Warm Or Cold Flat Roof Construction

Introduction warm cold roofs this guidance offers guidance on the difference benefits between warm and cold roofs.

Warm or cold flat roof construction.

This usually keeps the deck warm. Cold roof construction requires that a suitable ventilated air space exists above the insulation layer within which the air is constantly mobile being replenished by fresh incoming air whilst the air resident within the void space is being expelled via a natural vent action at another point. The breakdown warm roof vs cold roof. Others would treat even steeper pitches as flat roofs.

Basically there are two options to choose from when insulating a flat roof. The recognised flat roof build ups for best design practices are. The cold roof although not recommended today and actually banned in scotland until recently cold flat roofs were fairly common. Warm roof designs will make the entire structure of the building warm in order to avoid cold bridging an element of the building that allows heat or energy loss.

For that reason cold flat roof construction needs to keep in mind the need for unblocked airflow. It is the most acceptable type of construction for domestic possessions and belongings as it avoids the need for aeration of the roof construction. There are several methods and materials for the design of the exterior surface of a warm or cold flat roof. Warm roof insulation ensures the entire roof structure is insulated meaning a warm deck roof is more energy efficient than a cold roof.

Ventilation is required for these roofs. The definition of a flat roof according to bs 6229 is having a pitch less than 10 o to the horizontal however some in the industry would consider up to 15 o as their definition of a flat roof. In case of warm roofs they have an insulation above the roof deck in this way it keeps the deck warm. The simplicity of a warm flat roof makes it one of the most popular designs providing an effective and easy way of insulating a building.

On a flat roof this could be air in at. In the case of a flat roof insulation is usually either a rigid board above the deck or a mineral glass wool quilt immediately above the underdrawn ceiling depending on the type of roof design and construction. When we talk about a warm roof vs a cold roof what we re really talking about is the insulation of the flat roof. When building a flat roof it is vital that a degree of falls is built into the construction to ensure rainwater run off.

Hot tar and gravel. The 3 most common materials used for flat roof construction. A cold flat roof insulation requires more work taking off old boards and replacing them and the roof surface.