Anyone done their own sedum roof?

[MontyVeda]

The house i've put an offer on has a flat-ish roof over the kitchen covered in ancient felt that needs fettling.

It's a little bigger than 3x2 meters and I'm thinking about EPDM as a DIY project. The pitch is approximately 15 degrees and it's south facing so it'll suck up the sun in the summer and the kitchen will be its own oven, especially with a black rubber roof. So I'm thinking of putting a 'green' sedum roof as insulation from the sun, plus it'll look nicer out of the bedroom window that overlooks said roof.

It'll need the 1.5mm EPDM laid on new 18mm OSB, then a waterproof membrane on the EPDM, then a root barrier then whatever the sedum plants will grow in. It'll be extensive (thin), about 3 inches thick I guess.

Has anyone done this as a DIY project?

 

[annedonnelly]

I wanted to do that with my garage roof but I was warned the roof might not take the weight. Something to think about.

I've seen some really successful ones.

 

[figbat]

I wanted to do that with my garage roof but I was warned the roof might not take the weight. Something to think about.

I've seen some really successful ones.

Good point. Not only the weight of everything you’re putting on there but the future weight of the grown plants and whatever water gets held during rain.

 

[OldShep]

Yes ive done it
15 yo this year grown from a few packets of seeds. They were mixed varieties but only teo seem to dominate. Gorgeous in early summer when they flower.
Its a roundhouse i built for the bikes/ man cave. Used a pond liner then covered that with builders plastic. Planted them out into 30-40 mm depth of sand and compost mixed. They have spread snd covered the gaps over the years.
Im not worried anout the weight like most things i do its over engineered 😁. Reciprocal timbers 6”thick.

 

[MontyVeda]

I wanted to do that with my garage roof but I was warned the roof might not take the weight. Something to think about.

I've seen some really successful ones.

sedum is relatively lightweight as it can get away with only a couple of inches of soil. The other type of green roof is the intensive (i think) with a minimum of 6" of soil to grow bigger plants. That's when you really need to consider the structure holing it up.

 

[MontyVeda]

Good point. Not only the weight of everything you’re putting on there but the future weight of the grown plants and whatever water gets held during rain.

Selecting the small sedums is the idea. There may be some airborne tree thingies landing on it that could get too big if ignored, but they'll stand out like a sore thumb and the roof will be accessible from a platform ladder so easy to deal with. Plus the 15 degree pitch will aid drainage.