Green/Sod Roof

[Boots]

Just plucking this topic out of the helter skelter one.

I have been very interested in what Muddy referred to as a green roof... (sounds the same as what we call a sod roof?)

Any chance of some pics Muddy?

How has your mate edged to enable flow through to the gutters? Just raised it an inch or used some sort of fibre or what?

Also - if there is any chance of some feedback on his water collection, could you post it? Any info would be heaps good.


Ta.

P.S... Bug caught on fire

[Muddypause]

Yeah, turf roof, green roof, living roof, etc., are all variations on a theme.

I wasn't involved in the roofing stage of the build, so don't have any pics of it. But you could have a look at his journal. There are a few details and pics there.

I don't think there is anything other than a slope on the roof towards the gutter to deal with rain. It's not in any way intended to be a method of water collection - rain that is not absorbed by the plants/soil will simply be runoff into whatever - a water butt possibly, or just into the ground. In fact he's anticipating having to add water at times, and has laid a 'leaky pipe' irrigation system in it.

There's another green roof in mid-construction here. Again, I've not had much to do with the roofing on this one, and I'm not sure how he's dealing with rain and runoff on it. The roof just has a simple slope to it.

P.S... Bug caught on fire

Oops! You weren't meant to barbeque it.

[Boots]

mmm. Second link shows me no gutters, unless they are tucked under?

The bit I'm wondering about is how you collect, without losing soil - but maybe the felt provides the answer?

Heaps impressed with both links.


Oh. Edited to Add: Bug is ok. Mate decided to ignore the regulator... and instead design a new dance in response to a curtain of smoke from the engine bay that we now hysterically refer to as the Vee-Dub Boogie. It is a modern version of 'The Swim', 'The Twist' and 'The Hand Jive' all thrown into one.

[Muddypause]

mmm. Second link shows me no gutters, unless they are tucked under?

Not sure what he's got planned for that - he hasn't got as far as putting gutters on it yet. The chap is currently on his hols in Spain, so there may be a slight delay in further progress.

The bit I'm wondering about is how you collect, without losing soil - but maybe the felt provides the answer?

It's not much of a slope on either building - something around 5 degrees. On the Strawdio, he put all the soil into sandbags (don't know it these were hessian or synthetic), so it didn't all wash off the roof when it rained. He laid turf over the bags, which would have come with a little soil, held by the roots. I think the idea is that the roots of the plants will eventually get into the bags, and hold it all togeter. The whole roof structure uses much bigger timbers than you would normally expect, to take the weight of all that soil.

This scheme may not be appropriate for steeper slopes, but I did see a link somewhere on the web about a company that grows green roofing plants on a sort of plastic mesh. IIRC, these were plants that only needed a little soil, so the roof structure could be much lighter. When the plants were mature the roots had become intimately involved with the mesh, and could be lifted as a sheet, to be shipped and put in place on a prepared roof.