Flat roof homes

Discussion in 'Sun City General Discussions' started by BPearson, Jun 10, 2017.

  1. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Interesting to note: John Meeker, the true genius behind Sun City AZ's success, said in his memoirs that one of the mistakes they made was to build flat roof homes. I don't know the exact number of them, but the percentage is significant when you factor in the large number of garden court apts, twin homes and quads that have them.

    Both the home we live in and the one we will eventually downsize to have them. We like the look and have always understood there is an additional cost of maintenance (typically they need to be re-coated every 5 years). I suspect that was the problem Meeker had because many people in Sun City are worried about that additional expense. In reality, replacing a hip roof these days is in the $10,000 range which is equivalent to 4 or 5 coatings by a professional roofer.

    Anyway, in the past month, a friend has stumbled (another story for another time) upon a product made in Seattle that was originally used for sealing pipes that became excessively hot. From their it was adopted to flat roof tops on massive commercial buildings. Why commercial? Far more expensive than your normal "paint" they use in conventional coatings. It comes with a 10 year warranty but they have several instances in the commercial application where the product is still going strong 20 years after applying it. At least as important is the ability of the product to cut the sun's reflective heat with the website claiming 20 to 50 degrees cooler inside and deflecting 98% of the suns rays. Obviously if that's true, if the inside temperatures are greatly reduced, there would be a huge savings on energy costs.

    The house we will move to is due a coating this year, so we are taking a leap of faith and giving the product a try. Today we will be spraying the TC Ceramic on the roof. I have been tracking garage temperatures and outside temps under the roof of the patio to see if and by how much a difference it makes once it is applied. The only way we can gauge the long term value is staying alive another 20 years, at least for the short term we can see if there is an immediate return on inside temperature reduction.

    I will keep you posted if this product is as good as the claims made, it may be more expensive in the short term, but a saving over the long haul.
     
  2. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    I have both. My main roof is often considered a flat roof because I have no attic but in reality it is a low slope roof with a tiny space. Very common in mid-century design. It accepts shingles. I also have a flat roof that was part of the outside patio which was turned into a great living space. I coated it with elastomeric 2 years ago so I'll be looking at a re-coat in 3 more. I'm interested to know if the TC Ceramic does decrease the heat. If so I'd be willing to give it a try...that room is the hot one and the place I spend most of my time. They built this style homes with a large overhang/patio because it really helps to keep the sun out of the main house. Of course when you thwart the original design, and make it a room, that negates the purpose of the overhang. I'm still not unhappy they did it though, it was made very well and has a picture perfect view of the lake. So I'm in there most of the time.
     
  3. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    I have to assume E, your roof is covered in your monthly HOA fees?

    I've got a friend stopping by today when they do our roof to see the product. He lives in a large association and is/was(?) the president. This product could be an incredible investment for attached dwellings if it works like they claim. Similar to HOA's pulling out their grass and replacing it with rock; short term hit, long term savings.
     
  4. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    I have seen a few Blue Herons but I think more of them hang out at Viewpoint Lake. Dawn Lake does have a group of Cormorants, various ducks, Canadian Geese and Swans. Many more ducks in the winter than summer though.
     
  5. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    Oh yes, Dawn Lake has it's it's share of ol Coots. And some younger Coots too. Have you been involved with the new birder group yet?
     
  6. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    Here are some duck and Cormorants I see out my window. I like the Cormorants, they made a deep low cry. But they eat a lot of fish so many people would like them to scat. Not me.

    ducks.jpg cormorants.jpg
     
  7. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Geez C, you have to be longing for the day when you get to watch it on a constant basis eh?
     
  8. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    18 months. This is the first time in my life I've wished I'd get older sooner. :biggrin-new:
     
  9. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    This is always a hot topic for potential homes buyers. We love th flat roof look but it does come the cost of having a 5 year maintenance plan.
     

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