Green Roof Systems

Sedum and living roof systems for flat and low-pitch roofs, laid over EPDM and other waterproofing. A green roof adds insulation and sound absorption, slows rainwater run-off, and turns a plain garden room or garage roof into something worth looking at from an upstairs window.

What sits under the planting

A green roof does not replace the waterproofing — it sits on top of it. The usual order is waterproof membrane, root barrier, drainage and reservoir layer, growing substrate, then the sedum blanket. EPDM is a common choice underneath because it is a single continuous sheet with very few seams to fail once it is buried and no longer accessible.

Two things to check first

Loading is the first: a saturated green roof is considerably heavier than a bare one, so the deck and joists need to take it. Drainage is the second — water has to reach an outlet even with substrate on top, so outlets need to stay clear and the perimeter needs a clean edge detail.

See our EPDM membranes for the waterproofing layer, drain outlets and pipe boots for the drainage, and reinforced perimeter strip for bonding the membrane at the edges.