Help, decision anxiety... Shed roof or flat roof?

[C_N]

Hi,

I'm torn between two different house models and having real decision anxiety. One is a classic square functionalist house with a flat felt roof, and the other is a rectangular 1.5-story house with a shed roof and concrete tiles. The houses are almost the same size.

We're a bit worried that the house with the shed roof might feel outdated in a few years and that you might get less for it in a possible sale. On the other hand, you might also get tired of a square box.

Which one holds up appearance-wise in the long run, and which do you think we should build?

 

[huggan]

Flat roofs are indeed worse considering a lot of snow.

 

[pbengtsson]

Thought no one built with flat felt roofs today because it's a tricky construction to keep watertight over time, but maybe that's a myth. What do the houses in the surroundings look like, which house type do you think would fit in best? I would have based a lot on that.

 

[Mikael_L]

I can't quite shake off the uneasy feeling about flat roofs either. A very technically imperfect solution.

However, I can understand why architects like flat roofs. On the right house, it's so stylish. In my world, it's about stripping away what's not adding anything. And a cold attic on top of a house but under a low-pitched roof has no function (except for better water drainage), so get rid of it and make it flat instead.

But I probably can't give you any advice. And it's also a matter of personal taste in any case. Can you link to the two houses?

 

[Mikael_L]

They have "solved" the flat roof with a little trick
http://www.gotenehus.se/hus-villa/3d-origo.html
Click around and change view until you get the roof image.

It is indeed low-sloped, so technically worse than "normal" roofs, but still better than the most flat ones.

 

[byggankan]

Hello,

We are a bit worried that the house with a sloping roof might feel outdated in a few years and that we might get less for it in a potential sale. On the other hand, maybe one might also get tired of a square box?

Which holds up in appearance over time and which do you think we should build?

If you're thinking about lasting a long time, I absolutely think you're taking a bigger risk with a "box house". I believe that type of house goes up and down in popularity. In the area where I grew up, there are some old functionalist houses that for many, many years were some of the cheapest houses in the area, but when they were sold recently, they were the most expensive.

 

[prototypen]

I think flat roofs are a construction flaw, at least in Norrland. Up here, all large flat roofs probably leak.

Protte

 

[b8q]

The last two winters, I've seen all my neighbors up on their flat roofs shoveling snow, and then they happen to damage the roofing felt with the shovel and then the leaks come like clockwork... No, choose a monoslope roof!

 

[C_N]

Thank you for all the great answers! Any other aspect to consider regarding this?

/C

 

[Mats]

No, just that I agree with what is said above.
Flat roofs are, in my view, a risk construction and directly unsuitable where there is a risk of frost or lingering snow.

 

[Nene]

Pupettak can provide a very appealing room feel when the ceiling follows the roof trusses. I am very happy with our pulpettak house.

 

[Mikael_L]

Thanks for all the great responses! Any other aspects to consider regarding this?

/C

The steeper the roof pitch, the slimmer the dimensions of the wood in the trusses. In other words, trusses with a moderate roof pitch are cheaper than flatter ones.

It's the opposite when it comes to transport. Low trusses are transported whole, high trusses must be transported in two parts and assembled on the construction site.

 

[styrman1]

I and probably 50% of all homebuyers reject flat roofs, which should negatively affect the value in a future sale.