Green roof Benefits

Benefits AND DISADVANTAGES OF A GREEN ROOF

With a green roof, you opt for a sustainable, climate-friendly and energy-efficient roof covering. Actually, the benefits of a green roof are too many to mention. Consider, for example, better regulation of rainwater runoff, because a green roof absorbs and retains water better. But in order to make a conscious choice for a green roof, you also have to take some disadvantages into account. Incidentally, you can partly prevent or limit these disadvantages with a variant of a green roof that best suits your existing roof. Like a ready-made sedum roof. A sedum roof consists of various types of grease plants that need hardly any water and make your green roof very easy to maintain.

With a little expert help, you can install a green roof on your house or shed whose benefits far outweigh its disadvantages. Groendakotaal, your specialist, supplier and installer of green roofs, will be happy to visit you to assess the situation at your home. We will advise you on the costs and benefits of the various versions of a green roof in your situation. We do this without obligation. If desired, we will provide you with a quote for a green roof that best fits your house or shed. After this you will receive information about the general benefits and disadvantages of green roofs.

Benefits of a greenroof

Developments in the field of greening and sustainability are moving fast. This also applies to green roofs. More and more techniques are being developed to allow just about any kind of vegetation (from succulents to trees) to grow on a roof. An important distinction is that between intensive green roofs and extensive green roofs. An intensive green roof requires (as the term indicates) a lot of maintenance. Think of a complete roof garden with grass, shrubs and trees. Such a garden that most people have behind their house, but which nowadays can also be laid out on top of a house or other building. Because of the thick layer of garden soil needed to root shrubs and trees, an intensive green roof is soon too heavy for an average existing (under)roof. Fortunately, there is nowadays a lightweight alternative: a sedum roof. A sedum roof consists of succulents. The sedum roof is an example of an extensive green roof. Extensive green roofs include all roofs with a maximum build-up of 15 centimetres and with plants that do not grow taller than 50 centimetres.

The following benefits apply to all green roofs:

• good insulating effect (of temperature and noise)
• limiting effect on global warming of cities
• better drainage of rainwater
• a purifying effect on water and air
• a contribution to biodiversity in your immediate environment
• a greening of the living environment in urban areas
• longer lifespan (than a grey tile or bitumen roof).

A sedum roof adds the following two specific benefits:

1. A relatively low weight In many cases it is therefore not necessary to first replace your existing roof before installing a sedum roof. Compared to an intensive green roof, this results in considerable cost savings.
2. A high degree of maintenance friendliness. Sedum can withstand extreme weather conditions and needs very little water. Grease plants retain the water in their leathery leaves very well. You therefore never have to water them, even when it is dry and warm for a long time. An intensive green roof requires much more maintenance, if only to prevent overgrowth (e.g. pruning and weed removal).

DISADVANTAGES OF A GREEN ROOF

Compared to a traditional grey roof, a green roof has the following disadvantages:

• the weight means a greater load on the roof. This disadvantage is especially true for intensive green roofs. It is not possible to create a roof garden on an existing roof. The first thing to do is to calculate whether your roof can cope with the weight of the roof garden. In the case of an extensive sedum roof, this disadvantage plays much less; such a roof is much lighter than a roof garden. A high-quality sedum roof consists of several layers, including a drainage layer and a root-resistant membrane. If these layers are not laid professionally,
• leaks can occur. Due to the layered structure and the vegetation on top of the roof, such leaks are usually more difficult to detect and repair than on a grey roof.
• green roofs attract birds and insects. Whether this is a disadvantage depends of course on your preferences. For nature and animal lovers, this is an advantage. Would you like to know more about the possibilities of a green roof on your house or shed? Please contact Sedumroofshop for a no-obligation consultation. We would like to get to know you!