Flat Roof vs. Shingle Roof: Which Is Better for Bell Gardens Homes?
Most Bell Gardens parcels do not force a choice between a flat roof and a shingle roof — they have both. The main house is usually pitched and shingled, and the rear addition, garage or apartment block is flat. The useful question is therefore not which system is better in general, but which system suits each section of a specific parcel.
Pitched shingle: where it works
Shingles suit a pitched main roof: they shed water quickly, they are straightforward to repair in sections, and they handle the city's heat and winter rain when the underlayment and flashing beneath them are sound. Their weakness is age — granule loss, curling and brittle tabs on south- and west-facing slopes.
Flat: where it works, and what it demands
Flat membranes suit additions, apartments and commercial buildings where a pitched roof is impractical. They demand drainage: a flat roof that ponds will fail at its seams and drains, however good the membrane. A flat roof also demands parapet and wall flashing work that a pitched roof does not.
The parcel view
A scope that treats a two-system parcel as one roof — one material, one price, one detail — is likely to miss the addition. The main roof and the addition roof need separate details, and the junction between them needs flashing work of its own.
Related pages: Roof Leak Repair, Roof Inspections, Gutter Cleaning, Roof Maintenance, and all Bell Gardens service areas. Call Zornex Key Roofers at (424) 336-0888.