A green roof is a great way to combine a practical, functional element on your property with nature. You can create a large, beautiful green roof that requires minimal maintenance or even a tiny, charming miniature garden right on your roof. Either way, it will help you reap the benefits of living close to nature while also making your house eco-friendly.
Plant Types and Design Ideas
To get started, you need to decide what type of plants you want to put on your green roof and how you will take care of them. You have a wide range of options from which to choose, and the more research you do, the more options there’ll be.
There are two main categories: Extensive and Intensive Green Roofs. Let’s see the differences between them.
Extensive green roofs consist of an ample palette of plants watered similarly. They are usually chosen for their ability to withstand moisture, cold, and heat. Extensive roof vegetation typically includes attractive low-rise vegetation, 80-100mm in height, such as sedums, grass, moss, and finials. If you are using a sedum cover, you will need an additional growing medium, which may be shallow. Sedum green roofs are the most common type due to low plant maintenance requirements.
Intensive Green Roofs
Intensive green roofs support various plants and larger items such as shrubs and small trees. They need a growing medium/soil layer to support this thicker layer of vegetation.
They are more common in large commercial projects, such as gardens and parks intended for recreational purposes. Concentrated roofs require deeper slabs to build, which means needing irrigation and having to support the extra weight. Just like an ordinary well-maintained garden, they require more attention and maintenance.
Semi-extensive Green Roof
The semi-extensive green roof system is between the two main options and is based on the principle of extensive roofs. With deeper growing substrates (100-200mm), they can support a wider plant diversity but not shrubs or trees.
Extensive vs Intensive Green Roof
It should be clear which type of green roof is right for you.
In summary:
If you are looking for a lightweight, low-maintenance green roof with simple, self-sustaining vegetation, an extensive green roof is the way to go. These can easily get installed in a cottage or garage. Even in hot weather, you can enjoy excellent sound insulation, improved thermal performance and cooling.
However, if you need diversity and you want to support taller, more diverse plants and shrubs with green roofs, you should choose the intensive option. You should give greater attention to loading, irrigation and long-term ongoing maintenance of the structure.
With an intensive roof, rooftop gardens can have a more impressive, well-maintained appearance that attracts wildlife and benefits from warm spaces in winter and cool spaces in summer. At Sonderby Contracting LLC, we are sure that you will find the green roof of your dreams. We serve the tri-state area and its surrounding.