Anonymous wrote:The vast majority of DC rowhouses (Petworth, Capitol Hill, Shaw, Columbia Heights) have flat roofs, and we all manage just fine. Get a roof inspection.

Our rowhouse on the Hill has a 100 year metal roof with about 80 years left. It is super easy to maintain--just paint it withe some white roof pair every 3-5 years. And the paint goes on in a few hours with a roller and doesn't require a ladder because there is a hatch and we can just stand on the roof. We love it.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you all for the wonderful feedback. Unfortunately, the home is not in Arlington. I can't afford to live there! If anyone has any further comments please share. We are first time home buyers and nervous about buying a problem that can be avoided.

Latest news says arlington is going down, I would check out another place like falls church city or mclean/falls church near the silver line.

The vast majority of DC rowhouses (Petworth, Capitol Hill, Shaw, Columbia Heights) have flat roofs, and we all manage just fine. Get a roof inspection.

OP here. Thank you all for the wonderful feedback. Unfortunately, the home is not in Arlington. I can't afford to live there! If anyone has any further comments please share. We are first time home buyers and nervous about buying a problem that can be avoided.

I would avoid flat roofs because of potential hassle/cost, and also because of potential challenges reselling it. While it may be perfect and wonderful, you can tell from this thread there is a negative association to them. If the market is slow when you go to sell, it could be the difference between selling and not being able to sell.

There's several things in a house that I don't personally mind, but the resale question is just too important for me to not look at general attitudes.

are you looking at our house, OP? NP here. I guess I should say "our" house; lol, we're the renters of about a 3 yr. old house in N. Arlington and the house is going onto the market. We've been there two years and we've had no problems, and the solar panels are amazing for the electric bills! You can knock on our door.

Our house has a flat roof. We've only been here for 3 years, but have had zero problems with it.

I would not do it We rejected an otherwise fantastic, fantastic house because when we got to inspection, the huge expanse of flat roof, which had been replaced only about 5 years ago, was again leaking like a sieve. We concluded that there was no way to fix it permanently.

Get a roof inspection. Normal inspectors won't get on your roof.

FIL had one that was a nightmare to maintain--they were always fixing the roof. It probably really varies depending on the builder.

Anonymous wrote:They don't last as long as shingles

and cost more to replace

They don't last as long as shingles

OP here. Thanks for the feedback. This is a newer home, only a couple years old, and uses a rubber membrane if that makes a difference. Thank you again.

We had a flat roof on an addition at the house I grew up in. I don't remember ever having anyone fix anything on it, and it definitely never leaked. Roofers have 40' ladders though so they can check it out for you.

We love everything but the roof! It is flat or low pitched roof and is not the type you can build a roof top deck on.

My concerns are maintenance and overall failure. I have no access to the roof (need a 40 foot ladder) and there is no attic to inspect from below. There first time I would notice anything is a wet spot in my ceiling and at that point I think the repairs would be costly as insulation and support structure would need to be dried to prevent mold. This would need to be done by someone who knows and specializes in flat roofs which may also add to the overall cost. This is my assumption as I don't know for certain. Just based on a few internet searches.

This is for a residential property so not exactly the same type of build you see on commercial buildings. Even still houses with flat roofs are being built all over the dc metro area. Am I over reacting? Is this a non issue?

Any help or prior experience from the board would be greatly appreciated!