What is the secret of a green roof?

Many who chose the material for the future roofing thought that they wanted something unusual. One of the unusual types of roofs is the "green roof". I will tell you about the secrets of its construction later in the article.

In simple words, a green roof is a decorative design of a roof in the form of a garden plot. This is the roof of a house made of fertile soil, on which grass, flowers and even vegetables grow. Often, a whole vegetable garden, meadow or even a leisure area is made from such a roof.

Most of today's "green" roofs are covered with thick soil. All other items weigh less than 1 kg per square meter. As a base for the roof, a monolithic ceiling should be used, which has a high level of strength. Insulation is put on top. I recommend using mineral wool boards as a heater.

It is important to consider that the base for such a roof must be very strong, since the weight of the roof can range from 250 kg per square meter.

Insulation must be installed in a two-layer system with an overlap. It should not be forgotten here that the soil is also a heater. Recommended proportions: bottom layer - 50 millimeters, top layer - 40 millimeters. If the house is built in cold latitudes, then try not to increase the amount of insulation, but rather monitor its excess. With a large layer of insulation, a thin layer of soil can freeze. This will lead to plant death.

A PVC membrane is used for waterproofing. You should take care of the drainage accumulation system, which will reduce the frequency of irrigation by 2 times. Geomats, which will strengthen the slopes, as well as geonets, which will help with backfilling, will not be superfluous.

Plants are already planted on the finished roof. The thickness of the soil must be at least 10 cm. Here you should take into account both the capacity of the bearing walls of the house, and the peculiarity of the root color system. The slope of the roof slope for the gutter should be about 20-25 degrees. This will eliminate the need to lay drainage. With a soil layer of about 200 millimeters, the roof load will reach 7-12 kg per square meter. In this case, a board should be fixed along the edge of the roof, which will support the soil.

Plants for such a roof are better to choose the most unpretentious and frost-resistant. The roof itself can do without leaving for about 2-3 seasons.