Low Pitched Green Roof

Most vegetation will grow on quite sever slopes but the designer must consider the practicalities of installing the green roof and just as importantly how the roof is to be maintained.

Low pitched green roof.

Hence this is one of the basic components of this kind of roof. As a result of its poor draining capabilities low slope roofs tend to develop leaks faster and require regular maintenance to prevent leaks from happening. This is because water tends to be stagnant on a flatter surface of a low pitched roof as compared to high pitched ones that lets the water flow freely downward. Even a flat roof should have some pitch so that it sheds water toward gutters.

Flat roofs 0 to 2 in slope are flatter than low sloped roofs and pitch just enough to drain water. A resource and planting guide edmund c. Sloped roofs retain less water in general and the moisture content varies from the ridge to the eave lowest edge of the roof. Larger flat roofed applications low slope such as residential condominium complexes row homes and town houses and smaller applications such as residential porch and garage transitions from the main home where the slope of the roof changes dramatically.

In either case find a professional roofing contractor experienced with low slope roofs and these specific products. Roof reinforcement due to the challenges that low pitch roof systems face low pitch roof design should have necessary reinforcement. As in all construction work paying attention to the little details can make all the difference between a long lasting trouble free project and one that results in callbacks and early failure never a good option with a new england roof. This pitch might be as low as 1 12.

For a green roof installation that pitch should be at least inch per foot of run. Roofs on victorian era houses were often sharply angled with a steep pitch. In our photo left the roof slopes less than 1 per foot notice that dark ponding area at the center of the photo. Residential low slope roofing can generally be divided up into two broad categories.

Think of a classic addams family haunted house with its soaring peaks and you have a. Visually this roof appears flat. The reinforcement adds strength makes the roof system more resistant and increases the dimensional stability of the membranes. The most crucial component of any sloped green roof is the confinement system which holds the growth medium in place during the roof s early stages of development.

Finding the right products for your low slope roof. If not properly secured a pitched vegetated roof can erode and slip under heavy rain excessive irrigation or poor plant growth. Before the plants go up a structural engineer should check to ensure that the roof can support the weight of the engineered growing medium and plants. It was fashionable for modern style homes built in the 1960s to have little pitch just a barely negligible slope to help drain water.

Planted sloped or pitched roofs look great and due to their high visibility they have been the focus for several new projects.