Low Slope Roof Design

Roof slope is a very important aspect and it is considered the primary factor in roof design.

Low slope roof design.

Managing ponding water is essential to properly maintaining a roof. Another approach is to build a cupola or ventilated doghouse in the middle of the low slope roof an approach championed by joe lstiburek. Specifically the code text typically reads. Coffman p e secb and thomas g.

Low slope metal roofs provide years of low cost low maintenance performance. What are low slope metal roofs. Building offsets are common and create intersecting planes that contribute to drainage issues for low slope applications. The following information is a general overview of basic and accessory low slope roof components their major design factors functions and common failures.

Chapter 15 in the 2015 2018 international building code ibc contains installation guidelines that permit a design slope of 1 4 in 12 for certain types of roof covers. There are a few design elements that will help building owners get the most from their roofing system. The three main components of a low slope roof are the structural deck the thermal insulation and the membrane. Finding the right products for your low slope roof.

Design professionals frequently specify the minimum code permitted slope with little if any consideration of the resultant valley slope created by the intersecting planes figure 1 ponding water is commonly observed at valley intersections for low slope roof and deck. Design solutions for building code permitted low slope applications that cause ponding water. Multiple layers of weatherproof membranes protect a building its residents and the property it houses. Recommended materials to use on low slope roofs.

Other vital parts of a low slope roof include the flashing and air retarders although these. We discuss the following. Low slope metal roofs have been a preferred roof covering for commercial institutional and industrial buildings for years because of their ability to protect against the elements to allow water to drain away from the roof surface and to keep building contents and occupants dry and. Residential low slope roofing can generally be divided up into two broad categories.

Iko roof fast base ma is a fiberglass reinforced nailable base with a special film surface designed to be used as one of iko s roof fast low slope roofing components. Definition of low slope roofing. Larger flat roofed applications low slope such as residential condominium complexes row homes and town houses and smaller applications such as residential porch and garage transitions from the main home where the slope of the roof changes dramatically. Generally roofing types and roofing products are typically divided up into two primary categories steep slope roofing and low slope roofing.

A low slope asphalt roofing system is cost effective durable and reliable. If the upper edge of a low slope shed roof intersects a vertical wall the most logical approach in my opinion is to detail the roof as an unvented roof.