Category: Roofing Material

If you want to make the most out of your rooftop, creating your very own green rooftop garden might be one of the best choices you’ve ever had not just for aesthetic purposed but for sustainability as well.  Various chefs around the globe are into rooftop gardening growing organic fruits and vegetables in the middle of the city!

Living in the city can be challenging and with limited space, their innovation paved way for a green revolution, well in the rooftop!  There are countless benefits to having a green roof and if you thought that it’s a new concept, well, think again. A green rooftop can be traced back to the 1940s. Currently, it has continued to gain momentum whether you live in the city or the suburbs. Why not you should get more assistance from a commercial roofing contractor for your rooftop.

Green roofs are composed of different layers and these layers serve a specific function.  Decide whether you want to maintain it frequently or if you’d rather have it low maintenance.

Here are some helpful tips in starting your own green roof.

Choose the most suitable green roof

Intensive Green Roof

Is your green roof’s main purpose is to be a garden with a large variety of plants? An intensive green roof requires planting mediums to be much deeper which is about 7-24 inches deep.  Frequent maintenance is advised and a footpath is needed for easy access. Aside from footpath, adding benches or water-resistant sofa can be great for relaxation.

Extensive Green Roof

For low-maintenance and self-sustaining vegetation, and an extensive green roof with about 1.6 -5 inches deep planting medium is great supporting a few types of grass, mosses, and succulents.

Hybrid Green Roof

With a Hybrid green roof, plants that grow well in about 5-7 inches vegetation are appropriate. This may include herbs and shrubs. There is not much maintenance required since it only needs irrigation from time to time.

White roofs have become the standard for their energy efficient principles in the US. Large corporations have taken advantage of the benefits of white roofs. The trend is steadily increasing as more and more corporations are enjoying the advantage of installing white roofs.

Some states are adopting building codes that favor white roof installations for commercial buildings like California, Georgia, and Florida. The benefit? It can qualify for tax credits for many of the roofs installed in those areas.

White roofing requires less care and maintenance as well as reducing your energy costs. Due to the heat extremes during the summer, black, non-reflective roofing commonly cracks and warps. Commonly last up to twice as long as black roofing for the white roofing as it has a much longer lifespan. The fact is, roofing replacement makes 8 to 10 million tons of roofing waste and it ends up in our landfills about 95 percent of this waste. Learn more economic factors about white roofing.

Making the Shift to Go for White Roofing

It can be as easy as painting any surface when painting roof white. Consider the help of a professional painter if, however, you have a slanted roof or have never worked on a rooftop before.

First and foremost, use good paint. It’s important to have one specifically designed to be reflective, and one that will easily cohere to the material below. Make sure and use a silicone-based product instead of an elastomeric roof paint if you have a tar or rubber roof.

Consider weather conditions for your painting project. It’s important that skies are sunny and temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit for a couple of days. It will impede the paint drying correctly for rain or cooler temperatures. Also remember, wash the roof so you are starting with a clean surface before starting the painting project.