‘The sea views are spectacular so we look forward to happy times up on our roof year in year out’.
Geoff and Julie came on our green roof course last year in Essex. Armed with our DIY guide and the things they had learned on the course, they have now completed a Cornish coastal green roof at the furthest arm of England – Land’s End.
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As Geoff points out:
‘The great thing about the course, which you both ran, was that it gave us the confidence to press on with our plans, despite some misgivings from the Building Control Officer.’
Their main concern was the extreme weather conditions in South West England. Horizontal wind and rain was a major concern so some of the details in the guide were adapted to meet the local conditions. As ever we provided some additional support by email and phone [anyone who buys the guide or comes on one of our courses will get this].
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The substrate used consisted of granite particles [3mm] and dust from a local Cornish Quarry. When this ran out, Geof and Julie added some local demolition waste to bulk up the growing medium. Some organic green waste compost from a supplier in Bodmin was also added to the substrate to provide a small amount of nutrients.
Fourteen different coastal species were bought from various seed merchants and were propagated in Julie’s mother’s greenhouse over a three-month period.. Only four species [Sea holly, Dog-violet,Golden samphire , and Scarlet pimpernel) failed to germinate. But the rest were successfully plugged into the new roof. They are also collected local seeds or rather Julie did whilst she was out on her morning run.
By a happy coincidence the garden, which had been left barren by the builders, had been colonised Scarlet pimpernel, so many of these plants have been transferred to the roof and planted.
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Thrift , Cornflower and Camomile plugs are really thriving and the Sempervivum sp is small but slowly developing. All of the plants on the roof have been noted at ground level in the immediate environs so the roof is a real local biodiverse green roof, reflecting the local wildflowers.
Our edge detail has been adapted using 50mm wire mesh and 150mm granite boulders from the local quarry. As many of the local houses and boundary walls are made of the same granite, the roof also fits in with the local landscape and architectural character.
Of course both Geoff and Julie are enjoying the product of their labours but as Geoff points out:
‘The project has really turned heads.’ The roof is having a real impact on other people in the area. Which is good and let’s hope that this single green roof ‘breeds’ more in the immediate vicinity.
They are also pleased because the roof is robust . ‘When it rains down here it seems never to stop but when the sun comes out it is quite fierce and when the wind blows he really blows!’
They are confident that the roof will certainly survive and flourish even with the harsh wind and sun and the lashing of the horizontal Cornish rain.
One thing they have immediately noticed is the house was extremely hot when the roof consisted of just the exposed black rubber (EPDM) membrane. However once the green roof was installed the cooling effect was really noticeable. How it performs during the winter is the next benefit and they are hopeful that it should provide some insulation and thus lower fuel bills.
And we look forward to updating readers over the years as the roof develops.
Our next training courses are in in Stafford in September.
For out DIY Guide please visit livingroofs.org