If you’ve got a flat roof, do you ever look at it and wonder about the wasted space? A roof makes for a great place for neighbors to congregate or friends to hang out, and it doesn’t take a lot to make it presentable.
There are lots of things that you can do with your roof. The hardest thing will simply be trying to decide what. If you’re looking for some ideas, take a look at our list of things you can do with your roof.
Rooftop hangout nook
Sometimes you simply don’t want to sit in the house all day. The sun’s too bright, the drinks are nicely cool, and your company is great, but you’ve got no desire to stay in front of the tv. In those times, you might wish for some fun place to hang out on the roof.
With a few pieces of furniture, and maybe even a fire pit, you can make yourself somewhere to sit and chat with your friends while enjoying the summer sun. There is a wide range of garden furniture out there, from the solid and hearty to the soft and squishy. Add a fire pit for a bit of warmth in the winter months and even a trolley bar for the fun times.
Add a canopy if you’re worried about the rainy winter months’ effect on the furniture and you’ll have a new place to spend time year-round. If you fancy some alone time, take a hot drink, a blanket, and a book to the roof.
Rooftop garden
If you have the green finger, you can build your own garden space on your rooftop. This is an especially useful idea if you like gardening as a hobby but you’re in an apartment block, for example, or don’t otherwise have a garden. You can use the space on your roof to install a few decking planters and raised beds and fill your rooftop space with plants.
The brilliance of this is that it’s quite wallet friendly, as you can start small and expand as you go. You can add decorations or water features to make things even more impressive, for a truly meditative space to enjoy.
Rooftop greenhouse
If you are the gardening sort, you might want to expand into growing your own food. There is something especially satisfying about cooking something you know you got with your own two hands.
It’s simple enough to install a greenhouse, as they are lightweight structures that usually come in connecting poles and sheets, on the low-key end. On the other end, you can get greenhouses constructed on your roof, with a more solid foundation and even some solar panels if you wish.
If you want to keep it simple, you can make your own greenhouses out of a few planks of wood and some protective plastic sheets. You can even make multiple of them to keep different fruits and vegetables separate.
Roof framing
Adding some framing to your roof can offer a dynamic new style to your home or a traditional rustic vibe depending on the style you go for – and there are a lot of styles to choose from. You can look at a-frame roofs that are tall and symmetrical for a more traditional look, gabled roofs, which is a section of the roof that is extended from one wall, mansard roofs that are created with one extra joint on each rafter to create a livable space, and hipped roofs, which slope on the sides for a more modern and dynamic effect.
This can be an option if you are looking to deal with roof leaks. However, this is a big project and you should check if your homeowners insurance covers roof leaks.
Rooflights
If you’re thinking of the mansard roof for the purposes of creating an extra livable space in your home, you can look into some rooflights to allow some natural light in. These can be stalled in the slopes of the roof for a glorious burst of sunlight on a sunny day, or can be even bigger, as a majority of the roof itself. A lot of them come with interesting designs that replicate the joints of roof gables for a very modern look in your home. And considering natural light is invaluable to improving the color of your interior design and to create the illusion of a bigger space, it can be a great addition to any home.