Expert: Nazim Nice - 3/21/2011

Question
We own a mid-century modern home and we will need to reroof soon.  It currently has a white torch downed roof and I would like to find an alternative to torch down.  Our beams run length wise to the house and there is a double carport in front, the roof has a slight pitch with the fireplace in the livingroom not on the end.  This makes the house look squatty. The roof is what you mainly see from the street. We also need to pick a paint color and do some landscaping.  All these things need to come together so that the house doesn't appear so squatty.

Answer
A photo of the house would be helpful to see what you are dealing with. Feel free to repost with a photo if you want. Regarding roofs that are low slope, we typically have been specifying an IB roof system, which is a PVC membrane. It is pretty bullet proof and we have had good luck with it. It is one of the few roofs that is still guaranteed to not leak even if water ponds on it. There are other brands too that make PVC roofs. 80 MIL thick is what we usually specify but you can get it thinner which will reduce the cost somewhat. It is not a cheap roof. It usually comes in white or gray. In 80 MIL they offer a lifetime warranty.

You might be able to put on a metal roof, perhaps standing seam. If it is too low slope the roofer may recommend an adhesive underlayment that forms a second water barrier. Typically we would do a metal roof on a slope of 3:12 or higher. There would have to be some research done on whether this product would be appropriate for your application. Again, this is an expensive choice, but would look better than any membrane roof.

There are some membranes that have colors and textures like composition shingles. I believe Certainteed makes these. They are often used when you have a house with composition shingles, but part of the roof is low slope and you want the roof colors to blend together. These are not as good as the PVC membranes and will not typically last as long.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Nazim Nice
Principal / Architect
http://www.motion-space.com
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