Commercial buildings house many offices and shops, and they all require a sustainable roofing option because roofing is an integral part of any building. There are some pros and cons of every type of commercial roofing. But one has to be informed about the pros and cons of commercial roofs while deciding on his/her own building. Here we will be looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the most common commercial flat roof. Have a look:

Commercial flat roofs: One of the most common commercial roofing types is flat roofing.

Back in the day, every commercial building had flat roofing because it represented modernism and a break from pitched roofing architecture. These were mainly popular in America as a symbol of industrial commerce.

Advantages of Flat Roofing:

  1. Besides the new look, it also offered plenty of advantages to buildings.
  2. They required less material than the pitched architecture, so it was a cost-effective solution.
  3. With less investment in the first go, building owners had enough savings to invest in other ventures.
  4. They are slightly easy and quick to install given their simple structure.
  5. The commercial flat roofing material options were rubber rolled roofing, EPDM, PVC, TPO, bitumen, modified bitumen, and built-up roofing.
  6. There were a lot of color options as well, but people choose white most of the time. The white color also had reflective properties, so there was way less energy loss from cooling costs.
  7. One of the best advantages of them is that all air conditioners can be moved to the roof from the ground and there is plenty of space to keep satellites and dishes. The satellites and dishes can catch better signals and they are easy to install on a plain surface as compared to pitched roofs.
  8. Lastly, the maintenance and cleaning of a flat roof is easy as janitors can move easily. They can bring their supplies to the roof and clean it despite the weather conditions.

Disadvantages of Flat Roofing: Although the advantages make it quite the best option but there are some disadvantages that make it not ideal for every commercial building.

  1. One of the disadvantages of flat roofs is poor drainage. Since the whole surface is flat, water tends to stay on the surface and doesn’t go in any particular direction no matter how many drain hoses you have installed here.
  2. Standing water can slowly damage the roofing materials and if your building were located in a rainy area, it would be damaged long before it is supposed to. On the contrary, the pitched roofs are ideal for draining water.
  3. Standing water is going to affect material and leads to breakdowns in the whole roof. This can lead to water leaking inside the building and ultimately everything gets damaged.
  4. For flat commercial roofing, you need to hire a reputable company such as R&D Roofing. This roofing contractor is professional and can help you with the occasional maintenance as well. They will also place drains even on the heights to avoid standing water.