While their original purpose is no longer relevant, parapet roofs that were once designed as defensive structures for buildings such as castles, towers and temples, are still important architecturally, and used universally in modern designs.
To help you decide whether a parapet roof is right for your home, here are some factors to consider:
- It’s a time consuming project
A lot of materials are required to build a parapet roof, and along with taking a long time to build, it also demands a significant degree of expertise. As such, it’s important to appreciate this and select an experienced construction company who can deal with it appropriately, and ensure that the roof will be able to hold up well against a variety of different weather conditions
- Their design can be complex
As wooden framing is used to construct contemporary parapets, their design can be complicated. For the framing to be sunk adequately, wall cavities are necessary, and these will in turn, require holes for ventilation. There are a number of other practical and complex considerations to be made, too, and should any of these considerations be missed or poorly executed, it can turn into a costly disaster for homeowners, as detailed in the next point.
- They require regular maintenance
If a parapet roof has been poorly made, it can quickly begin to experience problems with moisture, which if left untreated, can be devastating for this particular type of roof and lead to leaks inside the home. As such. regular checks and maintenance are necessary to ensure that your parapet roof doesn’t go on to cause you a number of moisture-related and expensive problems.
The transformation of parapet roofs
Small, short and vertical walls running along a roofline, parapets were originally designed for combatants to stand behind and avoid the arrows of enemies. As the years and the centuries passed, however, they have become more decorative in design, and continue to be used on many buildings, including homes. When used on homes nowadays however, their purpose is more as a measure of safety to minimize the threat of wind and fire damage, although they can still be used as decorative features.
Once made out of marble and initially used by the Greeks, parapets are perhaps most commonly associated with the medieval period, and over time, were taken over by Gothic architecture.
Why should you have a parapet roof built on your home?
Looking stunning architecturally and adding an interesting, quirky element to a property, parapet roofs also offer an additional layer of protection for homes against the risk of fire, thanks to their roofline extending above the plane of the roof. Helping to protect the membrane of the roof against the flames of a fire, they can be instrumental in preventing a fire from raging to the point where it can’t easily be controlled.
As well as fire protection, parapet roofs also afford a good deal of wind resistance, with the pressure being distributed evenly across the whole roof. They also go towards stopping wind uplift, which can be extremely detrimental to shingles and lead to premature wear.
If you live in an area that frequently experiences high winds, a parapet roof can help shield your home from its ravages.
Stylized and functional, a parapet roof makes a wonderful addition to any structure, and could help your home stand apart from others in the neighborhood, while protecting it from potential fire and wind damage. If you already have a parapet roof that’s in need of repair due to general wear and tear, or poor construction by an inexperienced company, search for a roofing or construction contractor in your area who can fix the problem and restore your roof to its former condition, before the problem gets any worse.