Garage roof shape (flat roof or hip/gable roof)

Hello dear forum community,

we have been working on the construction of our own home for several months now and had originally planned a flat roof for our double garage (6x9m) for cost reasons. When our friend, the carpenter, was attaching the battens to the main roof over the weekend and discussing further planning with us, he pointed out that flat roofs need to be regularly inspected and resealed if necessary. In the long run, a flat roof is therefore not much cheaper than a hip roof or a gable roof.
We also find a garage with a tent or gable roof much more aesthetically pleasing than a flat roof, but the significantly higher costs do scare us a bit.

What are your experiences with this? Could someone maybe tell us roughly the price difference between a flat roof and a tent roof (floor area 63sqm)? We get the materials cheaply through the friendly carpenter, and since my boyfriend is a bricklayer, he could take care of the masonry work if it becomes a gable roof.
Are there any other significant advantages and disadvantages regarding the different roofs?

We need to decide quite quickly now, as the materials have to be ordered...

Many thanks in advance for your help!

Best regards

I can't help you with that, unfortunately, but I have to follow up: the building permit for the flat roof is available... Another roof must be newly approved, as far as I know.

Hello,

When our friendly carpenter fixed the battens on the main roof over the weekend and discussed further planning with us, he pointed out that flat roofs need to be checked regularly and, if necessary, resealed.

Of course, you have to check the drainage pipes to make sure they are not clogged by leaves or similar. A carefully constructed flat roof - naturally also with the appropriate slope - does not necessarily need to be "resealed" after a few years as a matter of course. That is a piece of history from some carpenters; it is unfortunate that this sleight of hand is still used. By the way, the gutters should also be checked regularly on any other roof type.

If you buy a prefabricated garage, in my opinion it is the most cost-effective solution and since the roof and side walls are delivered as one unit, the inspection indeed reduces to the strainers of the downpipes. Warning crystal ball mode on: Your carpenter probably won’t like that, since he doesn't make money from it. Crystal ball mode off.

We get the materials cheaply through the friendly carpenter and since my boyfriend is a bricklayer, he could (if it turns out to be a pitched roof) take over the masonry work.

What does a bricklayer have to do with building a pitched roof?

A hip roof is the most expensive variant, followed by a half-hip and then a pitched roof. For the garage size, the difference can easily be around EUR 10,000.

Are there any other significant advantages and disadvantages regarding the different roofs?

No, not nowadays. Actually, not even earlier, but during the economic miracle – and even into the 1970s – construction was done quickly/quickly and flat roofs tolerated the least of that. Ultimately, it is a decision based on the development plan or personal preferences.

Edit: Yvonne is of course right. Was the flat roof approved? Then – if the garage roof is to be changed – an amendment must be submitted. But it is only worthwhile if the development plan allows another roof shape as well.

Rhenish regards

Thank you very much for the quick responses.
The building permit showed a flat roof, so an amendment would have to be submitted. Does anyone have experience with approximately how expensive this is?
Since the garage is already finished except for the roof (masonry and clad with facing bricks), a prefabricated garage is not an option.
The masonry work for the gable roof refers to the two gable sides....or am I completely missing something now?
If we disregard the hip roof for now and compare a gable roof (which I think fits the house better) with a flat roof....what is approximately the price difference?
According to the development plan, other garage roofs should be fine, as all roof types are already represented on our street.

Best regards

The building permit showed a flat roof, so an amendment should be submitted. Does anyone have experience with how expensive this roughly is?

For us, an amendment concerning the garage cost 90€ - so not the end of the world

Shed roof with a 3° pitch and then trapezoidal sheets on top. Substructure made of wood. It hardly gets cheaper. Because of the parapet, you can't see the less attractive trapezoidal sheets from below/outside anyway. When those things are worn out after many years, you just screw new ones on. There are also transparent trapezoidal "sheets" made of plastic that let some daylight into the garage. They do fade over time but are better than nothing. The metal cladding on the parapet must be done carefully so that it is watertight. Drains always need to be cleaned, regardless of the roof type.