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ROOFING INSPECTION & REPAIR

AMERICAN CEMWOOD ROOFING
ATTIC VENTILATION

BEST ROOFING PRACTICES
BUILT UP ROOFS

CATHEDRAL CEILING VENTILATION
CEMWOOD ROOFING
CERTIFICATIONS for ROOFING CONTRACTORS
CHIMNEY FLASHING Mistakes & Leaks
COLD WEATHER ROOF TROUBLE

DECKS, ROOFTOP CONSTRUCTION

EPDM, RUBBER, PVC ROOFING
EXTRACTIVE BLEEDING on SHINGLES

FIRE RETARDANT PLYWOOD
FLASHING on BUILDINGS
FLAT ROOF MOISTURE & CONDENSATION

Green House or Solarium Roof Leaks

HEAT TAPES & CABLES on Roofs for Ice Dams

ICE DAM PREVENTION

MASONITE WOODRUF FIBERBOARD ROOFING

NOISE CONTROL for ROOFS

PLASTIC ROOFING TYPES
PVC, EPDM, RUBBER ROOFING

ROOF ARCHITECTURAL STYLES - PHOTO GUIDE
ROOF CLEANING RECOMMENDATIONS
ROOF COLOR RECOMMENDATIONS
ROOF INSPECTION SAFETY & LIMITS
ROOF LEAK DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
ROOF NOISE TRANSMISSION
ROOF REPLACEMENT SNAFUs
ROOFING FELT UNDERLAYMENT REQUIREMENTS
ROOFING MATERIALS, Age, Types

SADDLE CONSTRUCTION at CHIMNEYS
SNOW GUARDS & SNOW BRAKES
STANDARDS for ROOFING
STRESS SKIN INSULATED PANELS

TEST LABS - ROOF SHINGLE
TREES & SHRUBS, TRIM OFF BUILDING
TRUSSES, Floor & Roof

UNDERLAYMENT REQUIREMENTS on ROOFS

VENTILATION in BUILDINGS

WALK-ON ROOF SURFACES
WARRANTIES for ROOF SHINGLES
WORKMANSHIP & ROOF DAMAGE

More Information

Sod roof in Molde Norway (C) Daniel Friedman

Photo Guide to Traditional & Modern Sod Roofs
     

  • SOD ROOFING - Sod or soil & Grass roof inspection, failures, repair, product defects
    • Traditional & Modern sod roof design details in the U.S. & Norway
    • Green roofing methods, rooftop garden, rooftop grass, rooftop plant designs
  • Questions & Answers about sod roofs on buildings: history, inspection, maintenance, installation, repair, & current uses of sod roofs
  • References

Click to Show or Hide Related Topics

  • ROOFING INSPECTION & REPAIR - home
  • AGE OF ROOFING
  • ASBESTOS CEMENT & FIBER CEMENT ROOFS
  • ASPHALT ROOF SHINGLES
  • BEST ROOFING PRACTICES
  • BUILT UP ROOFS
  • CHOOSING A ROOFING CONTRACTOR
  • CLAY TILE ROOFING
  • CONCRETE ROOFING
  • CORRUGATED ROOFING
  • COPPER ROOFING
  • DEBRIS STAINING on ROOFS
  • EPDM, RUBBER, PVC ROOFING
  • EXTRACTIVE BLEEDING on SHINGLES
  • FELT UNDERLAYMENT REQUIREMENTS
  • FIBER CEMENT & FIBERBOARD ROOFING
  • FIRE RATINGS for ROOF SURFACES
  • FLASHING on BUILDINGS
  • HAIL DAMAGED SHINGLES
  • HOT ROOF DESIGNS: Un-Vented Roofs
  • ICE DAM PREVENTION
  • LEAKY ROOF DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
  • LOW SLOPE ROOFING
  • MEMBRANE & SINGLE PLY ROOFS
  • METAL ROOFING
  • MODIFIED BITUMEN ROOFING
  • PLASTIC ROOFING TYPES
  • PVC, EPDM ROOFING
  • ROLL ROOFING, ASPHALT
  • ROOF SLOPE DEFINITIONS
  • ROOF VENTILATION SPECIFICATIONS
  • RUBBER ROOFING
  • SLATE ROOF INSPECTION & REPAIR
  • SOD ROOFING
  • STAIN DIAGNOSIS on ROOFS
  • STONE ROOFING
  • THATCH ROOFING
  • TILE ROOFING
  • UNDERLAYMENT REQUIREMENTS, ROOF
  • WIND DAMAGE to ROOFS
  • WOOD SHAKE & SHINGLE ROOFING
  • ZINC METAL ROOFING
InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

Sod roofs: here we illustrate and discuss sod roofing in historic and contemporary use. This website provides un-biased articles about many common roofing materials, installations, inspection, defects, roofing repairs, and products. Our page top photograph shows a traditional sod roof on a historic log cabin preserved at the Romsdalsmuseet site in Oslo, Norway. The Romsdalsmuseet site in Oslo includes 35 Norwegian buildings with designs dating from 1600 to 1920.

Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.

Sod Roofing Examples, Photo Guide

Sod roof (C) Daniel Friedman

The ultimate "green" roof design that caused media excitement when it was popularized anew in 2009 is an old design for which we have literally hundreds of years of design experience. Here are some sod roof design details.

While our page top photograph shows a traditional sod roof preserved on an antique log cabin, our photo at left points out that sod roof designs continue in modern use in some parts of the world including this modern home built in Molde, Norway.

In additional photographs below we show sod roof construction details using both traditional materials (such as birch bark underlayment) and modern materials (such as geotextiles and rubber underlayment).

Sod Roof Edge Termination Details

Sod roof (C) Daniel Friedman Sod roof (C) Daniel Friedman

Our photo of a modern sod roof (above left) shows the use of copper underlayment and edge flashing to hold the soil in place on this relatively low-slope roof. However sod roof covering is also found on steeper slopes. Our photo of a traditional sod roof (above right) shows the use of a wooden board and birch bark as a soil dam as well as a drip edge.


Sod roof gutter design (C) DanieL Friedman\Both of the roofs shown above use an eaves overhang but no roof gutters were present.

However roof gutters were used on traditional sod roofed homes at least over entrances, as we show in this sod roof home photo.

A hand-sawn wooden roof gutter or eaves trough was installed, leaving the ends open as we have shown.

You may also notice the steel spikes nailed into rafter tails to keep the sod roof lower dam in place to prevent soil from sliding off of the roof. Other museum-grade sod roofs in The Romsdalsmuseet site in Oslo used carved wooden pegs in these locations, indicating a time when iron spikes were not readily available. You can see a wooden eaves dam peg in the next sod roof photo (below).


Sod roof (C) Daniel Friedman

 

Here is another look at a traditional sod roof, showing gable end design details for a traditional sod roof structure.

Because this roof was found on a restored museum building in Oslo, Norway, the museum restorers have hidden a rubber line under the sod as a step towards longer durability and less maintenance than the traditional birch-bark underlayment would have afforded.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about sod roof construction, design, inspection, repairs

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Questions & answers or comments about sod roofs on buildings: history, inspection, maintenance, installation, repair, & current uses of sod roofs.

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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

  • Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting Guide, Edmund C. Snodgrass, Lucie L. Snodgrass, Timber Press, Incorporated, 2006, ISBN-10: 0881927872, ISBN-13: 978-0881927870. The text covers moisture needs, heat tolerance, hardiness, bloom color, foliage characteristics, and height of 350 species and cultivars.
  • Green Roof Construction and Maintenance, Kelley Luckett, McGraw-Hill Professional, 2009, ISBN-10: 007160880X, ISBN-13: 978-0071608800, quoting: Key questions to ask at each stage of the green building process Tested tips and techniques for successful structural design Construction methods for new and existing buildings Information on insulation, drainage, detailing, irrigation, and plant selection Details on optimal soil formulation Illustrations featuring various stages of construction Best practices for green roof maintenance A survey of environmental benefits, including evapo-transpiration, storm-water management, habitat restoration, and improvement of air quality Tips on the LEED design and certification process Considerations for assessing return on investment Color photographs of successfully installed green roofs Useful checklists, tables, and charts
  • Handbook of Building Crafts in Conservation, Jack Bower, Ed., Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, NY 1981 ISBN 0-442-2135-3 Library of Congress Catalog Card Nr. 81-50643.
  • Historic Preservation Technology: A Primer, Robert A. Young, Wiley (March 21, 2008) ISBN-10: 0471788368 ISBN-13: 978-0471788362

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

  • Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
  • Home Reference Book - Carson DunlopThe Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

    Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
  • Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
  • Building Pathology, Deterioration, Diagnostics, and Intervention, Samuel Y. Harris, P.E., AIA, Esq., ISBN 0-471-33172-4, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 [General building science-DF] ISBN-10: 0471331724 ISBN-13: 978-0471331728
  • Building Pathology: Principles and Practice, David Watt, Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (March 7, 2008) ISBN-10: 1405161035 ISBN-13: 978-1405161039
  • Built-Up Roof Systems, Manual, C.W. Griffin, Mcgraw-Hill (Tx); 2nd edition (July 1982), ISBN-10: 0070247838, ISBN-13: 978-0070247833
  • Concrete Folded Plate Roofs, C. Wilby PhD BSc CEng FICE FIStructE (Author), Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998, ISBN-10: 0340662662, ISBN-13: 978-0340662663
  • Roofing The Right Way, Steven Bolt, McGraw-Hill Professional; 3rd Ed (1996), ISBN-10: 0070066507, ISBN-13: 978-0070066502
  • Slate Roofs, National Slate Association, 1926, reprinted 1977 by Vermont Structural Slate Co., Inc., Fair Haven, VT 05743, 802-265-4933/34. (We recommend this book if you can find it. It has gone in and out of print on occasion.)
  • Solar heating, radiative cooling and thermal movement: Their effects on built-up roofing (United States. National Bureau of Standards. Technical note), William C Cullen, Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govt. Print. Off (1963), ASIN: B0007FTV2Q
  • "Weather-Resistive Barriers [copy on file as /interiors/Weather_Resistant_Barriers_DOE.pdf ] - ", how to select and install housewrap and other types of weather resistive barriers, U.S. DOE
  • ...

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