This means that the insulation should be highly resistant to water absorption for example an extruded polystyrene based product which will not be affected by water or repeated freeze thaw cycles.
Warm or cold flat roof.
Warm roof construction requires that the entire roof construction is encapsulated within the insulation envelope of the building to be kept warm.
However you may not be familiar with these concepts particularly what they mean and the pros and cons of each.
What is a warm roof or a cold roof.
A cold flat roof insulation requires more work taking off old boards and replacing them and the roof surface.
If you have been considering a new roof installation looking into adding insulation to your home or are planning to build a new house you may have heard people talk about hot roof and cold roof systems.
The object being to design out the possibility of warm moisture laden air coming into contact with a cold surface and condensing.
The breakdown warm roof vs cold roof.
Inverted roofs are a type of warm flat roof where the insulation is above the waterproofing layer.
Guidance advice on warm cold roofs www cncbuildingcontrol gov uk continuous 5mm gap at ridge.
Whilst cold flat roofs were the most commonly used method of insulation changes in the way we live increased time spent inside an increase in internal washing and cooking areas meant that the additional water vapour needed to be addressed.
You create a warm roof or a cold roof simply by applying the layers of the roof in a different order.
A warm roof is much more straightforward to install and provides a superior thermal performance and is therefore more costly.
Namely the insulation layers.
A cold roof is best when you re initially creating a flat roof and is cheaper than a warm roof but does provide an inferior thermal performance.
Warm roof insulation ensures the entire roof structure is insulated meaning a warm deck roof is more energy efficient than a cold roof.