A Greener Roof

Whilst sustainable and eco-friendly approaches to self build have existed for many years, one aspect of the ‘green’ build is gaining momentum and even being adopted in the corporate world.

The green roof, is a roof covered by turf, shrubs, hardy evergreen plants or flowering plants. There are two approaches to the green roof — extensive and intensive. Extensive roofs have a thin layer of soil and are most suitable for sloping roofs or as an aesthetic effect but are not particularly practical to walk on. Intensive roofs can accommodate a full roof garden, with a deep layer of soil.

It is recommended that a structural survey of your roof is carried out, prior to starting work to ensure that it can bear the load of the garden that you plan. It is also advised that any slope does not exceed 35 degrees. Roof linings are often polystyrene, but are generally made from recycled material and filters can be made from sheep wool, so both of these elements can maintain the integrity of your green project.

The advantage of a green roof is that it keeps on giving, by attracting birds and insects and green roofs can also curry favour with planning authorities.Bees particularly enjoy green roofs as they forage on the diverse planting, also using moss as a water supply. This approach has been adopted by some commercial companies. Marks and Spencer have built green or ‘eco-stores’. One of these stores in Sheffield, was built to incorporate a green roof and a living wall, with plants and flowers attracting local wildlife, who are also served by the bird boxes that are also incorporated into the building. In addition, they used 100% FSC timber, reclaimed bricks and recycled aggregate in its construction.

There are companies who supply special seed and plants specifically for green roofs, including wildflower mixes and sedum blankets.

As with any garden, your roof needs to be weeded at least twice a year and other guidance and advice can be obtained by attending various workshops and seminars that you can find online. The maintenance and upkeep should be borne in mind when considering this approach to your self build. Yearly checks to membranes and drainage are advised but in general, the roofs are considered to be low maintenance.

Retrofitting a green roof (installing one on an existing building rather than on a bespoke built property) can have implications, due to load bearing issues of existing walls and support. Therefore the green roof is more of a potential issue for the renovation project rather than projects that build from scratch.

One of the first pieces of advice you might be directed towards is to get yourself insured with a reputable self build insurance provider. Backed by Aviva, one of the world’s largest insurers, ProAktive are self build insurance experts, with over 30 years’ experience. Following a competitive quotation, cover can be arranged in a matter of minutes for yourself build project. ProAktive offer self build insurance for all types of self build construction.