Flat roofs, if not properly installed from the start, are notorious for leaking during heavy rains. This is quite evident on older homes with a flat portion of a roof that is usually over top a porch. When it was first built, the technology we have today for flat roofs did not exist. Over the years, as the roof began to decay, the homeowner, or sometimes a local handyman, would often do their best to fix the roof with their limited knowledge and equipment. The results were often far from lasting and leak proof.

Most flat roofs are not actually flat at all. If properly installed, they have a slight slope of about 4 – 5 degrees to allow rainwater to flow off and to prevent puddles from forming. An older structure like a century home, with its timber frame construction, will sag, allowing the slope of the roof to sometimes reverse or form a hollow in the middle. This allows water to pond and worse case, allows water to build up around where the roof meets the building. This is why, at times, we see water coming in through the interior walls of houses with flat roofs installed on a lower section of the building.

Something as small as a pin-prick in the roofing material will allow water to infiltrate the building and structure below. Anything bigger than that and you could possibly have major decay forming underneath the roof.

The traditional “roofing felt” often used on older homes is not actually felt at all. It is a modified bitumen product reinforced with fiber. It comes in a variety of thicknesses, and sizes, with varying degrees of quality. To a homeowner doing the work themselves, or hiring the local “handyman,” cost may be the biggest factor in purchasing the material, thus quality is often overlooked.

Inexpensive material, installed by someone who is not an expert on the field of flat roofing, may last a couple of years without any problems but if the structure beneath the exterior of the roof is not 100%, the entire roof structure and anything below it may be jeopardized by the poor installation.

A leak may appear, and you call that handyman back that installed the roof. He places a patch over the leak, and it is good to go for another year or two. What is actually happening under the roofing material does not become evident until you walk on it and notice that the roof is sagging, or worse yet, you notice the entire structure starting to sag.

By the time you notice the sagging roof, it is too late to do any further repairs, and oftentimes you have to call in a building contractor to completely tear down the structure and rebuild it from the ground up. This is a costly, preventable, worst-case scenario.

How could you have avoided the problem in the first place? Flat roofs are specialized structures that need the attention of a trained roofing specialist, not a homeowner or local handyman. By hiring a flat roofing contractor to come and inspect the roof for any possible signs of problems, you are proactively preventing any leaks or possible structural damage from occurring in the first place. A simple, quick inspection by a specialist will show if the roof needs to be replaced or simply repaired with the proper materials. This will save you a ton of money in the long run and prevent any permanent structural damage from occurring.

The old saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is worth more than you can imagine when it comes to flat roofs. Don’t hire the local jack-of-all trades to fix your roof. Call in a professional and get the job done right from the start.