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Commercial Roofs vs Residential Roofs; What's the Difference

November 8, 2024 | General

When it comes to roofing, one size never fits all. Commercial and residential roofs serve the same fundamental purpose, however their differences and requirements are substantially different. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the key difference between these two types of EPDM roofing projects to help you understand the requirements, and how these differ.

Commercial EPDM Roofs

Commercial buildings, such as warehouses, factories and office buildings often have large, flat roofs with extensive surface areas. In modern times, many buildings also incorporate techniques such as a green roof to lower their carbon footprint, which is much more beneficial to large-scale businesses, given the large areas of commercial roofing. We recently published an article explaining more about EPDM green roofing and its impact on the environment.

Residential EPDM Roofs

Residential properties, particularly those with flat or low-slope sections - including garden rooms and extensions - often use EPDM membrane in much smaller quantities. A residential EPDM roof is designed to protect against adverse weather conditions on a more localised scale and, as such, can be less reinforced than their commercial counterparts, which often have greater square footage, with a larger margin for structural issues to occur.

EPDM Thickness & Durability

While EPDM has fantastic resilience to weathering and UV, commercial buildings are more likely to use thicker EPDM, such as our 060 Techno EPDM membrane (1.52mm) as this added thickness ensures greater durability, especially in environments where the roof endures weathering and UV over a wider area.

Residential roofs, however, often last 20+ years using a thinner membrane, such as our 045 Techno EPDM (1.2mm) due to their lower coverage requirements. This makes them much less susceptible to UV rays and weathering. Thinner EPDM membranes are the most affordable for homeowners, balancing durability and a long lifespan with cost-effectiveness.

Maintenance and Longevity

Both commercial and residential EPDM roofs face unique challenges throughout their lifespan. The objective is to ensure that the EPDM membrane has the longest lifespan possible and, to achieve this, regular maintenance of both types of installation is essential.

Commercial EPDM Maintenance

Given their size and complexity, commercial EPDM roofs require more regular maintenance than their residential counterparts. This is due to the higher likelihood of issues owing to the larger surface area found in a commercial installation. As flat roofs can encounter water pooling, regular checks on a commercial roof, and draining of the pooling water if necessary, will ensure there is no damage to the membrane or roof deck which could result in leaks.

Residential EPDM Maintenance

Residential roofs require less frequent maintenance due to their smaller size, however homeowners should still schedule regular inspections to confirm no water pooling or leaks are occurring. Due to the smaller size, it is also much easier to keep the roof free from debris, especially after harsh weather conditions which could cause damage or wear: performing this type of inspection will increase the lifespan of the EPDM system.

Conclusion

While commercial and residential EPDM installations share the same materials, their applications and complexities differ greatly. Understanding these differences is critical in preparing for both types of installation, and ensuring that both businesses and homeowners benefit from a solution which will last.

To find out more about how these installations differ, we offer EPDM installation training courses at our High Wycombe premises, allowing you to get hands-on in understanding the installation, whilst receiving expert advice from our qualified installers. We also offer various materials and resources to help you learn an EPDM installation step-by-step, as well as our EPDM roofing calculator, which will generate a quote based on the specific requirements of your project.