I’ve been fascinated (as have many people lately) with the green roofs that are quickly become very popular. Originally when I wanted to build my shed I wanted to cover the all of the non-transparent roof surfaces with plants. I realized that to build a green roof over the whole structure would be both time and labor intensive. I would have also needed some restructuring inside to compensate for the weight load of wet soil. In short it just wasn’t practical for my greenhouse shed.
But I’m never one to give up on an idea quickly! A couple months into its construction I had an idea …why not try a decorative front door overhang? Then I thought “why not make it a green roof?” Today I completed the basic structure of the green roof overhang. It protrudes 2 feet out from the greenhouse and is about 6 feet long. It’s only about 4 inches deep which should be more than enough room for succulents and rock garden plants.
Here’s how I put the green roof overhang together:
- I attached 2 – 2″x4″ pieces that were cut 2′ long (one side of each board was cut with a 13 degree angle) to a 6′ long 2″x6″.
- Then I put the 2″x6″ on the greenhouse and centered it.
- Underneath the two sides I attached support pieces to help hold the structure.
- Next I put the edge trim pieces on both ends which measured 24″ and covered the front with another trim piece.
- Inside the frame I put 2″x2″s along the bottom edges of the long sides of the frame.
- Last for today was putting the floor of the overhang together by screwing it into the 2″x2″ pieces. The flooring was made from pressure treated dogeared fence panels that I cut at 23.5″. It was a cheap and economical way to put the floor together and looks pretty good from underneath.
To finished the green roof section I need to put down a waterproof membrane, drainage spout, a capillary layer and of course the soil! I would also like to add some more decorate aspects to the supports and the area in general. My next step is to figure out the best soil mix for green roofs, one that retains moisture yet stays relatively light. Time to do some research!
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My Garden Shed’s Backdoor
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Taking Advantage of the Weather
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Greenhouse Slideshow
I put together a short slideshow of the greenhouse pictures I’ve taken since beginning the project. They start in August with pictures of the site and end with the greenhouse’s current state (in December 2009). I hope you enjoy the look back!
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