What Separates a Residential Roof vs Commercial Roof?
The roof of your home may seem not too different from the roof of a shopping mall, but there are some massive differences between a residential roof vs commercial roof. There’s a number of stringent requirements that residential and commercial roofing systems face in their materials as well as the labor that is required to install them.
Understanding the differences between a residential roof and a commercial roof can help to make sure that you are working with a contractor that’s going to be using the right materials and the specialized tools that are required for safety on your roofing system. Here are some of the major differences between commercial roofs and residential roofs:
The Roofing Installation Process
The overall structure and size of the commercial roof can definitely change the way that it is installed. Residential roofs can often take weeks to install and a residential roof may only take just a few days. The cost of a commercial roof is often more costly because there’s a need for specialized tools and an even larger crew in order to handle the process of installation. Contractors may need to just tear off a large area in order to initiate repairs on a commercial roof whereas residential roofs may just take a few small patch jobs to complete.
The Slope of the Roof
Most residential roofing systems are known for their larger slope and this can be in part to keep heating and cooling efficient throughout the home as well as to maximize the curb appeal of a home. The covered areas on a roof are typically much smaller and this places less pressure along the structure. Materials in a residential roof are also much easier to maintain over time and commercial roofs don’t require the same amount of slope or the same lightness of materials either.
Commercial roofs typically take a bit more maintenance and they also have a larger surface area for maintaining. This is why it often takes a bit longer for individuals to maintain these roofs and why elements of these roofs are often not visible because of the larger surface area that is covered.
The Roofing Materials
Commercial and residential roofing materials differ greatly in their longevity and in their overall costs. The applications for commercial roofing are often designed to deliver a peak performance over time. Residential roofing is designed with a fairly common material that is designed for aesthetics. Commercial roofing is usually produced in a single ply membrane and the overall goal is to cover a large area in an affordable manner while keeping things very resilient.
Roofing materials are commonly used in residential and commercial roofs include:
- Prebuilt roof materials
- Solar installations/shingles
- Metal roofing
- Wooden shaker roofing
- Tile, asphalt, slate and ceramic.
The Roofing Design
The overall design process for commercial roof is often to cover a large area. Flat roofs require more repairs but they are much more viable for a commercial property that is spread out. Flat roofs are also designed to cover the weight of equipment such as heating and cooling elements that can be placed up on the roof. A flat roofing system can even include elements like areas for garden, green roof installations and more.
A residential home is very unlikely to have these design elements as a need for the property. There’s no need for any external items to be housed on the roof and there’s also very little need for people to be walking across the roof.
The major design differences include obstacles like the chimney and cooling systems as well as the potential for larger systems across a commercial roof. Many commercial roofing systems include the option for airflow systems, external pipes, smokestacks and more.
For any type of commercial roofing or residential roofing it’s quite important to work with a competent roofing company only. Getting several quotes and making sure that your company has experience in residential or commercial roofing will help to secure your property and make sure that it is not subject to any voided warranty or insurance requirements.
If you would like to learn more about the process of roof repair or get a quote on your own roof repair, contact our Reggie Reed Roofing today to learn more. We are a family owned and operated business with over 40 years of experience over 4 generations of roofers! We can help you meet all of the residential roofing requirements or commercial roofing requirements that you need for repairs or installations.
