Green Roof
We designed and made a very simple green roof over 1/2 of our roof this summer. I was holding off on posting about it here until it takes off next Spring and looks more presentable, but you can get a pretty good idea of what it will look like already. It consists of individual modules…
We designed and made a very simple green roof over 1/2 of our roof this summer. I was holding off on posting about it here until it takes off next Spring and looks more presentable, but you can get a pretty good idea of what it will look like already. It consists of individual modules with growing media and plants. This design is actually quite similar to what’s also available commercially. I wanted to be able to move it if the roof needed fixing. We planted several species of sedum and nonsedum natives, the majority grown in a nursery specifically for green roofs. We also have planted chives and thyme for the kitchen and portulaca already growing in our backyard. Our top floor bedroom, with an uninsulated tar roof over it, no longer sizzles in the summer heat. Greenroofs arer supposed to also more than double the roof’s life and insulate the roof in the winter. We’ve also noticed that butterflies and strange-looking grasshoppers seem to like sedum flowers!
The UK has several government websites that actually encourage homeowners to build their own green roofs, and provide simple recipes.
E:mail yash7@aol.com or post below.
Also check out the below link for several businesses that will retrofit greenroofs:
http://www.greenroofplants.com/green_roof_links.htm#Businesses
Here are the pics:
I got the GreenGrid pricelist recently, and thought that it was closer to $6 to $7/sq foot for materials. I’m thinking about doing it in the spring. Has anyone had a structural engineer evaluate their roof before putting a lot of weight up there? (i.e. green roof, deck or AC unit)
OP here: Geekspice, check out the post below for the costs and the recipe.
http://reclaimedhome.com/?p=415
this is extremely cool. i would love to install one of these next spring and see if i can get away without air conditioning in the summer.
Wow! The DIY ‘This Old House’ kit, at $10 to $15 per sq. foot = $12,000 or so for an average brownstone roof! That seems so expensive to me.
Yes, there are tons of great reasons to do this but for me, this falls into the same bucket as solar panels … great idea but with such a high price tag, more of an “eco-luxury” item than a practical alternative.
I’ll stick to compact florescent bulbs for now and other low-cost / high-impact measures until all these technologies get cheaper.
Very ingenious, practical, affordable approach to greening the roof. Thanks for posting it.
Yeshwant was kind enough to write up the whole process for me to post on my blog.
Thanks, Yeshwant!
http://reclaimedhome.com/?p=415
what distinguishes this from a “real” green roof? From a practical perspective, it seems the same to me.
Also try this Red Hook based company
http://www.newyorkcitygreenroof.com/
No problem, cmu. Would be happy to give you details and even show you the roof. Only can’t access your e-mail. E-mail me at yash7@aol.com
Like your website.