Sod roofs or "green roofs" made of sod & other plantings.

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.

Sod Roofing Examples, Photo Guide

[Click to enlarge any image]

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

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.

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).

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.

Above is a very rough sod roof demonstration at el Charco del Inginero in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Green Roof & Sod Roof Research, Proucts, History, Sources

• Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting Guide, [Book at Amazon] 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, [Book at Amazon] 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
• Grimmer, Anne E., Jo Ellen Hensley, Liz Petrella, Audrey T. Tepper, ILLUSTRATED GUIDELINES on SUSTAINABILITY for REHABIITATING HISTORIC BUILDINGS [PDF] (2011) U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Standards for Rehabilitation, retrieved 2022/09/2, original source: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DECD/Historic-Preservation/03_Technical_Assistance_Research/guidelines-sustainability.pdf
• Köhler, Manfred, & Marco Scchmidt, Study of extensive GREEN ROOFS in Berlin Part III RETENTION of CONTAMINANTS" [PDF] (translated by Saskia Cacanindin), retrieved 2019/10/26 original source: http://www.roofmeadow.com/wp-content/uploads/Study-of-extensive-green-roof-in-Berlin_rev2.pdf
  Summary Excerpt:
  
  The ability of Green Roofs to bind and retain contaminants is not sufficiently recognized at this time. The two studies discussed here show initial results regarding this topic.
  
  Two contradictory processes are apparent in green roofs. On one hand, green roofs retain and bind contaminants which are introduced either as dry dust particles or suspended and dissolved in rain water.
  
  On the other hand, contaminants can be leached out of the substrate used in the green roof’s construction, which can complicate the reuse of the runoff water.
  
  This is particularly noticeable immediately after installation. When specifying substrates for use in green roofs that are intended to achieve water quality objectives, more attention should be paid to the nature and quantity of contaminants that a certain substrate is able to bind and retain.
  
  However, with the appropriate choice of substrate, mature green roofs can contribute to a significant reduction in the pollution of the receiving waters.
  
  The results discussed here are compared to a conventional, unplanted bituminous roof and to two green roofs that were installed 15 years ago. The substrate depth utilized in these two green roofs was 5 cm and 12 cm.
• Greenroofs.org, ANSI/SPRI RP-14 2016 Wind Design Standard For Vegetative Roofing Systems [PDF] (2016) design standards for green roof installation, materials, and other resources. Retrieved 2019/10/26 original source: https://www.spri.org/download/ standards_and_technical_reports/current_ansi_spri_standards/ ANSI_SPRI-RP-14-2016-Wind-Design-Standard-for-Vegetative-Roofing-Systems.pdf
• Green Roof Technology 3646 Roland Avenue Baltimore, MD 21211 USA Phone: 443-345-1578 Email: info@greenrooftechnology.com provides lists of standards and organizations for green roofing (or sod roofs or turf roofs) in the U.S., Germany, and other sources at http://www.greenrooftechnology.com/industry-standards
• NPS, GREEN ROOFS [PDF] U.S. National Park Service, retrieved 2022/09/27, origial source: https://www.nps.gov/tps/sustainability/new-technology/green-roofs.htm
  
  Excerpt:
  What is a Green Roof? A green roof is a layer of vegetation planted over a waterproofing system that is installed on top of a flat or slightly–sloped roof.
  
  Green roofs are also known as vegetative or eco–roofs. They fall into three main categories—extensive, intensive, and semi–intensive.
• United Stated Green Building Council (USGBC) Website: https://new.usgbc.org/ (good luck trying to find a "contact us" page.)
• Also seeReferences or Citations below

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Question: where do I find a sod roof or green roof installer?

2019/10/27 Susie asked:

How do I find sod roof installers in my area?

Reply: search for "sod roof" or "green roof" or for sod roof or green roof in the language of your country, + city name

Susie:

Choosing to install a sod roof and finding an installer begins, in my OPINION, with stating the country and city where you live. Sod roofs are common and make sense in some climates more than others.

In Norway where we photographed some of the sod roofs shown here, what English speakers call a "sod roof" in Norwegian translation is a "torvtak",or "turf roof". In an area of Norway where sod roofs or "torvtaks" are being installed we'd contact local building contractors or search for "torvtak installerds" using an online tool for such a builder in the city where the building is located.

In other words, choose the terms you use according to your country and city. I some areas of North America sod roofs are installed, including on high-rise buildings, but are more likely to be referred to as "green roofs".

For example, if you live in New York City and wanted to investigate a sod roof and look for installers you'd search for "green roof installers in New York".
Immediately you'll find

New York Green Roof (Sod Roof) companies

• Brooklyn Greenroof, 42A Monroe Place, Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA Tel: (718) 875-2303 Email inger@brooklyngreenroof.com
  
• Highview Creations, 61 Greenpoint Ave, Floor 6, Suite 631 Brooklyn, NY 11222 USA Tel: 646.481.9012 Email: info@hvcnyc.com

of course there are others

Green Roof Installers in the U.K.

In the UK you'd search for "green roofers" or "green roof installers" OR search for "organic roofers" or "organic roof installation" plus your city name, and immediately you'd find these Green Roof (Sod roof) installers, for example, in London:

• Green Roofers Ltd, 1st Floor, 2 Woodberry Grove, Finchley, London. N12 0DR UK Tel: 020 7754 0365 Email: info@greenroofers.co.uk
• Organic Roofs, 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street London EC2A 4NE UK Email: enquiries@organicroofs.co.uk Tel: 0203 828 7505 this company works throughout the UK

and again there are more green roof or organic roof companies quickly listed by that search - more in fact than in New York

Green Roof Installers in Germany

You can use the same term "green roof installers" to find such installers in Germany. For example "Green roof installers in Berlin" finds

• Apex Green Roofs Inc. at www.apexgreenroofs.com/contact-us at a less friendly website that does good job at hiding the company's other contact information such as address and telephone.
• UFA-Fabrik Berlin and Greenroofs.com LLC Local Phone: (770) 772-7334 Toll Free/Fax: (888) 477-1326 reporting on green facades - who maintain a directory green roof and green facade installers found at https://www.greenroofs.com/directory/
  Excerpt:
  
  There are now green facades and 4,000 square meters of greenroof planted with native grasses, herbs and perennials, alongside solar panels and various testing areas.
  
  A monitoring program has tracked development of the vegetation, microclimate and retention of precipitation since 1992, and greenroof research includes solar panels since 1998.

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• ROOFING INSPECTION & REPAIR - home
• THATCH ROOFING

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