Roof Gardens

[DeepGreenLawn]

Someone mentioned the roof gardens on a previous thread. I figure the main concern for these are the load they will put on the roof itself, and drainage of water. Has anyone ever messed with this? I would think it would be a great area for organics with the whole less inputs needed, better water retention, etc. And it also keeps the heat down radiating of the roof tops. Therefor I believe that there are incentives for them as well.

[treegal1]

roof gardens, veg gardens on a balcony, yes. roof top high rise penthouses,yes. let vines grow on roof(Hawaiian baby wood rose) yes. what gives, looking for a sod roof.

[DeepGreenLawn]

OK, not sure I exactly got what you said there, it has been a long day. I guess your saying you have dealt with the ones you mentioned but not a sod roof correct?

Is there anything you haven't done? How long have you been in business anyways?

[treegal1]

12 mango seasons, and it seems longer. WE WANT TO TRY A ROOF SOD GIG , just no $$$ in it yet???

[Smallaxe]

I was in an earth sheltered home and did not like it at all. I have been seriously thinking of building a superstructure framework so as to put a garden plot above the roof. One step at a time though. Grapevines for shade and a catwalk for picking is what I want to design first. We have sweet grapes here that grow quickly enough to cover the roof in 2 seasons.

[treegal1]

grapes = wine, axe you have a great idea!!!!

[PSUturf]

Do not get involved with installing rooftop gardens without consulting a structural engineer. For existing buildings the engineer will determine if the structure can withstand the extra weight of the planting media when it is totally saturated. On a new building the roof structure would be designed to carry a heavier load than a conventional roof. Check out liveroof.com for engineering / design resources.

[DeepGreenLawn]

now this sounds like something that would be a lot of fun and interesting. From what I have seen in my research so far though it looks like there is a TON of prep work and I can't imagine what kind of equipment is needed to get the stuff on top. I doubt you'll be hiking it up the stairs or the people would want it in their elevator.

[treegal1]

we had to rip our roof off after the hurricanes so we got to work, six layers of hot tar and gravel, the light went on thats got to be real heavy, so we got smart and had a certified weight taken. we can now after the new roof system add at least 4300 lbs to the roof without going over the old roof weight. we have dabbled with a little hydroponics outdoors, the system that we had in the front yard was only about 450 lbs with the media? thats as far as w got into it

[nadgnik]

If there are automatic sprinklers involved I would recommend signing a release stating that you are not responsible for any damages that may occur after installation is complete. Too many things can go wrong (and will go wrong eventually) and it will come back on you. Check your liability insurance for coverage and have a great lawyer.

[treegal1]

yes liability is always in the fore front, but we just cant see a sprinkler system dealing as bad a rain as say, Charlie, Frances, Jean,Katrina, Wilma??? what size pump does it take to cause a hurricane?? most of the roofs hear are about as heavy as you can build. the roof on my shop is like a parking garage. the guy next door has a bulldozer on the roof.solid concrete twin T beams are great for a roof top garden. we use our space to grow fuel.

[ICT Bill]

I was at a very fun dedication of a new building in Baltimore, The herring run watershed association, very distressed area. They took an old bakery and turned it into a local place to teach the young on their environment.

Not some high and mighty ENVIRONMENT......... but just the one around them. This building has a green roof and the water moves to a cistern that supplies the water to flush the toilets, It is very small but has used some reallly smart things to make it a better building

Please look them up they do great work.

[treegal1]

good deal with the water re use, that's the spirit. and the real winners are the kids that get to take a self interest in the environment.

just like ants its no good if just one does it. it takes all the ants to make the mound work, we need to do small a lot to get the green thing to work.