Roofing companies around the U.S. know that a rooftop garden is a good idea for many buildings. A rooftop garden, also known as a “green roof”, provides many benefits, including the following:

Benefits of a Rooftop Garden

Ordinary roofs deteriorate quickly when exposed to moisture for long periods, but a rooftop garden thrives on moisture. When it rains or snows, instead of allowing polluted water to simply flow into downspouts and into waterways, most of it remains in the soil of a green roof for use by the plants.

Plants cleanse the air around them, thus reducing air pollution around a building or a home with rooftop plantings.

A green roof obviously benefits the ecosystem it supports. That includes the birds that frequent a rooftop garden, especially in urban areas where natural habitats are sorely limited.

People who work in a building with a green roof normally appreciate the area.

How They’re Built

Building a rooftop garden is not the same as building an ordinary roof, however. It has its own set of requirements. That’s why it’s not the kind of roof you try to build without the help of a professional. Roofing maintenance services provider Exterior Building Solutions offers this advice:

Call a professional, and get them involved in the project as soon as possible. This is not a job for DIYers, landscapers without rooftop garden knowledge or inexperienced roofers. There is the matter of safety to take into account as a rooftop garden puts additional weight on the building’s structure.

Get a permit for your project. Your contractor might be able to help you with this.

Talk to your contractor about limiting the weight of your green roof.

Take wind into account. The higher the garden is located, the windier it may be. Your contractor can incorporate windbreaks to reduce the impact of wind around your garden.

Discuss the water supply as well as the drainage with your contractor.

Exterior Building Solutions can help you with your green roof project. We offer many roofing solutions, including emergency leaking roof repair. Give us a call today at (314) 470-8783, or contact us here. We can help you in Arnold and in other parts of Missouri.