Pitched roof v flat roof

[newbyinvestor]

I have been doing my homework in Ferntree Gully and Boronia area and there are a few flat roofed houses which seem cheap enough given the block of land they are on and their location etc.
I wonder how much one should penalise the value of a flat roofed house compared to a pitched roof with tiles etc?
I think the flat roofed places are cheaper to build originally do they stay an investors friend when they are 15 or 20 years old?

 

[buzzlightyear]

Insulation

Flat roofs are hotter in summer and colder in winter I have found in my experience.

I doubt there would be a material difference in market value between the two properties all other factors being equal.

 

[AlmostBob]

a flat roof, gets more rain pooling that a pitched roof,
if really flat, not a slight slope, any leaks are more serious, less rain runs off
if a leak occours its harder to dry the insulation,
harder to modify or repair wiring, ducting, piping ventiliation

 

[kristaje]

If the property is a block of flats on 1 title, pitched roof is preferable, as you'd be able to get the fire insulation done easier to get strata subdiv.

 

[newbyinvestor]

If the property is a block of flats on 1 title, pitched roof is preferable, as you'd be able to get the fire insulation done easier to get strata subdiv.

Actually while I'm asking about the roof I guess I could have mentioned that it's a 4 bedroom house in Boronia. Odd thing with the place is not just the flat roof but the place is fitted out for the current owner who is in a wheelchair.
(Front and rear ramps, grab handles in and around the bathroom etc).

 

[Angel]

What is so "odd" about a place that is fitted out for a person in a wheelchair? It could be YOU in a wheelchair one day. Secondly this is a niche market. I have heard of tenants (specifically my SIL and her daughter) paying premium rent for a wheelchair-friendly home.

My mum's house has a flat roof and it is as AlmostBob stated - very high-maintenance. However my Mum's would be very easy to build a second storey on top.

 

[newbyinvestor]

What is so "odd" about a place that is fitted out for a person in a wheelchair? It could be YOU in a wheelchair one day. Secondly this is a niche market. I have heard of tenants (specifically my SIL and her daughter) paying premium rent for a wheelchair-friendly home.

My mum's house has a flat roof and it is as Kathryn stated - very high-maintenance. However my Mum's would be very easy to build a second storey on top.

Thanks for posting a positive perspective on this property Angel. Thing with me is that I get a bit negative with properties that are different to the ones I have experience with over the years.
Thing with this house is it hasn't just got a flat roof, or isn't just fitted out for people in a wheelchair etc. It's a combo including the house is built out of timber and the bathroom doesn't have any doors etc.
Basicly I'm not sure if a house like this would be as good an investment as say a brick veneer with a pitched roof etc
Cheers
Murray

 

[Nathan]

I just purchased what I realise to be my first flat roof joint..

I have pooling issues in the roof, but roof appears non rusted.

What i will do to stop this is rebatten the roof and make it easy for the rain to fall down with a higher slope and stop this from reoccouring....

Id prefer a pitch any day but a flat roof is fine at the price. I would expect a $20k price reduction for this.

 

[arriety]

I pefer pitched roof but I have one flat roof in Sunnybank hills Qld and it has increased in value at same rate as the pitched roof one in another area, and I haven't had any maintenance issues. The Sunnybank house is older anyway and I bought it a while back without thinking of roof angles back then.

 

[HppyLilVegemite]

Use to work in Real Estate in wantirna/ftg/bayswater area.
The agents I worked with use to frown upon flat roof properties because they were supposedly harder to sell. Found this to be true from the responses of people who came through the open for inspections for these properties too..
hope that helps!

 

[proptyman]

flat roof -v- pitched....

another aspect to consider is when mounting solar panels on these two types of roofs. The pitched will generally be cheaper as there is no need for brackets to prop the panels up, which will often be required on flat roofs (just a thought worth considering!)

Regards
Peter S

 

[Steve Fitz]

I just recently wrote a blog post on changing from a flat to a pitched roof on a new 2 storey design with the intention of saving money. You can view the walk through of the process on one of my web sites here http://www.bestbuildingprices.com.au/2-storey-designs/

Ultimately it's up to you but a flat roof is really only any good aesthetically, from a practical point of view they are more expensive and more prone to leaks. I'd stay away personally.

 

[Steve Fitz]

One thing i did forget to mention, a flat roof is useful when you have height restrictions. Other than for that reason I would recommend staying with a pitched roof.

 

[dog]

I know a realestate agent who brags about the gains to be made by buying flat roofed properties to convert from flat to pitched. I've never pushed for details re $$$ but you'd think that from someone who is the biggest seller in the firm in Australia - might be onto something.....

 

[steve00]

pitched roof all the way!!!!! flat roofs are rubbish! all the houses have bought have had pitched roofs. -

I know a realestate agent who brags about the gains to be made by buying flat roofed properties to convert from flat to pitched. I've never pushed for details re $$$ but you'd think that from someone who is the biggest seller in the firm in Australia - might be onto something.....

personally i think your spot on there i think be be round 10k for a new pitched roof from memory obviously dependig on the size of your roof - ball park maybe - try and crunch some numbers for you.

 

[Ms Jade]

I know a realestate agent who brags about the gains to be made by buying flat roofed properties to convert from flat to pitched. I've never pushed for details re $$$ but you'd think that from someone who is the biggest seller in the firm in Australia - might be onto something.....

Could you please tell us what suburb/s you're talking about?

It's funny; there are many people prepared to pay a premium for flat roofed properties in the inner city because, like me, they are fans of modernist architecture. It's rare for these places to come up & in my experience the OFIs are always crawling with architects.

As an aside, we moved into (another) flat roofed modernist house last year after living in our last one for 8 years. Never had a problem with the roof/guttering etc in that time. However, our new one only had a downpipe at each end of the house (which is a long rectangle!) so have had to put in overflows.

 

[dog]

All I'll say is that they're older style homes surrounded by pitched roof homes and that they generally go for $30-50k cheaper.
I believe that the sentiment in the market where there is a predominance of pitched roof homes would be conducive to similar price differences and so the specific area is not important ( I was also told in confidence and it would be very easy to look this person up if I told you the area - not a very smart move on my behalf).
Sorry for the lack of info and specifics.

 

[Steve Fitz]

All I'll say is that they're older style homes surrounded by pitched roof homes and that they generally go for $30-50k cheaper.
I believe that the sentiment in the market where there is a predominance of pitched roof homes would be conducive to similar price differences and so the specific area is not important ( I was also told in confidence and it would be very easy to look this person up if I told you the area - not a very smart move on my behalf).
Sorry for the lack of info and specifics.

I can't see how this is viable personally. If a home was relatively cheap say $350,000 - $450,000 i can't see there being a 30-50k difference in price just because of a flat roof? And if a home was in the $600,000-$1M mark then a 30k return on your investment is terrible given the risk.

 

[dog]

I can't see how this is viable personally. If a home was relatively cheap say $350,000 - $450,000 i can't see there being a 30-50k difference in price just because of a flat roof? And if a home was in the $600,000-$1M mark then a 30k return on your investment is terrible given the risk.

I guess if you don't mind the area from an investment point of view and it stacks up with returns etc, then building some further equity from re-roofing - similarly to renovating still makes it worth while.
I'll add that these properties are on the outskirts of Melb metro and are generally priced in the $250-300k bracket.
An extra $30k of valuation (appx) for a small initial investment still works for me - more to borrow against the next time round.
Horses for courses as always.

BTW, I have a friend and his wife who took this info and put it to good use and bought a PPOR in Wheelers Hill (genuine section - not mulgrave) and saved almost $80K compared to similar homes in the same pocket. (There were several other homes on the market at the time so no-one wanted the flat roof option)

 

[newbyinvestor]

The only value I see with flat roof houses is that if you pick the right one it will rent out for similar money to pitched roof places in the area and as a consequence give the investor a higher yield.
I have walked through half a dozen flat roof places in the last few months, in quite good locations and the ones I have tracked have sold under similar size pitched roof properties in the same area.
BTW, I wouldn't stake my life on being able to convert all flat roof places to pitched roofs for a lazy ten grand and even if I could I wouldn't be doing it until the roof needed replacing.