Why Are Rocks Placed On Flat Roofs

Rocks are placed on commercial flat roofs for many different reasons if the roof is what is called a ballast roof it is not fastened or adhered down throughout the whole roof.

Why are rocks placed on flat roofs.

A flat roof will have several layers of a thin membrane made of tar asphalt and or bitumen material. Gravel is used on flat roofs for two reasons. March 11th 2010 at 2 41 pm. Admittedly one that i have not seen but i haven t been in the desert since i was a kid.

The membrane is. Tar has a low melting point. This appears to be a form of roof ballast. Roofing ballast is usually the little pebbles you see on a flat ish roof.

Flat roofing is not actually flat. Now that you know the 6 types of roofing materials for flat roofs you re ready to choose. But such a low slope holds snow and water much longer than a steeply pitched roof and therefore needs a very different material to stay watertight. A few weeks ago my wife and i were driving to gubbio and were amazed ath the number of roofs that had large rocks strategically placed on them anyone know why this is done.

To protect the underlying layer of roofing materials as is the case with built up roofs burs. To weigh down or secure the. It has a very low slope between 1 4 to 1 2 inch per foot so that it drains water. Epdm and neoprene roof seams are fastened by adhesive and pvc roof seams are heat or solvent welded.

Here at central roofing solutions we help take care of flat commercial roofs through our repair replacement and restoration services. If you need more advice don t hesitate to approach a local roofing company. Built up roofs or burs also called a tar and gravel roof is a well established and popular style of flat roof that is made up of alternating layers of roofing felt or fiberglass and asphalt that is applied with heat which combine to make a long lasting sturdy roofing system. Have you ever wondered why contractors install gravel on flat roofs.

You can still find houses here in the city with rock roofs. Talk to ten roofing contractors and you ll get ten answers on what the gravel is for but this seems to be the consensus. They can be partially loose laid and held down with river rock ballast requires roof structure to support the weight or fully adhered to the roof deck. Sorry made a mistake submitting this twice i m curious as to why i see large rocks placed on roofs does anybody know why this is done.

In a typical tar and gravel roof which by the way is gradually being supplanted by gravelless roof systems you put down a layer of tar paper then tar and finally gravel. Membrane roofs are attached in a variety of ways. On many flat roof low slope commercial buildings it s common to see gravel on top of the roof.