One of the ancient varieties of roofs is green. Previously, buildings were covered with a flooring of hewn half-logs or poles, birch bark was placed on top in several layers, and turf was laid on top of it. In order to prevent it from sliding down, a log or board was installed along the slope. Sod with moss or grass was laid out on top.
Today the green roof is regaining popularity. It has an attractive appearance and retains heat inside the building, preventing it from overheating in the summer. The soil balances temperature fluctuations and protects materials from the effects of negative factors, increasing their service life. If you install such a roof, then you can get rid of external noise. Modern technologies allow you to equip such a system yourself, increasing the area of \u200b\u200bthe site and successfully fitting this exterior element into any landscape.
Why choose a green roof
The green roof has many advantages over the traditional one, it is:
- durable;
- delays raindrains;
- has thermal insulation qualities;
- improves the environment.
A plant roof will last much longer than a traditional roof because the plants and soil protect the materials from the weather. If you properly care for such a system, the life of the roof can exceed 20 years. If your home is built in a region that experiences frequent and heavy rainfall, a green roof can be an excellent solution as it can handle a lot of water.
By arranging a lawn on the roof, you can get rid of excessive amounts of water. Vegetation will absorb approximately 27% of the precipitation. Thus, some owners of private houses avoid flooding.
Basic roof layers
Before you start greening the roof, you should think about what kind of siding is suitable for the green roof. It may be worth choosing vinyl, the appearance of which can imitate natural wood. Green roofing has many benefits, but for the inept user, it can be a real problem. Therefore, before starting the arrangement of such a system, it is necessary to become more familiar with the main layers. The topmost is ornamental plants, under which there will be a substrate, then there is a filtering and drainage layer, followed by a protective layer and waterproofing. The roof should also include traditional materials such as vapor barrier and base, these layers will be the lowest.
Features of green roof arrangement
If you will be implementing a green roof, then you should first create a base, which consists of load-bearing structures. If we are talking about a flat roof, then concrete slabs will become the base, while for a pitched roof, the main element will be a continuous crate. If the arrangement of the green roof is carried out on the old coating, for example, on tiles, then it must be removed. Flat roofs should be given a slight slope, which should be directed towards the drain. The optimal slope parameter is considered to be a limit from 1.5 to 5 °. To create a slope, it is best to use a cement-sand mortar.
Waterproofing
A house with a green roof must have a waterproofing layer. This is due to the fact that the plants will be watered, and water can seep into materials that do not like moisture. To do this, you can use a plastic film or a polymer membrane. For this, liquid rubber is often used. Waterproofing is located on the roofing.
The facade of a house with a green roof should also match the plan, which is why it is better to use natural materials for cladding the walls of such a house. Marine plywood can be used to create a waterproofing layer. When using boards, gaps and cracks between them should be excluded. To increase the effectiveness of waterproofing, it is best to lay the polymer membrane in two layers. The bottom layer should be fixed mechanically and the top layer should be welded on. Receivedthe seams are soldered together.
Insulation
A green roof, the photo of which you can see in the article, must be insulated. The insulation layer is most often created from cork boards; polyurethane, which is applied in foam form, is also successfully used. You can also use extruded polystyrene foam. The slabs should be laid as close as possible to each other, if the top layer creates a slight pressure, then a special adhesive should be used. Some experts do not strengthen the slabs to the base, since the pitched roof does not require additional thermal insulation, because this layer is already present in the attic space between the rafters. But when green moss is used, then there is no question of warming at all, since this plant is used to insulate the roofs of houses.
Creating a barrier for plants
A house under a green roof will look very nice, but it is required to follow the technology of work on its arrangement. It is important to have a root protection layer that will prevent plants from growing deep into the roof. The barrier most often is a polymer film or ordinary foil. An excellent solution would be a metal-coated film, which is laid on a waterproofing layer.
Drainage layer
Drainage material will retain a certain amount of fluid, which is necessary for the normal life of plants. And the water shouldmove along the roof towards the drain. If your house has a flat roof, then you must create conditions that will prevent stagnant water. For lower drainage, expanded clay should be laid, which has a medium or large fraction. Excellent results can be achieved with the use of crushed pumice, polyamide, perlite coconut. Special artificial mats are also being sold today, which look like grids and have great flexibility. If you do not have these materials, then loosened clay or gravel can be used. Additional perforated pipes can be installed to ensure efficient water drainage.
Filtration layer
The green color of the roof can be created not only with the help of plants, but also with modern covering materials like metal tiles. As practice shows, this option is less time-consuming, because after laying the roof you do not have to take care of. Among other things, the green roof has many layers, among which filtration should be highlighted. It is necessary to retain unwanted precipitation. An excellent filter is geotextile, which has a high density. With this sheet, it is possible to prevent mixing of drainage with soil, which can occur over time. The geotextile is overlapped.
Crate for landscaping a flat roof
It is necessary to use a geogrid, because with an impressive slope of the slopes, the soil can simply slide down. The geogrid is lightweight and looks like plastic cells. In the presence of a green roof with a slight slope, it will be enough to preparewooden partitions that will serve as a crate. Wooden slats should be laid in such a way as to create an interesting geometric pattern. Along the perimeter for fixing, you should install bumpers.
Fertile layer
If you decide to green the roof, then you can use siding as a finishing material for the walls. In this case, there may not be a green roof on your house, because such wall decoration can be used in tandem with ondulin. After laying all the layers, you need to start creating fertile soil, the thickness of which can be equal to 10 cm. The soil must be stable and compacted, but the usual mixture for the garden is not suitable for this.
Conclusion
After laying the soil, you can start planting plants. It is important to take into account at the same time that the conditions from above will be close to desert ones. If you want to give preference to trees, then you should choose dwarf species that have a small root system.
