5 Benefits Of A Residential Built-Up Roof

A residential built-up roof offers multiple layers of protection, ensuring robust weather resistance and durability. Their seamless design significantly reduces leak risks, providing peace of mind during heavy rain. These roofs offer excellent insulation, improving energy efficiency and lowering utility bills. They are customizable, accommodating varying aesthetic preferences. Their long lifespan and low maintenance needs make them a cost-effective choice for homeowners.

Homeowners often face frequent and costly roof repairs due to weather damage and aging materials.

The stress of a leaking roof during every heavy rain or storm and the mounting repair bills can be overwhelming. Worrying about the next leak can disrupt your peace of mind and home comfort.

A residential built-up roof provides a robust solution to these problems. Its multiple layers of bitumen and reinforcing fabrics create a durable, watertight barrier, drastically reducing the likelihood of leaks and weather-related damage. This means fewer repairs, lower long-term costs, and greater peace of mind for homeowners.

In this article, we explore five benefits of residential built-up roof installation.

What Is A Residential Built-Up Roof?

Firstly, you need to know exactly what a built-up roof is. This type of roofing has been used since the 1800s and is still in use today as a method of completing flat roofs.

You will typically see these roofs referred to as asphalt roofs. They use a layering method of bitumen and reinforcing fabrics, such as felt or fiberglass. These materials are layered on the roof deck and applied with hot asphalt and a surfacing aggregate on the top layer. Depending on your needs, you can also add a reflective coating to the top of this roof.

So, why would you choose this type of roofing over all other options available now? There are plenty of good reasons why a residential built-up roof is one of the best options for your home.  

Here are five remarkable benefits of residential built-up roofs:

1. Residential Built-Up Roofs Are Inexpensive

There is no denying that replacing your roof is one of the most expensive home repair jobs. You want to ensure that you have the best materials on your roof, but at the same time, you need to save money where you can.

It may seem you have no choice but to drop a lot of money on that new roof, but a residential built-up roof will help you save money while still being highly efficient and effective at protecting your home. Of course, you still need to invest in a professional roofing company to come and apply it for you, but you will still get excellent results while paying less than you would for other roofing systems.

2. Durability Against Harsh Weather

When picking any new roofing materials, you want to be sure that your roof will withstand anything the weather can throw at it. What you need from your roof will depend on your climate and where you live. If you get a lot of wet weather, a residential built-up roof is just what you are looking for.

Because the roof is made of several different layers, which are adhered together via hot asphalt or adhesive, it is highly water resistant. If you do get a lot of wet weather, it will take a lot for water to make its way into your roof through the roofing system. Of course, you still need to keep up your maintenance on a built-up roof to ensure it stays water resistant, but they are highly capable of resisting water when you do.

3. Resistance Against Fire

Another benefit you may not have considered with a residential built-up roof is that they are also highly fire resistant. With most materials used in these roofs, you will find that it takes an extreme amount of heat to make them ignite. This makes them a very safe roofing material for your flat roof.

You’ll want to consider this, especially if you live in an area prone to wildfires. If any debris or sparks were to land on a built-up roof, you will find that it’s very unlikely to catch fire. That’s a massive advantage if you live in an area where this is a concern. Even if wildfires aren’t the problem where you live, it’s still a highly useful benefit. If a fire were to break out near your home, flaming debris cannot cause damage to your roof if it lands on it.

4. Low Maintenance Needs

No matter what kind of roof you have installed, you must ensure you take good care of it. That includes regular inspections to look for roof issues needing roof repair and handling them as soon as possible. Many people have had residential built-up roofs installed because they are known to have very low maintenance needs.

Because the amount of maintenance you have to do is minimal, that saves you a lot of time and, importantly, money. Even if a repair does need to be done, you will notice that it is typically cheaper to have it done than with other roofing systems. It is worth noting that even if you need to have a repair done and you want to save money, it’s always advisable to call on an expert to handle it, as they will be able to do so and get the job done correctly the first time.

5. Energy Efficient Materials

Here is another benefit you may not have considered regarding residential built-up roofs. If you have this roof installed, you will find that you can save a lot of money on your energy bills. This is because most systems now use a reflective layer on top, which helps reflect UV rays.

That reflective layer ensures that UV rays can’t damage the roofing system. Because of that, you should have lower maintenance and repair costs. The other benefit is that less heat should be coming into your home through the roof in warmer months. That saves you less on cooling your home, which is always an excellent benefit.

As you can see, there are more benefits to having a residential built-up roof installed than you may have realized. If you are considering replacing your roof shortly, you should consider whether a built-up roof is right for you.