Paneling or drywall ceiling under flat roofs?

Why do you think panelling would fare any better than drywall if there were a leak? ***Maybe*** it would contain the water and redirect it elsewhere, like toward on of the walls. Or, maybe the water would collect until it became heavy enough to pull down a piece of panelling. I think the sheetrock would give you earlier warning.

I wonder what it would cost to install a normal roof. I see framing carpenters doing an entire roof on a huge house in a day, and it's got shingles 2 days later.

What I meant was individual plank panelling.

If I were to go with drywall, would the green stuff intended for baths be better?

JFM

Better for what? If the roof leaks, you'll know about it sooner or later, depending on which material you use. With sheetrock, you'd probably see a water stain pretty quickly. With "other", it might take a day or three or whatever. I think I'd go with sheetrock. I'd want to know sooner.

You cannot fix or cope with a leaking roof by picking a waterproof ceiling treatment. The best possible thing to do, if you're

At least that way it will have a chance to dry out again after it rains.

But it's a far better idea to just bite the bullet, and put up a roof-treatment that you can expect not to leak in the first place.