Roof as gardens is an old, but timeless roof design passed down through the centuries. These roofs add beauty and aesthetics to any home but come at a high cost. However, their long lifespan, exceptional thermal performance, and ability to improve air quality make them worthwhile investments for many homes.
If you're on the fence about having residential garden roofs, here is a list of pros and cons before calling your trusted local roofer to start building it with you.
A rooftop garden needs a dependable drainage system that wouldn't cause soil bloatedness and must eliminate waste byproducts. With garden roofs, you have a sustainable drainage system that reduces flood, reuses rainwater, and holds moisture that converts carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Technically, packed soil in rectangle containers above your roof isn't considered a roof. However, soil can safely dislodge and erode during hail and rainstorms. You can easily replace missing soil that fell during a recent hurricane or cyclone. Unlike traditional roofing shingles, you have a roof that requires minimal attention right after a storm as long as your trusted residential roofer built your garden roof with a sturdy roof underlayment.
The soil and plant roots retain moisture after rainfall and after you've showered them during the morning and afternoon. Combined with the soil's thickness, sunlight and UV rays won't penetrate the soil and underlayment. In doing so, you have a roof that doesn't retain solar heat gain and prevents your underlayment, roof structure, and attic from reaching too-high thermal performance.
Plants and grass above your green roof improve air quality by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. Urban rooftop gardens play a great role in improving local air quality, and it reduces your property's electric consumption because you can turn down your HVAC.
Special roofing materials always have a higher maintenance price due to the effort involved. In the case of residential garden roofs, you'll need to spend double the garden maintenance costs spread for your yard and rooftop garden. If you don't hire a rooftop gardening specialist, you'll need to learn how to climb your roof and maintain your garden from the steps.
Soil packed with moisture and plants will significantly increase the strain on rafters, sheathing, and joists. You must consult your local roofer about suitable support rafters and sheathing to ensure the structure can take the increased weight load before and after watering your rooftop garden.
Lastly, acquiring a rooftop garden costs beyond what you would spend on traditional gardens. You'll need to update your roof's weight-bearing, remove the old roofing material, place a special underlayment and waterproof sheathing, construct new sewage lines, and other expenses you won't normally face with traditional roofs.
Once you've weighed all the pros and cons of having a rooftop garden, contact your local roofer with experience building residential garden roofs to help you learn more about your options.
Turbo Roofing specializes in traditional roofing installations, repair, and replacements. We can help you tear off and replace your aged asphalt shingle roof with new updated roofing materials. Contact us today to learn more.