Holy Crap...Look at this house for sale in Tucson!

[Lizking]

Commercial systems for flat roofs are pretty good, but they are also expensive.  even a residential one can be done right, but what usually happens is that they are cut up designs, piss poor planned penetrations, and the main one:  they do not allow for rapid enough drainage.

[DREDIOCK]

BTW architects arent as bad as lawyers.
But they are as bad as many engineers.

Be it machinerey or buildings
Oh everything fits fine I'll hand em that.

Cant maintain em worth a damn without major headaches once they're built.
But everything fits just  fine

[Lizking]

Every architect, as well as every engineer, should be required to work in the field, building things, for at least a year, preferably 2 before they are licensed.  That would solve a lot of problems for builders and owners.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Lizking
Commercial systems for flat roofs are pretty good, but they are also expensive.  even a residential one can be done right, but what usually happens is that they are cut up designs, piss poor planned penetrations, and the main one:  they do not allow for rapid enough drainage.

No disrespect

I've seen dozens and dozens of commercial office buildings with flat roofs.

I have yet to see one that doesnt leak

I could take you to one in particular at a hospital I used to work at that I know for fact has been totally replaced at LEAST 6 times by several different contractors in the time I was there.

Walked past the area 3 weeks ago while visiting my father in law and saw the telltale signs of sagging waterstained sheetrock and standard trash cans in place for catching the water.

I am also confident that with a simple phonecall I can confirm the existance of at least 6 other leaks in the same hospital and its assorted offsite buildings.

Interestingly enough there are two areas that never leak.
Those areas  are in a part of the building that is over 80 years old.
Both with pitched roofs

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Lizking
Every architect, as well as every engineer, should be required to work in the field, building things, for at least a year, preferably 2 before they are licensed.  That would solve a lot of problems for builders and owners.

I am in 110 % agreement.

Might get em out of that Rube Goldberg mode they all seem to be stuck in LOL

[Lizking]

I have seen plenty that leak, but the problems are in the detailing not the fact that it is a flat roof.

Take your typical box store, a Walmart or a Home Depot.  60,000 to 120,000 sqft of flat bellybutton roof and leaks are unacceptable.  Skylights just leak, period.

Now the flip side of that, is a typical residence or "architectural" commercial structure.  The roof is not a big flat square, it is cut up into smaller areas.  The corners and penetrations increase in both number and complexity.  So do the leaks.


All that said, water penetration into the walls is a given, and should be planned for in the design.  This is where it becomes a problem, when you have an iffy roofing system and a poorly designed wall section.

[Lizking]

Here is a perfectly acceptable wall section for a flat roof building.  The only change I would require is weeps to be 8" OC, spaced to the cores.

http://www.na.graceconstruction.com/template.cfm?page=/masonry/dwgs_sw_6.html&did=27

[DREDIOCK]

one of the funniest things I've ever seen was on the same hospital there was a drain that had its opening a full 3 inches higher then the roof was which ment the water had to be over 3 inches deep before anything would drain off of it

[Lizking]

Don't get me started.  The things I have seen.....

[hblair]

Lizking, do you still manage the hardware store too?

[Lizking]

Nope, it hsa been reset and everything is smooth.  Brother Mark is running it.