Warm Flat Roof Construction Vapour Barrier

The buildup of a warm flat roof starts with a good vapour barrier followed by insulation then more decking or just the roofing materials depends on if you want the roof soft or solid.

Warm flat roof construction vapour barrier. To use epdm for a warm deck flat roof construction solid closed cell roof insulation such as kingspan or celotex should be placed on top of the roof deck rather than in between the rafters. When the temperature of the vapour falls to or below its dew point the water vapour condenses on cold surfaces. A vapour control layer helps you shield your building from the consequences of condensation. Be it a cold or warm roof construction the primary function of a vcl is to keep warm moist air from inside the building inside the building.

There is no requirement for any air gaps. The notion behind a vapour control layer is to install it on the room side of the insulation so it stops the passage of warm moist air entering the structure. Provided your vapour control layer is intact then there should not be any risk of condensation. If it is not a habitable space or as per the old design for flat cold roofs then you would use foil backed plasterboard which acts as a vb.

I am having an extension built and my builder is constructing the flat warm deck roof in the following way. I m in the process of building a warm flat roof for a garden room and need to put down a vapour barrier between the sub deck and insulation. Because of this the vcl always sits at the warm side of the insulation. I was looking to use this vapour barrier from screwfix but not sure if it s suitable for the job it only mentions underfloor heating and laminate flooring in the description.

For all warm flat roofs a fully intact vapour barrier would be required on the room side under the insulation. Condensation is generated when warm moist air rises and condenses into a liquid on contact with the cooler areas above the insulation. Grp insulated decking board ecotherm insulation 120mm with 6mm ply attached firrings joists plasterboard i have read that i need a vapour barrier. A vapour barrier will then need to be installed to reduce condensation in the roof structure.

Where in the roof construction should this be installed. Ideally you need to ventilate the roof and have a 50mm air gap above your insulation. It s the first line of defence against high vapour pressure air entering the roof structure and causing interstitial condensation.