needs.
2. One of the advantages of such a house is the arrangement of a swimming pool with a place to rest or planting ornamental trees, shrubs and a lawn. In addition, on such a roof you can save money well, because it does not require complex roof systems and is easily built with your own hands.
3. The flat roof is also good in that it has a special niche in the cavity, which is an additional insulation that retains heat in the building and significantly reduces heating costs in the winter.
4. Fixing a flat roof will take a little time, and will not be very difficult. In addition, if the material for the roof to choose roofing material or some other budget option, it will help save additional funds.
5. The whole essence of the repair is usually not reduced to a complete overlap of the roof surface, but only to timely periodic prevention in the form of repairing cracks.

Disadvantages:

1. The absolute disadvantage is that the process of designing a flat roof and its installation must be very neat. The slightest gaps in the work of builders can turn into expensive repair work inside the building.
2. In addition, it should be remembered that the flat roof should be made under a certain slope (usually varies from 3 to 15 degrees depending on the design and the level of annual precipitation). Otherwise, the precipitations will remain on the roof for a long time, which will create an extra load on the structure and reduce the life of the roof.

The flat roof has its undoubted advantages, and the minuses are easily corrected by a careful approach to the very process of its construction.

Device

Constructive flat roof system for unheated premises consists of the following:

• bearing beams;
• rack or metal crate with a small pitch (50-70 cm);
• roll coating.

Note! The angle of inclination of such a roof is ensured by the entire construction system, starting from the beams. In this regard, should be closely monitored during installation, to maintain the slope. To do this, check it every few meters. If desired, you can make a flat frame for the truss system (angle of inclination - 10 degrees). To do this, install it along the roof. Then you can mount the crate.

The device of the heated room has a slightly different look. It includes:

• bituminous primer for screed;
• roll coating;
• cement-based screed;
• ruberoid (flap 15 cm);
• Insulators, such as expanded clay, slag and other similar materials, are the main ingredients for creating a roof inclination;
• bearing beams (step from 0.5 to 1 m, section from 100x100 to 150x200 mm);
• plank obreshetka (flooring).

Monolith roof

Instead of wooden beams, I-beam metal beams are being laid (from 12 to 15 cm), on the lower shelves of which lies a plank solid crate. Roofing material is laid on it. Then the skeleton of reinforcement (profile with a section of 10-15 mm) is mounted in two rows. It is important to keep the distance between the reinforcement cage and the roofing felt. At the next stage, the concrete mix is ​​poured, which periodically needs to be compacted.

Note! If the weather is hot, a layer of concrete must be covered with a protective film of polyethylene so that it does not harden quickly, but evenly and efficiently. Remove the film preferably not earlier than three or four days.

In the absence of the presence of such a film, it is necessary to monitor the process of hardening of the concrete and periodically water it with a small amount of water. After the layer has dried, a certain bias should be given to the roof using heaters, and then the screed should be made and the roll covering should be laid. On this device monolithic roof can be considered complete.

Roof base

For a flat roof can be applied reinforced concrete slab or profiled.

Sheeting is used in cases where the upper part of the roof will not be used as an additional site. This type of base is the most economical, however, needs additional insulation.
First, a support layer is installed, and a vapor barrier is laid on top of it. The latter is used to save warm air in the house and prevent its volatilization into the airspace. Vapor barrier is mainly made of coils of a certain length and cutting width. The place where overlapping of vapor barrier occurs must be carefully glued, melted and welded. Polyethylene can be used as a vapor barrier.

At the next stage, heat insulation is laid, for which special plates are used with a certain joint between them. The most commonly used two-layer insulation system.

After that there is a waterproofing equipment from a polymeric film. It protects the inside of the roof from the outside. Waterproofing is fused, and then falls in several layers.

When hydro and vapor barrier ready, it's time to put the final cover. In its role act concrete construction screed and reinforced concrete slabs.

Basis из поликарбоната

Recently, polycarbonate has often been used in construction work on roofs.
A roof made of this material may suit you in case you do not want to make a room under it. As an option, you can build a covered greenhouse or gazebo.

Polycarbonate has a high strength and at the same time is a very lightweight material that is quickly and easily installed. It does not need additional reinforcement of the structure.

Thus, a flat roof can be made in various forms. In any case, no matter what option you choose, you should always be attentive to installation, because with serious errors you can run into large expenses and a complete rework of the roof from scratch.

Warming and waterproofing

Waterproofing a flat roof can be done using the following components:

• PVC and EPDM membranes;
• waterproofing film;
• hydrophilic rubber;
• liquid rubber sprayed waterproofing (polyurea);
• penetrating materials;
• lubricants;
• silicone based resins, as well as emulsions (injectables).

Innovations in the technology market are waterproofing materials such as PVC, PDM and diffuse membranes. Super-diffuse material, which does not need to make a gap between thermal and waterproofing, qualitatively repels moisture and does not pass it onto the thermal insulation layer, has become particularly popular. In addition, these membranes have a long service life (up to 25 years), are fireproof and environmentally friendly.

In the form of waterproofing can be applied mastic. It is applied both on a flat roof, and on the roof with a slight slope.

According to the method of application they are divided into cold and hot. Cold should be applied to the surface at a positive temperature, and hot mastics require preheating (160 degrees) before application and can be used at almost any time of the year. The principle of the mastic is based on the fact that it firmly sticks to the base. The term of this type of coverage is about 20 years.

In some cases painting waterproofing may be used. In the process of such insulation, bitumen, emulsions, paints and varnishes are applied to the surface of the coating. The coating occurs in several layers, until the desired thickness is reached (5 mm). A fine sand layer is applied on top of the coating. The service life of waterproofing - 5-6 years.

Note! One of the most reliable and proven types of waterproofing is pasted waterproofing. It represents the use of roofing material, which, after preheating, is glued to the surface of the coating.

After the selection and installation of waterproofing, you should do the insulation - a very important stage in the construction of a flat roof. There are several types of insulation:

• By location: external and internal.
• By the number of applied layers: single-layer and two-layer insulation system.

The two-layer system makes it possible to reduce the load on the overlap. In this case, the lower layer plays the role of a heat insulator. Upper - has a distribution function, has a more dense structure.

Now you know how to make a flat roof with your own hands. As you can see, it is quite easy. It is enough just to approach the matter, and soon the coverage for your home will be ready.

Video

We recommend to read the following video: