Add Vegetation, Walkways or Structures onto your Existing Rooftop

Green Roof deisgn and installation is very different from installing projects at ground level. The two biggest differences are that cost effective installation involves many different specialty trades and planning takes longer.

Once the green roof design is completed, the Green Roof Professional (GRP) gets to work on the planning and construction. For retro-fit green roof projects a structural engineer will be employed to ensure the structure can hold the weight. A roofing specialist will need to do either an infra-red or flood test to ensure the existing membrane is sound. A roofing company will then need to be contracted to do any required improvements.

A nursery will start growing the custom plant trays. Proper growing mediums will need to be mixed. A crane company or a “blow-in” service will have to be negotiated with to get the materials onto the roof. Permits maybe required for blocking street access. The installation team needs to be trained for safety and to ensure they do not damage the existing membrane or overload any area of the roof.

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It is exciting to add vegetation, walkways or structures onto the roof but there are a lot of things to consider for it to be successful. Obviously the cost of construction on the roof is greater than on the ground. The cost to repair, fix or mitigate future problems is an even greater expense. It is very important that it is done right the first time. For these reasons, Landcare has been moving into green roof Installation cautiously.

Landcare’s owner, Rob Crysdale, is a certified GRP. He continues to expand his knowledge by taking continuing education credits and attending the annual Green Roof for Healthy Cities conference where he learns about newly available products for both Green Roofs and Living Walls. The Landcare team has been involved in a number of projects to date and continues to gain experience with green roofs. Our landscape maintenance crews maintain a number of green roofs throughout the city.