Abroad, a roof garden on a house no longer surprises anyone
The green oasis will be a great place to relax after a stressful day. Moreover, this solution has a number of other advantages:
- provides additional thermal and sound insulation;
- the service life of the roof is significantly increased;
- the likelihood of roof leaks is reduced;
- noise level is reduced;
- plants retain toxic substances contained in the air;
- a green roof looks beautiful and impressive.
But such gardens require more attention than ordinary ones. Owners need to constantly check the condition of the roof, drains, insulation and care for the plants. However, true lovers of nature will do this with pleasure. Do not forget about the necessary garden tools, which can be purchased at a specialized store. For example, for watering you can choose watering hoses at AllBiz http://moskva.all.biz/shlangi-polivochnye-bgg1092167, where a fairly large selection is presented.
Methods of roof greening
1. Extensive method. In this case, the entire area is devoted exclusively to plants. Various grasses and evergreen plants are often planted. This method is suitable for different types of roofs. Additional strengthening of the roof is not required, since the load per square meter is from 20 to 30 kg.
2. Intensive method. It involves arranging a small park on the roof with lawns, trees, garden furniture and even fountains. But such an oasis is not suitable for every roof. The load per 1 square meter can exceed 700 kg, so you need to first get an expert assessment as to whether the roof can withstand such weight.
Preparatory work
If you decide to make a garden not using the container method, then you need to take care of laying the soil. Unfortunately, you cannot just pour it onto the roof. First you need to create a base that resembles a layer cake.
Step 1. First, you need to lay a wooden base. It should be laid at a slight angle towards the drain.
Step 2. The base is carefully waterproofed. For this, it is recommended to use bitumen-polymer roll materials. The seams must be well glued.
Step 3. A thermal insulation material is laid on top. Extruded polystyrene foam is the most popular and reliable material for reducing heat loss.
Step 4. Next, between layers of geotextile, a drainage layer is arranged, for which gravel or pebbles are used.
Step 5. The soil is laid in an even layer. After that, you can start planting plants.
Plants for the garden
Mountain plants take root best in a living corner on the roof. They are very hardy and undemanding in care. Very often you can find spirea, dogwood, ninebark. A shady corner can be easily created using thuja, pine or juniper. And the atmosphere of a real park can be provided by small dwarf trees and Virginia creeper.
Humanity is increasingly thinking about environmental issues and environmental protection. And a roof garden will serve not only as a source of fresh air, but also as a salvation from the concrete landscapes of a modern city.