Roofs

Art deco houses typically had flat or low pitch roofs. Often, these are associated with weathertightness problems.

Roof form: original details

One of the most distinctive features of art deco houses is their parapet walls, which conceal flat or low-pitch roofs. Read more.

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Roof framing and gutters

By today’s standards, art deco roof framing was undersized. Read more.

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Roof cladding

Original roof cladding was generally  corrugated steel, flat-sheet metal, or built-up bitumen impregnated felt. Read more.

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Common problems and remedies

Roofs and parapets are a major area of problems with art deco houses, both because of deterioration of the original cladding and because the low pitch let in water, which can contribute to rot and corrosion. Read more.

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Other common problems include: