Roof gardens are not only a nice alternative for those who don't have space for a "real" garden, they also offer several advantages for the house and users: Green roofs protect the roof and thus extend its lifespan, it regulates it Temperature in the house and provides good insulation in winter and cooling in summer. Roof gardens also usually offer a beautiful view and have lots of sun. Find out how to create a roof garden below.
How to create a roof garden?
In order to create a roof garden, the statics and building permit must first be clarified. This is followed by planning regarding plants, terrace, sun and privacy protection as well as irrigation. Since the structure is complex, a professional should install the various layers and water drainage.
This is what you should do before creating the roof garden
A roof garden adds a lot of weight to the roof. Depending on how much soil is applied, the weight can be up to several hundred kilograms per square meter. For this reason, the statics must be checked by a specialist before creating the roof garden. A building permit is also required for the roof garden. It is also important to ensure that a water connection is available or can be installed.
Plan the roof garden correctly
As with everything, good planning is the be-all and end-all for a smooth success when creating a roof garden. You should be aware of the following:
- What plants do you want to grow on your roof garden?
- Do you want to create a terrace?
- Should the roof garden take up the entire roof or just part of it?
- Need sunscreen?
- Do you need a privacy screen?
- Should automatic irrigation be installed?
- Would you like water features on your roof terrace?
Have a roof garden created or do it yourself?
A roof garden is difficult to create yourself. While a skilled do-it-yourselfer can put green roofs on the roof with just a little soil and low plants (here you can find out how to do it), creating a roof garden, a so-called intensive green roof, is much more complex and should be left to a professional.
Building a roof garden
Building a roof garden is quite complex. Depending on the provider, many different layers are laid. These are for example:
- Compensation layer
- Vapor barrier
- Insulation layer
- Separation layer
- Root protection film
- trickle protection fleece
- Drainage layer
- Filter mats
- Substrate
Based on these numerous elements, you can see that building a roof garden is quite complex. It is also important to ensure that irrigation and rain water can drain away without any problems. It is therefore advisable to consult a specialist when constructing the roof garden.