The weaknesses of flat roofs

Few roofs and flat roofs retain their integrity beyond 12 to 15 years before they require maintenance.

Extreme weather conditions, increasingly prevalent with climate change, often put a strain on flat roofs.

Certainly, the very high temperatures of summer days and cold winter nights can damage membranes. They can also crack tiles and damage expansion joints.

Thus, the problem of flat roofs and flat roofs leads to leaks. They can end up causing significant damage to homes and buildings.

Leaks: A Common Problem in Quebec

The problem of leaks on decks and roofs is caused by inadequate waterproofing membranes. Specifically, between the screed and tiles and the floor slab.

In some cases, no waterproofing membrane has been used. In addition, contraction and expansion joints, as well as joints between walls, parapets and roof decks, can sometimes be poorly executed. Any of these conditions can lead to leaks.

Surprisingly, the lack of a proper waterproofing membrane on flat roofs is NOT unusual.

Typical leaks on decks and roofs

Any waterproofing membrane deteriorates over time and its validity also expires, it ages.

Therefore, it needs to be replaced. The roof certainly needs to be renovated.

The typical signs of the flat roofs and roof terraces include obvious leakage from the roof area to the rooms below. Even inside the home.

The repair of decks and roofs can take different forms, from the application of a waterproofing surface paint, the red tile, to the repair of the roof. In other words, more complete, by demolishing the existing floor. Also replacing successive coats if necessary.

This may be sufficient in the short term, but it is NOT sustainable. In the meantime, it is a sign that there is a major problem. It then needs to be properly addressed at some point, by specialists.

There are different ways to solve these moisture problems on flat roofs such as decks and flat roofs, but finding the optimal, long-term solution is important, and that's up to the specialists. Sometimes it can be cheap and easy, so don't always anticipate or pay for unnecessary or unwarranted work.

Leaks can lead to severe deterioration of the reinforcing steel in roofing systems.

It is not so easy to identify the reason for leaks in a house. Sometimes the roof covering may be good in general. Still, it should be noted that a joint area may be defective.

In some cases, moisture seepage can indicate a more serious problem related to settlement and cracking.

Moisture and flat roofs

Moisture and flat roofs are a pair that go hand in hand. In the modern era, buildings that use traditional pitched roofs have begun to give way to the familiar wet, waterproof flat roofs.

They bring a clean aesthetic to the project. They also allow the final slab to be used as a space for socializing and contemplation. This wet solution can become a headache for occupants if not carefully executed and designed.

It is no coincidence that leaks have occurred in famous modern buildings. Today, the civil construction industry has developed more sophisticated products and techniques. They greatly reduce the risk of moisture and subsequent leaks.

Membranes, slabs and flat floors

However, it could be said that flat slabs, which are theoretically watertight, are still weak points in buildings. Specialists have improved an ingenious and very simple solution to avoid leaks and moisture in flat slabs. These were widely used in the 1970s by filling them with vegetation.

During the concreting phase, the traditional process of hardening the concrete with water is extended, and in this case, the water stays there forever. The water is the waterproofing itself, the moisture saturating the concrete, which no longer overflows.

In fact, by constantly filling the slab with water, temperature variations in the structural part are reduced. These are therefore the ones that normally cause most cracks that can turn into leaks that are difficult to control.

In other words, the slab does not acquire the capillary points that would lead to permeability. It works as a water mirror, on which the layers that support the lawn and the garden plantings are grafted. The constant water level is controlled by a simple valve, located at one end of the roof.

A system for wet and flat roofs

It is a very simple and economical system that regulates, waterproofs and protects mechanically. It is also very low maintenance and does not require a slope. In addition, the extra water runs off by overflow and not by drainage, and does not represent an additional load for the structure. It also guarantees thermal comfort. Everything that happens is in plain sight, not like the conventional system where there is a leak under the slab. The leakage point can be several meters away.

The solution can be used on any type of slab used as the only roof, where there will be no roof afterwards. It also requires the use of a wall, parapet or any other element that serves as a boundary to water and moisture.

During the execution, basic precautions must be taken for the entire slab. During its life, it is important to maintain the water level constant through valves and drains, and to avoid the appearance and spread of mosquitoes. It is also possible to incorporate fish or chlorination, or to cover the system with soil to grow a garden (not in Quebec, of course!).