6 Ways to Take Advantage of Your Flat Roofs

1. 6 Ways to Take Advantage of your Flat Roofs With new trends, straight, pure and prismatic volumes have been in vogue in recent years, but this has brought with it certain design conundrums that are sometimes difficult to solve, such as flat ceilings. It is common that when designing a two-story house there tend to be dead spacesor voids to which we do not find what use to give, especially when the ceilings of the first floor are exposed and are part of the views of the second floor. Generally, flat roofs are a headache when it comes to disguising or hiding them, since asphalt blankets and waterproof coatings are not very pleasing to the eye. That is why we have brought together the best ideas so that you can take advantage of flat or slightly sloping roofs and create useful, decorative and recreational spaces for your home. Make the most of your project's potential with these simple tips! Create a Pleasant Atmosphere for a Terrace One of the most popular ideas is to take advantage of the roof space to create a cozy terrace. Depending on the space, you can place from a simple hammock to a complete set of furniture to have an outdoor space within your home. To achieve

2. this type of recreational areas, focus on a durable and weather resistant floor, do not forget to place floor drains to avoid flooding and accumulation of water on the roofs. Opt for furniture resistant to water and sun, in this way you will not have to worry about its deterioration; You can also invest in buying pots of different sizes to calm the sun a bit and create shadows on your new terrace. A Green Roof! Green roofs have evolved over time, from the garden terraces of Le Corbusier to totally vegetable roofs. Flat or slightly sloping surfaces are ideal for recreating this type of roof, since very steep slopes make it difficult for vegetation to settle on the surface. If you have a flat roof that is visible to your neighbors or to visitors to your project, you can choose to cover the roof with grass and thus create an ecological roof that is also open to visitors. These types of roofs help reduce air pollution, add aesthetic value, blend the building with its surroundings, reduce the heat in the house, and you can even grow vegetables! Keep in mind that these covers require special care and add considerable weight to the structure.

3. Take Advantage of Solar Energy with Photovoltaic Panels Being an extensive surface and without interruptions, flat roofs are ideal for installing solar panel systems, their low slope helps to place the panels in the most convenient way according to solar incidence, in addition to the fact that there are various models to adapt them to your design and play with tones and materials. Solar panels are a somewhat expensive investment, but with little time you will begin to notice how this investment provides electricity for your project. (And how the electricity bill goes down!). Help the environment and improve your quality of life by incorporating these facilities to your roofs, we assure you that you will not regret it.

4. Shall We Take a Dip? Needless to say, a flat surface is the perfect plane to create water features, whether it's a built-in pool or just a hot tub set on the deck. To have a pool on the terrace, a little more planning is necessary (unless you place an inflatable one) since you must take into account its depth, the pump room and the area that it will require in plan. If your budget allows it, a swimming pool at home is an addition that adds a lot of value to the property, in addition to being the perfect place for sunny days, especially in hot weather. Add Skylights to the Surface Sometimes we find ourselves a bit tight on the subject of windows and natural lighting, but don't worry, we have the solution to this problem. Incorporating skylights into buildings is an instant way to allow the sun's rays to pass through to create a heavenly , illuminated environment without the need for electricity; and flat ceilings are perfect to place these installations and illuminate specific points of each space. There are various types and structures of skylights, but the most recommended are those that also serve as a floor, in this way you can

5. incorporate openings to your terrace without harming the circulation of space. If you need extra ventilation, opt for skylights with openings, this way you will get lighting and ventilation in a single point. Or Design a Whole New Area If the original layout of the design did not allow you to incorporate all the rooms or spaces you wanted, open your perspective a bit and use that ceiling space to develop in it that corner that you were missing. Whether it is a completely new and closed room, or an outdoor space, you can play with the enclosures making them mobile in order to have a closed space and a terrace at the same time. The project designed by the architects of Mandril Arquitetura E Interiores used the flat roof to create an informal dining room and grill area, having a new area to receive guests and enjoy the pleasant weather. Do not waste the great potential that flat roofs have, take advantage of the space no matter how small it may be, you can adapt any of these ideas to your project keeping the initial concept and modifying the design parameters according to your needs. Go for flat roofs!