Moving Forward

Preparations are well under way for planting. The target date for initial planting is May 31st. In the meantime, some final touches are in the schedule, including:

• setting the rubber barrier, as well as laying the carpeting- an old vinyl billboard is serving as a root barrier between the rubber and the carpet
  
• hoisting the soil- for this task Dave will probably develop some sort of crane or block and tackle lift
  
• erecting the staircase- this particular set of stairs was salvaged from a barn

The plants have been selected and ordered. This process was facilitated by Liz from Urban Roots Community Garden Center and Mother Plants of Ithaca, NY (specialists in Green Roofs). Plants were selected for their ability to thrive in the Buffalo, NY climate and for drought resistance.

Metal rain barrels (formerly food barrels) will be utilized for water collection, with a pump operated by hand or possibly solar power.

From the guy who brought us straw bale building: living roofs

Dave Lanfear is beginning an interesting project on his garage. Beginning this spring he will be adding green space to its top.

This blog will follow the project from start to finish, documenting his process and progress.


Roof preparation:

• The garage roof has been reinforced by adding sister rafters
• The roof was in disrepair when Dave bought the house: many layers of roof decking and various coatings/coverings were removed
• A rubber/composite membrane will cover the underlayment of plywood
• Salvaged post-consumer : ) carpeting will form a barrier between the membrane and the soil, padding it from foot traffic, stones and tools
• A salvaged staircase will provide temporary access to the roof for the initial stages of construction