Green Roof on Brownstone/Row House?
The recent post about hot roof got me thinking… we’d love to build a green roof, just the minimum thickness of soil version. I’ve read a little about this but not a lot. I had a friend tell me you need an engineer and you can’t do it on an ordinary brownstone. true? has anyone…
The recent post about hot roof got me thinking… we’d love to build a green roof, just the minimum thickness of soil version. I’ve read a little about this but not a lot.
I had a friend tell me you need an engineer and you can’t do it on an ordinary brownstone.
true?
has anyone done this?
I second the recommendation for Dave at Future Green.
I would recommend contacting David at Future Green Studio – http://www.futuregreenstudio.com – he worked with us on a green roof in the slope, was very knowledgeable and was reasonably priced.
Unfortunately the city rebate is really no good for people like us. They require a structural engineer report, an architect’s report and extensive paperwork by the green roofer — by the time you’ve paid for all of that, you’ve basically lost the rebate on a (normal-sized) green roof! So don’t expect much from that — they made it very bureaucratic so only good for large installations.
We did an intensive green roof and re-roofing so we did need a structural engineer, but Matt and Cody would know all the options.
Try Sustainable South Bronx. I crossed paths with the director at a green forum held by The New School. They are very active in job creation and community greening, specifically through their in house company, SmartRoofs LLC.
Here is a link: http://www.ssbx.org/index.php?link=31
Thanks silvermax, that’s the kind I think we want. We have a back garden, so we are mostly interested in the cooling and water conservation benefits, not so much as a garden abd hangout place.
Good to have engineer info too.
Also the link you posted about tax credit seems to say the law is good until 2013:
Building owners can apply for the credit starting Jan. 1, 2009, under the pilot program that will expire after March 15, 2013, unless it is extended.
I’ll post again assuming we get far enough along to have an actual progress report 🙂
I’ve worked with Matt and Cody referenced above and had a great experience. Totally recommend them as well!
We went through this at one stage when we were considering it for our roof. For an extensive green roof (shallow; low-maintenance; use sedums, nothing heavy or deep-rooted) it’s quite straightforward, assuming your roof is in good shape and won’t need reroofing in the near future. An intensive green roof is a whole other ballgame — for that you would need a structural engineer to assess the load.
Are you aware that you can get a rebate from the city for a green roof? At least it was there in 2008 — check out this website for more info: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2008/06/29/tax-credits-for-green-rooftops-in-nyc/
Not a lot, but an extensive green roof is not that costly and easy to install.
If you want to talk to a structural engineer, I would recommend Robert Silman Associates, 212-620-7970 or http://www.silman.com. They looked at some issues with our brownstone before we bought it.
Don’t know if you need an engineer, as it doesn’t need to be too heavy. Water proof yes. Better for your bills too. The guy who runs ecobrooklyn.com does green roofing. Contact: info at ecobrooklyn dot com