Green Roof?

Here's a photo of a green roof example I saw at the GreenBuild show out in Chicago a few months ago.  I've had it saved on my digital camera for months now... because it has been a small obsession of mine to do the roof of my new house as a "living" roof.

Even as more and more contractors are embracing green, it's funny how I still get strange looks from people telling them I plan on doing a living roof.   I can only imagine they think I plan on hauling bags of peat moss and topsoil to the roof to grow corn or wheat or whatever...  not realizing that a green roof is something totally different.

One of the advantages of owning a home with a flat roof is that it can easily be adapted to a living roof.   What basically happens is that palettes of sedums are placed on top of the roof.   That's it.   The palettes are basically metal trays (with drainage) filled with lightweight lava rock with easy-to-maintain sedums tucked in here and there.   Over time, they grow and fill in the tray and basically take care of themselves.

The advantages of a living roof are many: a lush, green roof is one, of course.   But also, it helps maintain the longevity and life of the roof... cools during the summer (since the hot sun's rays aren't beating down on a black roof).... and, of course, the living plants help fight global warming, too.

So, I'm off to see what this little project is going to cost me... I'll keep you posted.

Comments

[recovergirl]

There is a really great article about Moss lawns in the New York Times today.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/garden/01moss.html?ex=1367380800&en=a4aa49ecaf876013&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

[greenovate]

Not to mention that by absorbing the rainwater, the living roof is also reducing harmful runoff into your local streams and waterways.

[Kristin]

i've always loved the look of a living roof :) Definitely keep us updated on the cost if you dont mind.

[Liz]

A living roof is a great idea for your flat roof. Good for you, Danny! Thanks, recovergirl, for your reference to the NY Times article. I love moss, and this will kick-start my yard project to make it spread.

[gisco]

oh awesomely very interesting. i have a home with a flat roof...would love more info on this. thanks recovgirl for the nyt article.

danny please get your own show soon. i have learned so much about green living from your site.
thanks much

[Cynthia Friedlob]

Anyone who's interested might want to take a peek at my post on green roofs at The Thoughtful Consumer

http://thethoughtfulconsumer.blogspot.com/2008/01/juxtapositions-green-roofs-and-water.html

where you'll find links to many pix of green roofs around the world.

[april]

The good thing about sedums is that they spread so quickly, so a living roof may not cost as much as you think. Give it a summer and see. I first read about these types of roof in an ad for Ford motor company nearly five years ago; apparently, they have a living roof on one of their factories that they were attempting to "green" up. Well, good for them. I appreciate any effort, no matter how contrived and like to believe it comes from the best place. We are doing a sedum porch roof on our garden shed this summer too.

[Heloise]

I couldn't help but refer the show request commenter to a previous post this year:
http://dannyseo.typepad.com/my_weblog/television/index.html

Where he wrote:

"I was just in lovely Palm Springs, CA (soaking up the warm sun as much as I could), to give a speech and film segments for HGTV's new eco-living show that I'm co-hosting called "Red, Hot & Green.""

[Condo Blues]

Every time I pass a neighbor's house with its flat roof I sigh and think how wonderful, it would be to turn it into a living roof.

I had ivy growing up the side of my duplex that became the spider gateway into our house until we got permission to rip down the ivy. Does a living roof have the potential to become an insect highway into your house as my ivy did?