Low Slope

Low Slope Roofs are, by definition, those areas with a slope rise/increase of less than two inches per foot. These roof areas require different materials than steeper slope roofs since water does not shed off a low slope roof like a steep slope roof.

One difference is that the entire roof system needs to be sealed so that water that moves slowly, pools, or may back up will not infiltrate the building.

So, a low-slope roof requires attention to detail in design and execution to keep the building dry.

Bigham Taylor is an expert applicator of many low-slope roof systems. Our crews have decades of experience working with nearly every system on the market to ensure we offer building owners and property managers options when selecting a long-term solution that is watertight and durable.

Most low-slope roof systems are Single Ply or Built-Up.

Single Ply roof membranes consist of those with heat welded seams, called Thermoplastics (TPO, PVC, or KEE/EIP), or those with taped or glued seams (EPDM). These products are a “system” consisting of a factory-made sheet where all products combine into a single waterproofing layer. Roofers install these membranes by adhering (gluing), attaching (with a mechanical fastening), or ballasting (laid loosely and then weighted down with rock, pavers, or vegetation).

Single-Ply applications are beneficial because the roof is made watertight without redundant applications in the field and thus have reduced labor costs vs. Built-Up systems. In addition, these systems tend to have fewer issues with odors from asphalt-based product field installation processes.

Built-Up roof systems consist of multiple layers of a roof layer installed (“built up”) on a roof. A few ways of adhering these layers to a roof include hot asphalt, cold asphalt adhesive, torch, or self-adhered (attachment occurs by removing release paper from adhesive strips). The “built-up” system happens as those layers fuse.

Because multiple layers are in a built-up installation, there’s less risk of applicator error impacting the system’s integrity. Each successive layer helps cover any potential mistakes in installing the preceding layer.