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:
Thanks so much for posting this! I’ve been considering this also and it’s great to hear of an actual experience. I know some about commercially installed green roofs, but seeing a DIY job makes me salivate.
Would like to get more details. Any chance you can email me (address on the cmu link)?
In place green roofs are cheaper?
What do you do when the roof needs to be redone or leaks?
It is a nice project and every green roof counts! Sure modular systems are not “real” green roofs – they are planters with all the advantages and disadvantages of so called mobile green. An In-Place system or wall-to-wall system actually offers all the advantages of green roofs. In the late 70ties and early 80ties there were modular systems available in Germany, too. Today they have less than ½ % market share on at least 75 square miles of green roofs – 4 to 5 square miles new green roofs every year and people learned that in-place greenroofs are more efficient, cheaper and safer. Why using recycled boxes when you don’t need them at all? Regards Jorg – helping the US to catch up with green roofs.
check: http://www.greenroofservice.com
Here’s a simple DIY kit. $10-15/ sq. ft.
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1608983,00.html
OP here: If you do an extensive sedum green roof (‘soil’ depth < 3 inches), you cannot really treat it as a lawn. I do walk on mine for weeding/ maintenance, but that's only for a second. There are roof lawns available, but the maintenance can be high because of watering needs on a hot and dry roof. With sedums, there is really no watering once established except when there's summer drought. However, you can use your extensive roof as a small garden if you like, if you keep some space free of plants and put decking or pavers (rubber ones are available) and put your chair on that. This year I have often just gone up and sat down on the roof admiring the different shades of the sedum leaves and their flowers. The wildlife is also substantial: bees, birds, squirrels (trying to bury their nuts in this season, which is a little bit of a pain), and butterflies. Also the sedums provide three-four season interest. It's also SO much cooler up there on summer mornings and evenings. Please let me know if I can be of help with your roof.
Thanks for sharing, I’m in the planning stage of doing a ‘green roof’…
question and admittedly it may be silly, can you walk on this green grid after it’s planted? I would like to use my roof as if it was a small park and recline on the ground… crazy????
Any info would be helpful…
By the way regardless of the price your roof looks good.
Thanks for sharing!
Also check here:
http://www.livingroofs.org/livingpages/greenroofsdomestic.html
Thanks 5:13 for the explanation.
I also found the answers to my question at this website:
http://www.ssbx.org/greenroofs.html
The website, for those who are interested, is for an organization that creates green roofs in the Bronx, and shows photos of all the steps involved in creating a green roof.
Very interestiing.
GT