ᐅ Roof Terrace on a Flat Roof – Construction – Surface Covering
Created on: 12 Feb 2016 14:28
W
WildThing
Hello everyone,
We have a sloped plot of land, so our garage has a flat roof that will later become a terrace. The terrace is accessible from the living room and is approximately 40 sqm (430 sq ft).
The garage is masonry with concrete ceilings. Bitumen sheets were installed and welded on top, then a slope was created using Styrodur (I think), and the "roof" was finished with welded flat roof membrane.
Now we are wondering what to put on top of this membrane. Unfortunately, we have quite a low build-up height—10 cm (4 inches) below the terrace doors and at one corner even only about 5 cm (2 inches) because of the slope.
Wood/WPC
At first, we considered wood with the appropriate substructure, but I suspect that would be too tall.. :-/ Also, we should not forget the effort required for annual oiling.
We do not like WPC at all; to me, it looks way too "plastic-like" over such a large area. On a smaller terrace, I could imagine it, but not on our large one.
Stone/Ceramic
We were advised to use paving slabs on a gravel bed for the terrace. Specifically, these new "ceramic slabs," which are only 2 cm (¾ inch) thick but suitable for outdoor use. They are simply laid loose on the gravel and held in place by their own weight. However, they are quite expensive—over 50 EUR/sqm (about 5 USD/sq ft). What other affordable stones/slabs/tiles are available?
Questions
What other options are there?
Which of the mentioned options offers the best value for money?
Who already has experience with these ceramic slabs and can share their feedback?
We have a sloped plot of land, so our garage has a flat roof that will later become a terrace. The terrace is accessible from the living room and is approximately 40 sqm (430 sq ft).
The garage is masonry with concrete ceilings. Bitumen sheets were installed and welded on top, then a slope was created using Styrodur (I think), and the "roof" was finished with welded flat roof membrane.
Now we are wondering what to put on top of this membrane. Unfortunately, we have quite a low build-up height—10 cm (4 inches) below the terrace doors and at one corner even only about 5 cm (2 inches) because of the slope.
Wood/WPC
At first, we considered wood with the appropriate substructure, but I suspect that would be too tall.. :-/ Also, we should not forget the effort required for annual oiling.
We do not like WPC at all; to me, it looks way too "plastic-like" over such a large area. On a smaller terrace, I could imagine it, but not on our large one.
Stone/Ceramic
We were advised to use paving slabs on a gravel bed for the terrace. Specifically, these new "ceramic slabs," which are only 2 cm (¾ inch) thick but suitable for outdoor use. They are simply laid loose on the gravel and held in place by their own weight. However, they are quite expensive—over 50 EUR/sqm (about 5 USD/sq ft). What other affordable stones/slabs/tiles are available?
Questions
What other options are there?
Which of the mentioned options offers the best value for money?
Who already has experience with these ceramic slabs and can share their feedback?
Hello Axmann,
Thank you for your comment. However, you seem to contradict all the experts we have consulted so far. The 2 cm (0.8 inch) ceramic tiles, measuring 60x60 cm (24x24 inches), are definitely heavy enough to stay in place on their own. The drainage mat was also recommended to us as necessary under the gravel...
Hmm... So you mean dividing the area vertically? I think that could look good, but I don’t like it for my situation. We prefer a continuous surface because we want to divide the space flexibly into a "dining area" and a "relaxation area." For example, during larger gatherings, we also want to use the entire terrace as a seating area.
Thank you for your comment. However, you seem to contradict all the experts we have consulted so far. The 2 cm (0.8 inch) ceramic tiles, measuring 60x60 cm (24x24 inches), are definitely heavy enough to stay in place on their own. The drainage mat was also recommended to us as necessary under the gravel...
Hmm... So you mean dividing the area vertically? I think that could look good, but I don’t like it for my situation. We prefer a continuous surface because we want to divide the space flexibly into a "dining area" and a "relaxation area." For example, during larger gatherings, we also want to use the entire terrace as a seating area.