Roof top living

A flat roof on a building is, in reality, an extra floor and may be used for recreational purposes. Roof-tops are ideally suited for this as they offer access to the open air, usually provide a good view, are above the ground level noise and generally offer their users some measure of privacy.

Planning to use the roof in this way requires a conscious decision as the roofing system used will have to be designed and built accordingly. Although many flat roofs have walkways, these are usually only there to allow maintenance of the building, the roof and access to any roof-top services: ‘traffic’ is likely to be restricted to just one or two people in specific areas on an infrequent basis.

Using the roof for recreation may involve the additional loading of many people, furniture and, quite often, some form of roof-top ‘garden’ (if only pots and tubs) and this will limit the choice of the final surface finish to either paving or some form of decking. An appropriate roofing system will be needed and designed to suit.

Although some green roofs are designed for recreational use, many, particularly extensive green roofs, are designed to meet other objectives and may not be suitable for use.