Why roof tiles exist. I understand why we don’t have flat roofs, but why do we have hundreds of tiles that sort of overlap each other and can be pulled or blown off easily?
Why aren’t roofs like a giant tent, still A shaped but each side is just a big sheet of whatever weatherproof material we got?
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1) Tiles are much more easily removable and cut incase of damage and/or weird shape of roof.
2) Tiles are much quieter in rain and other conditions than big sheets of anything (Also can technically hold more heat and weight in snow based on certain conditions)
3) No tent-like material can last 20 years
4) Even if you think buildings in the city last much longer, which is true, it can almost double the cost of your house by simply getting the materials for that. City buildings are massive and have massive budgets anyway, another 100-300k for a zinc/copper/metal roof would make sense so those buildings don’t have to replace those things for like 50-100 years (some roofs in cities can even last much longer but haven’t been around long enough to find out).
Easiest way possible, think of it like this. Would you rather pay 10k every 25 years for a nice, quiet, and better looking roof, or 100k for a flat, loud and blank roof that will last 100-150 years?
Not a terrible idea. That said I think you would have to make the sheets on site then set them in place. I’m picturing warehouses with poured concrete walls that then get tilted up.
I’m thinking you would make a custom form on the roof then move it to the ground and pour your sheets. Then crane the final product back up to the roof.
The down side is it would have to be much thicker and stronger than concrete roof tiles to keep from cracking when moving it.
Easier to replace a broken tile then cut a hole in a large sheet, replace the damage section and reseal it so it never leaks.
My house has a steel roof and instead of tiles it’s long sheets of metal that overlap horizontally. Doing it as one single sheet would make it much more difficult to manufacture, transport, and install.
When I got my new roof put on my first house,I had them pitch the roof over the garage so I got an attic and no more possibilities of standing water.
In Australia we have colourblind metal roof sheets. Not sure the size of the sheets but bigger than any tile I’d imagine.
I guess you’d see that on garages/sheds in places, but also on homes here. Can look good tho, colours match other bits like down pipes, fencing etc.
Depends where you live. In Aus, we use colour bond tin metal sheets with ridge capping. Light, strong and durable. The sheets are about a ~1m wide and can be +6m in length. So while you still need multiple sheets and some have to be cut to suit, its a much quicker and easier way to lay a roof.
Smooth, flat sheets tend to “oilcan” with changes in temperature. Creasing or corrugating the sheets allow them to resist the effect.
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