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Why Do All the Houses in Bermuda Have White Roofs?

Last Modified Date: January 28, 2024

You might expect a sun-soaked destination like Bermuda to be all about vibrant color, but when you fly over the archipelago, you'll see a whole lot of white roofs. It's not that Bermuda wants to be boring, it's just starved for water – despite all of the wet stuff encircling it.

There are no freshwater sources anywhere in the British Overseas Territory, which means that every homeowner is expected to do their part harvesting rainwater. To do that, they install white, stepped roofs. The steps slow down the heaviest rains (which are a common occurrence in Bermuda), making it easier for the gutters to catch all the water and send it into the house's storage tank.

Bermuda has no fresh water, so every house is responsible for harvesting rainwater from its white, stepped roof.

As for the white, that homogeneity is best for reflecting ultraviolet rays and purifying the rainwater. The system, which has been in place for some 400 years, works so well that homes never have to worry about running dry – nor do the residents have to pay water bills.

Bermuda shorts:

Bermuda is surrounded by shipwrecks, with more than 300 (some dating back to the 1600s) found in the often-stormy waters of the North Atlantic.

No matter where you are on the seven main islands or many small islands that make up Bermuda, you are never more than a one-mile (1.6-km) walk to the sea.

Bermuda's first residents were three men who stayed behind after the English ship Sea Venture was wrecked there in 1609, en route to the Jamestown Colony.