These roofs be a-grow’n!
Here are some photos of a fewgreen roofs we installed back in the winter. One is a LiveRoof system and the other is a custom site built scheme that GCB developed.
We installed this pre-grown LiveRoof on top of a kitchen/dining room addition in Port Moody.
- One of our custom site built green roofs. This is a great affordable green roof option.The homeowner designed an elaborate planting scheme that included the likes of perennials, sedum and even strawberries.
The homeowner designed an elaborate planting scheme that includes flowering perennials, mulit coloured sedums and strawberries.
Affordable Green Roof! (and a pretty nice studio too.)
Ever since our tour of eco buildings on Pender Island, we have been oh so eager to install a custom green roof system like the affordable, homemade ones we saw on the tour. While we continue to be proponents of LiveRoof and some other proprietary systems, we are very aware that the costs of these systems are often well beyond the budgets of homeowners. Our initial hesitation to installing more affordable custom systems stemmed from our concern for meeting the building code and other checks and balances primary related to waterproofing… Well, we have evolved! Thanks to some education and research, we have developed a custom system that we are very happy with – and it’s affordable! Like hundreds-of-dollars instead of many-thousands-of-dollars affordable. I plan to post a “how-to” on this blog really soon so that others can learn what we have. In the meantime, sneak a peek:
First, we constructed this fabulous backyard studio at a residential property in Burnaby.
...Then we layered on a waterproof membrane, drainage system, special light weight soil, and sod (a custom mix of slow growing fecus grasses). In addition to being an affordable intital cost, fecus grass is very low maintenance and will not bring about new costs over time.
Voila!! Here it is a few days after install. The sod will eventually grow higher, and the line pattern will disappear.
Garden on Top.
Here is a quick upload of one of our most recent green roof projects. This one is on top of a new home addition we built in Port Moody. The homeowner designed a beautiful vegetation scheme that includes perennials, wild strawberries and sedums. The plants were grown in LiveRoof modules at Nat’s Nursery. Our team built the gabled roof and installed a special structural system we developed for keeping the modules secure on sloped roofs. We can’t wait to see this lovely garden in full bloom come the spring!
Sam takes a photo of Doug taking a photo of the completed living roof. The organic planting pattern was imagined by the homeowner, planted by a crew at Nat's Nursery and installed by our crew.
Delighting in the Details
We recently completed a home addition project in Port Moody for a couple who were expecting (and now are the proud parents of) their first baby. The scope of the work included reinforcing the existing foundation, creating two ground level additions to increase the floor area, installing a living roof, and revamping the finishes throughout the house. Design-minded and very interested in making their house uniquely their own, the clients were great to work with. They wanted to include a lot of recycled and sustainable materials, and design elements that reflected their love of nature. Below are some photos that show the completed project and some of the details that make this home so special to this family. Massive kudos to our site manager Doug for shepherding this renovation along so successfully!
The new master bathroom features custom tilework representing a waterfall and river. This is a nice tie-in to the neighbourhood setting which is characterized by streams and pathways.
The waterfall tilework flows down from the top of the shower, and then continues over the edge of the tub.
Also in the master bath is a custom vanity we created in our cabinet shop. The gorgeous striped pattern is created by lamenating strips of different woods together into solid panels. What's even more fabulous is that this is all waste wood from a local mill... so, instead of ending up in a dumpster or as wood chips, this wood gets a second life.
A closer look at the sustainable vanity.
We also exposed the brick chimney on both the upper and lower level for aesthetics and improved heat distribution.
The new dining room features reclaimed fir floors, a vaulted ceiling, lots of natural light, and a custom designed and fabricated accent window.
The bird detail of this window was designed by the clients and cut by one of their neighbours before being sandwiched and sealed in glass by a window maker.
Getting Inspired on Pender Island…
Last weekend, Sam and Elizabeth were invited to make a presentation on Living Roofs at the Pender Island Eco Homes Network’s Eco Building Symposium. It was a great weekend of sharing ideas and experiences, checking out absolutely inspiring custom built, eco-minded structures, and enjoying the local hospitality and landscape.
Some photos from the Eco Homes Tour are included below for your viewing pleasure. Hopefully you will also be inspired by the craftsmanship, creativity, ingenuity and collaboration that went into these works of art!
Inside a stray bail home with exposed large timber wood framing, clay walls and cork floors. This home has been owner-built over time with lots of donated labour from their friends, family and neighbours.
A living roof is planted on top of the straw bail home. The owners created the roof using EPDM as the waterproofing membrane, reclaimed carpet as the root barrier, and soil and plants from the property. Awesome!
Here is another living roof assembled with a similar EPDM-Reclaimed Carpet-Local Soil and Plants approach. This one is part of a larger custom green house project that will has the plants planted directly into soil installed directly onto the engineered green house floor.
A beautiful and functional joint detail.
More stunning timber framing and custom woodwork. Most the projects we toured used wood either reclaimed from elsewhere or harvested locally, often on the building site.
Here is the beautiful greenhouse with the plumbing in place for hydra-radiant floors.
A very unique shower surround built by hand with aluminum cans, clay and coloured glass bottles.
The quaint 100 sq. ft. seaside cabin designed and built by Sam and Elizabeth's host, designer Ken Rempel. http://kenrempel.ca
Sam works through some ideas on the Etch n Sketch.
Second Time Around.
All summer, we have been working on a not-so-average home addition project in Port Moody. Lucky for us – and the environment – the homeowners are very eco-minded and wanted to include as many green features as their budget allowed. In particular, they were drawn to recycled materials as they re-envisioned the entire home to make room for their growing family. Some of our favourite features are the rubber shake eco-roofing (from recycled tires), reclaimed cherry and fir wood flooring, denim insulation and a gabled living roof.
A close-up of the rubber shake eco roof. This is made from recycled tires.
Here are the refinished, reclaimed fir floors before the trim and other finishes goes up.
The rear addition will feature a gabled vegetated green roof. Here you can see the prep work completed so far. The LiveRoof modules will arrive pre-grown in a few months.
The project includes two ground floor additions (one to the side and one to the rear), and reconfiguration and refinishing of portions of existing house. Doug has been guiding this project along steadily and we are excited to be closing-in on completion. check back soon for more images!
Office Roof Project Showcased!
Remember that cute home office with a great green roof we completed in the spring? Well, that project was selected to be showcased on the LiveRoof website as a great example of a green roof application. Check it out! You can also find more info on our green roofs here.
North Van Roof Garden
Here are some recent photos of the green roof Doug and Ryan installed last month in North Vancouver. These are LiveRoof modules planted specifically to thrive in this beautiful shady yard. The ferns and Columbine have already grown significantly. We really love this roof and the way it has a double function as an entry garden.
The hillside design of this house created a rooftop space adjacent to the main entry. What a perfect place for a green roof!
This roof has a mix of plants including ferns, perennials and sedum.
The Columbine are already three feet high!
Let It Grow!
We recently put some additional finishing touches on this shed-to-office conversion. To enhance the charm and character, provide weather protection, and highlight the vegetated LiveRoof, we added a shed roof over the office entry. The entry itself evolved from basic barn doors (which worked great for a shed but not an office) to nice salvaged glass doors. Combined with the skylights and vaulted ceiling, the big glass doors let in lots of light. And it looks pretty darn cute, don’t you think?
Before...
After with green roof, and oh-so cute.
Instant Rooftop Garden!
Last week our crew prepped and installed a LiveRoof green roof system on an accessory building that is being converted into a new home office. First, we installed six skylights to bring lots of natural light to the interior space. Then, we prepped the roof for the LiveRoof trays that were delivered first thing on Wednesday morning. Owen and Doug spent the day sizing, arranging and securing the trays… and then… it was done! Since LiveRoof arrives fully grown, installation is straightforward. Although, we did decide to add in some perennial plugs afterwards, which gave Sam and Elizabeth a great excuse for some sunny rooftop planting on Saturday. We are very happy we the results and have enjoyed watching all the cars and pedestrians slow down and do double takes. Yes, that is a gorgeous garden up there!
Doug installs the skylights before prepping the roof for the trays.
Trays of mature red and yellow sedum mixes arrive on the truck.
Introducing Dave, our new carpenter! Already getting his hands dirty with green roofs!
Owen secures the trays above the waterproof membrane.
Voila! Now, we just need to install the facia board and pat ourselves on the back. Way to go team!
Another Green Roof Option
As the innovation, convenience, affordability, appeal and popularity of green roofs continue to increase, so do the structural and design options for creating one. From extensive to intensive, layered to modular, seasonal to evergreen, flat to sloped, there are seemingly endless combinations of approaches for creating a vegetated roof.
Interestingly, the current issue of urban living magazine Dwell provided a very simplified (and incomplete) list of options for achieving a green roof: add several inches of soil to an existing roof; create a roof top potted garden, or; install a roof top hydroponic garden. Their description of the first method leads the reader to basically understand that you can shovel a bunch of soil onto your existing roof (as is) and start planting. Eek! As I read this I had horrific visions of thousands of gung-ho DIYers tossing potting soil onto their shingle roofs, planting gorgeous gardens and (a) watching it all wash away with the next big rain fall, (b) sobbing uncontrollably when they get the estimate for repairing all the water damage to their attics, walls and ceilings, (c) wondering why their roof is starting to sag, (d) feeling sad and frustrated by the dead plants covering the top of their homes and emanating some serious bad feng shui, or (e) all of the above.
While the Dwell options can work in the right circumstances (pots and hydroponics are a nice way to dress up a finished balcony or strong flat roof), shovelling any old soil onto any old roof is not something recommend. The weight of the soil and water, lack of proper waterproofing and drainage, and the uncertainty of the load-carrying ability of roof make this approach really risky and potentially quite disappointing. To better address all these issues, let me highlight another green roof option not mentioned in the Dwell article: engineered green roofs.
I’m not sure why engineered green roofs weren’t included in the list – especially considering Dwell has featured these types of roofs in many of their issues (including the current one – check out the beautiful fern covered roof on the Montreal home featured this month). Think Chicago City Hall, Vancouver Convention Centre, and pretty much most of the green roofs you see on new buildings in Canada, the US and Europe.
Engineered green roofs are designed to ensure that the roof structure can manage the very heavy load of the planting medium, plants and water; that the planting medium minimizes weight and maximizes efficient drainage; that there is waterproofing membrane to keep all moisture away from the actual roof (and the rest of the building), and; that the plants are appropriate for the local light, climate and grade conditions.
Within the engineered roof category, there are another bunch of choices for designers, contractors and building owners. Increasingly, the preferred approach is to go with a green roof ”system” that includes pretty much everything you need – drainage, membrane, planting medium (which is a light weight, long lasting alternative to soil), etc. The components are normally installed in layers, like a sandwich. Once everything is installed, it’s time to plant. Depending on the plants and your local conditions, it could take a few months to several growing seasons for the plants to mature into the roof of your dreams.
Another “system” that we are really excited about is a modular engineered green roof system called LiveRoof. Instead of having to assemble each layer of the system, insert all the plants and then hope for the right growing conditions, LiveRoof arrives on-site as pre-grown modules that we put together in grid pattern. The modules are custom planted to your specifications and grown at a local nursery until the vegetation is mature and you are ready for install. It’s pretty rewarding to transform your roof from nothing special to something wonderful in a very short time. In addition to knowing other systems, GCB is a LiveRoof Certified installer.
To sum up here, I don’t dislike Dwell. Quite the opposite. I am really glad they and other magazines are so keen to feature and promote green building, compact design, DIY ideas and, of course, green roofs. Next time perhaps they will provide a more robust list of options that includes the safer, longer lasting solutions. In the meantime, just give us a holler if you have questions.
Flowering Sedum Growing at NATS Nursery for a LiveRoof.
Also, if you are poking around this month’s issue of Dwell, take a look at their review of Print Workshop, a fantastic new printmaking book by our friends at Yellow Owl Workshop in San Francisco. Congrats to Chris on finding more ways to inspire the masses to create and enjoy things of beauty!!!
This time it’s personal.
Sedum and Perennial Mix Growing at Nat's
Sam was very excited to receive some photos from Nat’s Nursery of the LiveRoof trays being grown for his own roof. They are growing much faster than expected and will be ready for install as soon as we have time to do it. Unlike planting plugs and whispering speedy growth mantras, the trays will arrive as fully -grown, mature vegetation. Within hours, Sam will have a lush green roof where once there was nothing but heat-absorbing shingles. Thanks Nat’s!
Hello LiveRoof Certification!
Congrats to Doug, Owen and Sam for obtaining their LiveRoof certifications!
LiveRoof is a great hybrid green roof system that allows for modular installation of fully grown vegetation. Basically, it makes it super easy to convert a boring old roof into a beautiful green space… and now our Green City Builders crew is certified to work with and install it on homes and businesses. In fact, we’re so into it, we plan to install a system on our workshop this coming spring. Cool stuff!