As a homeowner, if you are looking for roofing materials that would work well for your home, if you are like most, you will be researching asphalt shingles, metal sheeting, and perhaps even wood shake. However, there is one roofing choice that may not get a great deal of your attention and that is a green roofing system, which is sometimes referred to as a living roof. Even though green roofing systems have a lot to offer when it comes to efficiency and effective rooftop protection, there are a lot of misconceptions about this roofing type. We spoke with Jeff, from Universal Roofing of Omaha to get some tips. Here are a few of the biggest misconceptions and the actual facts you will want to know about green roofs for your residential home they deal with each year.
Misconception: Green roofs are something more reserved for commercial buildings.
Fact: Even though green roofs are most commonly used in a commercial setting, they can still be installed on a residential home just the same. In densely populated city urban areas, green roofing systems serve the valuable purpose of helping to manage water runoff during rain. However, in a residential setting, green roofs offer just as many benefits. A living roof can decrease your home’s heating and cooling costs and even outlast a lot of traditional roofing materials by many years.
Misconception: Green roofs are too expensive to have installed.
Fact: The cost to install a green roof is actually a lot lower than what most homeowners expect. In fact, you should only expect to pay somewhere between $15 and $20 for the entire installation project of a living roof, which includes installing the waterproof membrane layer and the thick soil substrate.
Misconception: A green roofing system is difficult to maintain and time-consuming.
Fact: Green roofing may take a little extra attention compared to other materials, but it is not as difficult to maintain as you likely expect. With low-maintenance plants and undergrowth, such as some ornamental grasses and other dense greenery like moss, the roof pretty much tends to its own maintenance needs throughout the year. Depending on the climate where you live, you may have to have your roof re-seeded in the spring if the temperatures were cool enough in the winter to stunt the natural process.
Even though green roofing is most commonly associated with business properties, this form of roofing is an incredibly attractive choice for a lot of homeowners. If you think that installing a living roof on your home could be a good choice, talk to a professional roofing company for more information.