How to arrange a roof lawn with your own hands. A flower garden or a lawn on the roof - what is it for, and how to create it with your own hands

The roof of a building can be done in different ways. A very long time ago, our ancestors had a rather dark and unkempt dugout as a dwelling, which had an earthen rampart instead of a roof. The history of the development of mankind has made its own adjustments to housing construction. The leaf and twig roof has been transformed into a red tile and gray slate roof. But many homeowners lack the pleasing, eye-pleasing grassy green overhead.

Modern engineering solutions and technologies make it possible to make green roofs for residential and office buildings not only in settlements, but also in cities. Such an organic solution is timely and very pleasing to the eye. As a facade of a house, almost any finishing materials of natural origin are suitable for such a roof: stone, brick, wood or ceramic tiles or sandwich panels that imitate them.

Traditional green turf roof construction

Not every resident of a large city has the opportunity to relax in the forest or breathe fresh air in mountain meadows. More often than not, there is simply not enough time to go to nature. Buildings of many meters, stuffy streets and scorching asphalt underfoot oppress every day. Therefore, many happy owners of private houses strive to realize their desire to communicate with nature in the construction of housing from natural environmentally friendly materials.

Many technical solutions for installation, insulation, decoration and reconstruction of houses were adopted by Russian specialists from the experience of the Scandinavian countries. Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish engineers have been using a number of technologies in construction for a long time, which are becoming popular in our country only now.

Among them is the same "turf roof", which is actively being built on residential buildings not only in Scandinavian, but also in some European countries.

The general principle of the green roof in the old Norwegian version was as follows: a clay litter was laid under the sod layer. Its thickness was about 10 cm. Clay simultaneously served as thermal and waterproofing. For such a system, it was necessary to create very strong supporting structures. Not only did the soil cake weigh a lot, but in winter a mass of snow was added to this load. If the supporting supports were not weighty enough, residents risked waking up one morning with a pile of earth and snow on their heads. Perhaps in the summer the building looked very picturesque, but the construction of such a roof could not be called cheap. For some time, sod roofs have completely ceased to be made.

Green roof

Perhaps an interesting constructive solution would have remained a relic of the past if the new manufacturers had not remembered the well-forgotten old Scandinavian customs.

Modern installation of green roofs

The task of modern specialists is to reduce the total weight of the roof structure. With this technology, it was necessary to preserve its decorative appearance. The main problem was the creation of a durable waterproofing layer. It had to be dense enough not to allow moisture and plant roots to pass through, and lightweight so as not to put a serious load on the roof structure.

The first layer is the load-bearing flooring. The material in this case is unimportant. These can be boards or sheets of pressed shavings. Lining is also suitable, but then the cost of building materials increases slightly.

The next layer is insulation. This part of the roof structure must protect the under-roof premises from the penetration of rain and melt water. In addition, it is he who prevents the germination of plant roots. In hardware stores, a variety of rubber or bitumen-based waterproofing rolls are offered. The choice is large, there is where to turn around.

Roofing Pie for a Green Roof:

Green roof device

The easiest and safest way to logically complete a green roof is to use a rolled lawn as a finishing layer. If the slopes of the slopes are normal, the grass can be planted directly on the ground layer. Before sowing, the soil is compacted with a manual rammer and loosened.

If the slopes are too steep, spring snowmelt or heavy downpours can cause a landslide. As a rule, if the roof slope exceeds 10 °, a layer of soil should be laid between special barriers that prevent the soil from sliding down the roof.

Ground fences

Norwegians and Finns usually do not bother much with the choice of grass crops, so everything that sprouted on the roofs grows. Such a spectacle looks, of course, colorful, but somewhat untidy. Therefore, Russian homeowners prefer to plant a special decorative grass on their roofs, which covers the house with an even green carpet.

Let us dwell in more detail on one of the most important layers when constructing a grass roof - the drainage layer.

Drainage systems for green roofs. Drainage options

Since water is blocked from entering the house, it means that it must find a way out in another place. For this, drainage of the roof is provided. Without this layer, water will accumulate on the surface of the waterproofing and cause soil acidification. This, in turn, will cause the roots and stems of the green covering to rot, which will ruin the whole idea of ​​creating a green roof. A thin layer of sand or gravel can be used as drainage. If possible, you can buy lighter coatings such as geotextiles.

Ready-made solutions are often used as drainage systems for green roofs.

Benefits of green roofs

In addition to the obvious advantages (decorativeness, environmental friendliness and fire safety), the green roof has one more advantage. The roofing cake is considered heavy enough to ensure high-quality and uniform shrinkage of the house block. In summer, the eco-roof protects the building from the sun's rays inside the attic and creates a comfortable cool temperature in the room.

Exposure to sunlight on normal and green roof structures

In winter, the herb construction significantly reduces heat loss.

It will not take many years to repair such a roof, and over the years, the appearance of the structure will not cease to please the eye with its grace and accuracy.

The characteristic features of the nature of the owner of a country house or dacha can be called the desire to improve their possessions and an irrepressible craving for creativity, the ultimate goal of which is the same improvement - a site, a house, utility and utility rooms.

Greening roofs- a theme loved by many. What makes this process even more interesting is the expansion of its scope. Over the past few years, a new trend has been gaining popularity in "suburban" Russia - gardening ... of roofs! However, everything new, as we know, is only well forgotten old. Such floristic delights could be found several centuries ago in the northern Russian villages, and in the Baltic States, and in Finland: roofs were covered with moss and sod not at all in pursuit of beauty - this was how they insulated and strengthened the roof, and the thatched roof was saved from fire (because of overheating in the sun) and decay (exposure to dampness).

What drives green roof enthusiasts today? The answer is obvious: this is the expansion of the usable area of ​​the site through the use of other surfaces, and the creation of additional places for landscaping, and the ability to give the house (, barn, pergola, etc.) a non-standard look, and even the creation of new recreation areas.

Extensive Roof Landscaping Method

This method has 3 features:

• the impossibility of walking through the green space;
• the maximum allowable slope of the surface is 28 degrees.

Irrigation of the surface plays a huge role - if an artificial irrigation system is not provided, take care of the convenience of delivering water to the roof (hose, watering can, makeshift shower).

The main "inhabitants" of the roof are: lawn grasses, sedums, saxifrage. Bulbous plants can also be planted. The main principle is to plant plants that require minimal care and bloom at different times. With a good selection, you can get a garden of continuous flowering.

Extensive roof landscaping can be done in-house. Evaluate the surface to be refined. What is its condition: how reliable is the foundation, what load can it withstand, what is the quality of the roof? Think about the location of the future oasis. It is necessary to take into account the side of the world, illumination, intensity of "sunbathing", openness to winds and precipitation. With this in mind, choose plants for planting.

In addition to drought, there is another enemy of the roof garden - stagnant moisture. In this case, it not only harms the roots of plants, but also significantly increases the load on the bearing surface. So for roofs with a slope of less than 4 degrees, you will have to equip a drainage system. Or to form the desired bias forcibly.

Preparing the roof surface for landscaping

The base, if necessary, is treated with special compounds: primers, fungicides, water repellents. Then a root protective film is laid on it. Remember how a seed carried by the wind onto the roof of a building grows into a decent-sized tree, mercilessly crumbling even granite with its roots. The film will allow the roof to avoid this fate. Reducing the load on the roof and avoiding soil creep allows geotextile or.

The basis for planting is usually a fertile layer or substrate (layer thickness 5-20 cm). Avoiding the mixing of the soil and the drainage layer that occurs over time will allow their separation by a thin geotextile. The roof slope must be well reinforced. With a large angle of inclination, it is possible to prevent the vegetative layer from slipping by using geogrids.

Intensive roof greening method

It is usually done by professionals. This is due to serious responsibility: the load per 1 sq. m of surface with intensive gardening is from 150 to 750 kg. Accordingly, increased requirements are imposed on the base. On a landscaped site, it will be possible to lay out not only an ordinary lawn, but also a whole park - with trees, a pond, streams. You can put a gazebo and lanterns, lay out paths. Lushly blooming and sophisticated mixborders will delight the eye all season. And the automatic irrigation system will solve irrigation issues.

Experts recommend making landscaping immediately after the end of construction work. It is better if the creation of a roof garden is included in the design project - this will avoid disharmony with the main landscape and the architectural appearance of the main buildings.

A green roof more than pays for all the efforts spent on its construction and maintenance. In addition to the aesthetic function, which no piece coating will dispute, it performs a number of others:

1. Absorbs ¾ of incoming precipitation, returning more than half of the moisture back to the atmosphere.
2. Creates a protective barrier of the main roofing material from the effects of ultraviolet radiation.
3. In the summer it protects the building from overheating, and in the cold period it helps to retain heat inside the house, thereby reducing heating costs.
4. Acts as an additional noise insulating factor.
5. Increases the decorative effect not only of the house, but also of the entire personal plot.

In landscape design, there are two directions for creating "living" structures - intensive and extensive... The first involves the formation of holistic flower arrangements, lush flower beds, mini-parks. These are highly decorative gardens that are often found on the roofs of expensive living rooms, restaurants and office buildings.

The installation of a system with trees, fountains and reservoirs is discussed at the stage of the construction project, since specialists need to calculate all possible loads. If landscaping is carried out according to the "full program", then the estimated load will be about 500 kg per 1 sq. meter, not counting the decorative elements. Therefore, the structure is mounted in the fall in order to check its reliability in a cold, snowy period.

Extensive landscaping is a simplified version of green covering that is popular in hobby gardening circles. For him, the most durable frame is not necessary; a supported, pre-repaired roof is also suitable.

A building with a lawn on the roof will bring great pleasure to its owners, whether it is a sprawling garden with a seating area or an ordinary green lawn.

Roof lawn - classic technology

According to the standard scheme, a high-rise lawn laying system should consist of 6 layers:

• heat insulating;
• waterproofing;
• drainage;
• filtering;
• fertile;
• vegetable.

Base under the roof are made of plywood boards or grooved boards. The joints between them are "sealed" with bituminous material using a gas burner.

In the inversion version, first a waterproofing layer is installed, then a heat-insulating one. Thus, the waterproof coating will give in to less pressure and will last much longer.

The role of the filtering layer is most often geotextile fiber, which prevents the rapid clogging of the drainage.

The drainage layer is a heavy-duty material (high-pressure polyethylene or perforated expanded polystyrene), which is laid on a root protective film. For water drainage, corrugated or asbestos pipes with special grooves are installed. If the surface is horizontal, a slope of 1.5-5% is created for the normal functioning of the system.

If the grass cover is placed on the roof with a slope of more than 18 degrees, the drainage is additionally completed with a “clawed” layer to prevent the substrate from slipping. To do this, use PVC grates, reinforcing and wire mesh, special bristly fabric.

At the very bottom, a heat-insulating coating is laid - foam glass... This substance is moisture-proof and highly resistant to root pressure. Sometimes foam glass is replaced by extruded polystyrene foam or mineral wool.

How to make a lawn on the roof of a house with your own hands

A roof garden is not necessarily a bulky structure, consisting of several layers of soil, drainage, and containment. Everyone can equip a green roof without investing huge efforts and material resources.

To create a lawn over your head, you will need:

• durable waterproof film;
• peat crumb, fertilizers;
• fine gravel.

The film must be environmentally friendly and resistant to temperature changes. To begin with, we construct a flat notch on the site. We spread the film, leaving the edges 6-8 cm wide. Keeping them in this position, we support them on both sides with boards or stones. If the area is large and the film is small, it can be made from several pieces in any greenhouse.

Water flow can be ensured without resorting to installing a complex drainage system - it is enough to periodically raise the film in one of the corners.

To improve the quality of the substrate, we mix peat crumbs with a complex fertilizer for plants (3 kg per 1 cubic meter of crumbs).

It is very easy to ensure reliable drainage; it is enough to cover the entire surface with a thin layer of gravel (1 cm). On top, with a layer of 5-6 cm, lay the moistened fertile mixture. Then the area is leveled and slightly compacted. That's all, the playground is ready! At your discretion, you can populate it not only with a lawn, but also with flowers, shrubs, even dwarf trees.

For a high-rise garden, plants with a fibrous root system (lawn, creeping, meadow, bulbous) are best suited. They must be unpretentious, because the conditions to which they will have to adapt are rather harsh: wind, dry air, poor soil.

Maintenance of the site will be limited to watering, mainly in drought, and periodic mowing. Some gardeners do not recommend mowing the lawn at all, so as not to violate the thermal insulation. Moreover, with the correct selection of components, the height of the plants will not exceed 30 cm.

For free movement on the grass, a green roof, as well as a regular garden, can be crossed by paths made of flat stones and tiles. They should be laid on soft peat so as not to damage the film.

Sowing lawn grasses is as follows: we embed the seeds in the substrate, slightly compact and moisturize. During dry periods, the site must be watered or sprayed daily. The moisture content of the substrate should be such that picking up a handful, you could squeeze a couple of drops of water out of it.

The supply of nutrients for the plants will be enough for the first month. After that, additional feeding will be required. For each square. scatter 40 g of fertilizer per square meter and spray the grass with clean water. Water will wash away adhering salt particles, prevent chemical burns. After a while, the need to apply fertilizers will disappear: they will be replaced by dying phytomass.

Such recreation areas can be arranged on any site, even asphalt. The main thing is that the plants are provided with light, heat and nutrients.

A "living" roof is an original idea for both a country house and city buildings. Any uncommon building, be it a balcony, the roof of a high-rise building or even a doghouse, will turn a covering of real grass into a fabulous lawn.

Carrying out the landscape design of the summer cottage, modern gardeners bring to life the most daring ideas. One such idea could be to create a lawn on the roof of the house.

We understand that such an extravagant way to decorate your site is perceived rather as a fabulous curiosity.

But we assure you, it is quite possible. In Europe, roof gardens have become commonplace for a long time. Let's try and make a "live" roof with our own hands.

Types of roof gardening

The degree and methods of creating "living" roofs can be very diverse. But in landscape design, there are two main directions - intensive and extensive.

Intensive landscaping involves the creation of holistic rooftop gardens that can grow lush flower beds and even huge deciduous and coniferous trees.

These gardens are often built on the rooftops of expensive hotels, restaurants, and other commercial structures. Ordinary gardeners are unlikely to be able to afford this luxury.

For extensive landscaping they also plant a lawn, ground cover plants, or simply place plants in containers. It is this method that is popular among lovers of summer cottages.

In this case, it will be preferable to choose plants that have a fibrous root system, which makes the stem more resistant. For such plantings, various meadow flowers and grasses, lawn grass, as well as saxifrage, sedums and some types of bulbous plants are suitable. Often on the roof you can find various varieties of bells and carnations.

Living roof device

A standard green roof consists of six main layers:

- heat insulating layer;

- waterproofing;

- drainage layer;

- filtering layer;

- fertile soil;

- plants.

There is also an inversion option, in which a thermal insulation layer is installed above the waterproofing. Such a roof will be better adapted for long-term operation, since the waterproofing coating will last longer, because it will not be exposed to mechanical and temperature influences.

A geotextile fabric is used as a filtering layer, which can prevent clogging of the drainage. It is a thermo-bonded material in which the fibers practically do not clog and serve for a long time.

One of the most important layers is the drainage layer. The main thing here is to combine the perforated drainage layer with special pipes. For drainage, high-strength material in rolls is used - high-pressure polyethylene or perforated polystyrene. If you plan to make a regular lawn, then in this case, you can lay plates of perforated polystyrene.

Water drainage will be carried out through corrugated pipes with special slots for water drainage. You can take ordinary asbestos pipes, having drilled small grooves in them in advance.

Heat insulating material - foam glass. This material is the most resistant to pressure from the roots and, moreover, has increased moisture resistance. But most importantly, it is environmentally friendly. You can also use polyethylene foam or mineral wool as thermal insulation.

The installation of waterproofing must also be taken with full responsibility. The modern market can offer special membranes with anti-root protection. These can be synthetic or bituminous materials. For more complex landscaping, aluminum foil is also used on a waterproofing membrane.

Implementation of water drainage

Speaking about how to arrange a lawn on the roof of a house, it is worth mentioning drainage. This system must efficiently and, which is important, reliably collect and divert water flows from the roof, which are formed after precipitation and irrigation.

When calculating drainage, the size of the green space, the slope of the roof, the type of soil and the type of plant are taken into account. Plums should be evenly spaced.

Features of the installation of a "live" roof

It is generally safer and easiest to do gardening on relatively flat surfaces. The optimal roof for landscaping should have a slope of up to 12 degrees. Such a roof can easily withstand any type of soil and plants.

The six-layer green roof pie puts significant pressure on the supporting structures. With intensive greening, the roof must be designed during the construction stage. Extensive landscaping can also be carried out on an existing roof.

It is better to repair the roof before installing landscaping, since after that significant problems may arise and even greater damage may appear. The waterproofing must be coated with chemical protection, i.e. anticorrosive agents. In this case, the roots will not be able to penetrate inside and will grow along the surface of the waterproofing.

FlorDepot system

In recent years, the FlorDepot system developed by the German company BAU-TRADE has become very popular in rooftop landscaping. This technology assumes the ability to create lawns on roofs, the slope of which reaches 45-50 degrees. The FlorDepot system has three layers. For a start, a waterproofing system is mounted on the roof, on which a root protective polyurethane film is covered.

Then a special plant mat is laid, made on the basis of polystyrene, which has a high resistance to ultraviolet radiation. This mat combines two functions at once - it perfectly carries out drainage and replaces natural soil.

It contains a set of various nutrients and clay minerals that have been specially selected for the climatic conditions in Russia and the CIS countries. Such a rug removes excess water and retains the necessary amount for the normal development of plants. A layer of substrate is applied to the mat and the plants are planted.

Over the past few years, a fashionable option for landscaping has been the arrangement of lawns on the roofs of objects. Most often this can be seen in European countries. In the cities of Russia, this method of decoration is still poorly developed, but it is gradually gaining momentum. How to arrange a lawn on the roof so that it can please the eye?

Different types of landscaping

Having decided to equip the lawn on the roof on your own, you should take into account some features.

The roof structure must be strong enough to support the additional load. If in doubt, contact a professional to determine the strength level. Now decide on your strengths and money. Having decided to do everything on our own, we advise you to conduct an experiment on a small area - a shed or garage room.

These conditions will also determine which method of landscaping you choose - extensive or intensive. If you decide to do everything yourself to save money, use the first method. In this case, it is important that the roof is horizontal. But already today, German technology has developed special rugs that can replace the soil and be located on a slope of forty-five degrees. When performing this method of landscaping, the load forces should be distributed about twenty kilograms per square square.

We create extensive landscaping

Technological features of the method are that all materials covering it - slate, tiles and others - are removed from the roof. Only the concrete surface remains, which is preliminarily prepared, arranging a slight slope towards the water flow. This can be done with a cement screed.

Do not forget that it is necessary to arrange a water-permeable fence around the perimeter of the roof, which does not allow the soil to move. Another important detail is the waterproofing layer. For him, it is advised to use the highest quality materials in order to avoid water leaks in the future. Having created protection from water, a heat-insulating layer of polyurethane or cork is arranged, a protective film of non-woven polypropylene is laid, which does not allow the roots to grow into the roof.

Now geotextiles are applied, then a drainage layer with a thickness of five to seven centimeters. Expanded clay or gravel is suitable for its arrangement. Now a soil layer is poured, which is twenty centimeters in thickness - it depends on the plants that will grow there. A mixture of sand, peat, shale, bark should be used.

The process of greening the roof can be simplified if ready-made containers with already planted plants are installed on a surface protected from water penetration and ingrowth of roots. This will make it easier to care for them and not do unnecessary work if you need to repair the roof.

It should be noted that German manufacturers have simplified the process by releasing ready-made lawns, consisting of the necessary layers.

This method is suitable for planting ground cover plants, meadow and bulbous grasses and flowers, plants with fibrous roots. It is recommended to use saxifrage, oregano, cloves, lavender, bell. It is allowed to plant dwarf shrubs and trees.

Please note that plants will grow on a roof slope as on a hillside. Having correctly identified the varieties and organized all the necessary conditions, you can create a solid green carpet on the roof.

Intensive technology

This method is more expensive, but more effective. Such methods are used on the roofs of hotels, houses or restaurants, where not only lawn plants, but also shrubs with small trees can be grown. As a rule, such roofs provide recreation areas, playgrounds and even swimming pools. The creation of such design solutions should be entrusted to professional craftsmen who have all the necessary secrets of arrangement.

With this method, the load of the finished landscape per square meter will be about seven hundred kilograms, which is quite significant.

When creating such a garden on the roof, you should immediately provide for its irrigation system. Masters advise to start landscaping work on the roof immediately after the construction of the house. It is best to provide such solutions from the outset by design solutions.