{"id":908,"date":"2021-06-01T16:09:38","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T20:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renobunker.com\/have-a-green-roof-in-town\/"},"modified":"2021-09-10T15:25:59","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T19:25:59","slug":"have-a-green-roof-in-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renobunker.com\/en\/have-a-green-roof-in-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Have a green roof in town"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was in the need to redo my flat roof (I will spare you the episode where my roof sank), that I became familiar with green roofs, commonly called \u201cgreen roofs\u201d. I took some serious steps, only to give up. Thus, I do not claim to be an expert on the subject, just a girl with an ecological mind who wants to renovate and who can share her recent knowledge. I would add that I had already touched on the subject last summer in an article on urban heat islands.<\/p>\n\n

Did you say green roof or green roof?<\/h2>\n\n

I learned that there are two main types of green roofs:<\/p>\n\n

  1. The roofs where the plants literally constitute one of the layers<\/a> of the roof and extend uniformly over the surface (which includes the notion of extensive or intensive roofing, which I will not discuss here).<\/li>
  2. The roofs which are composed of several “tubs” of plants<\/a> (approximately 1 foot by 2 feet), which are affixed to a standard material, such as an elastomeric membrane. Several types of plants can make up a green roof: garden, meadow, taiga, boreal, etc. The main difference will be the depth of the topsoil (the thickness of the earth), a factor that influences the total cost of the project, but also the load on the roof. Because a green roof of the “Garden” type must have a thicker soil, to allow the vegetables to take root.<\/li><\/ol>\n

    What is the \u201croof load\u201d?<\/h3>\n\n

    It is the weight that the roof is ready to receive, the load-bearing capacity. It is really important to bring in a structural engineer who can assess the current load of the roof and, if necessary, make recommendations on its solidification. You also have to decide if you want to make a roof accessible to residents, which represents a total weight of 100 lbs \/ ft2 for the structures, in addition to the snow loads. For a roof or a section of roof not accessible to residents, we are talking more about 40 lbs to 50 lbs \/ ft2.<\/p>\n\n

    Who do we call?<\/h3>\n\n

    It should be expected that this is done in two stages. First, a roofer waterproofs the roof. Then, a landscaping contractor installs the green roof.<\/p>\n\n

    How much does a green roof cost?<\/h3>\n\n

    According to your research, you will find quite divergent information on this subject. As each project is unique, my best advice would be to contact a roofer (with experience in green roofing) and request a quote. It will depend on the system you choose, the plants you use, the area to cover, etc. Still, be prepared to pay at least $ 20 to $ 35 CAD per square foot. And this does not include the normal roof covering. Neither the solidification of the structure. For my 400 square foot project, the cost was about $ 14,000.<\/p>\n\n

    In conclusion?<\/h2>\n\n

    You will have understood that the brake on such a project will have been, for me, the financial aspect. Never mind! In the end, my project will be a roof garden homemade<\/em> , inspired by the philosophy of Urban farmers<\/a> … Or Ricardo, the “ Urban farmer<\/a> “. It depends on your references! Good summer! For more information, here is some additional reading on green roofs and the names of some Quebec businesses.<\/p>\n\n

    Other sources of information<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n