Frequently Asked Questions About Green Roofing

Posted in: Green Roofing

Green roofing is one of the most beneficial services we at Eden Roofing & Waterproofing NYC offer to New York home and business owners. Not only will your new green roof help create a healthier city, but it will have direct benefits to you and to the energy efficiency of your residence or commercial property. To many of our clients, though, green roofing is something of a foreign concept, and there can be a lot of confusion as to what exactly green roofing is and what benefits it can have for you.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we get about green roofs:

What Exactly is a Green Roof?

First of all, green roofs are not roofs with a green color.

Green roofs are also commonly referred to as living roofs or vegetated roofs. Instead of asphalt or concrete shingles making up your roofing, green roofs use soil and live vegetation and plants to cover the top of your building. The number of layers and the layer placement can vary, but all green roofs include a single- or multi-ply waterproofing layer, drainage, soil, and then plants that cover the roof deck surface.

Can I Grow Food on My Roof?

Yes! Hearty and drought-tolerant herbs like rosemary, thyme, and chives can all be grown on a green roof with great success.

Green roofs create green space in an urban environment where many birds and beneficial insects wouldn’t usually be able to find habitation.

Some other crops like tomatoes or peppers require deeper growing media and need a lot of irrigation and maintenance in order to be grown successfully. More tender crops may not be well suited to the location. In urban areas like New York, you’ll need to be sure that any food you grow on your roof will not absorb pollutants very easily.

Will I Need to Water My Green Roof?

During the first year, the professionals at Eden Roofing & Waterproofing NYC recommend you water your green roof regularly in order to help with establishment. But in order for the green roof to be “green,” you shouldn’t need to water it after the first year. Irrigation uses more water and energy, both of which are meant to be conserved by green roofing.

What Benefits Will I Get from a Green Roof?

There are a number of great benefits that a green roof can offer. By replacing barren rooftops with living plants, we can preserve many of the advantages of natural landscapes. Here are a few of the benefits:

Clean Water

Especially in an urban area the size of New York, rainwater picks up contaminants and heat as it rushes across hard surfaces on the back to natural waterways. Green roofs hold onto a lot of that rain, reducing runoff that could cause more water pollution.

Longer-Lasting Roofs

Because the waterproofing membrane of your roof will be underneath layers of green roofing, it will be protected from factors that frequently cause roof systems to fail.

Cooler Buildings (And a Cooler City!)

The plants on a green roof shade the building and cool it through natural processes. The more buildings in the city with green roofing there are, the better an effect we’ll see on the urban heat island.