Mana Roof finishes
The roof consists of two halves. On the South side we have a metal standing seam roof covering which will allow us to fix solar panels on it so that we can generate electricity and the rain water will run out into our SuDs pond which feeds into our orchard. All of the rain water will follow this route. We are making what is normally waste water into a resource by the principle of “slow it, spread it, sink it”. The SuDS pond is effectively a detention pond because it is lined with geotextile clay liner and therefore no water soaks away from it. When the pond is full rain water will flow out through an overflow pipe which we have directed into an unlined swale where the orchard will be planted and where it will slowly seep away around the roots of the fruit trees and bushes.
The metal roof is made of 36 standing seam panels, half a meter wide, which are easy to clip together, making installation straight forward and quick (just one day).
On the North side we are have a green roof. This consists of an EPDM rubber roof lining, which effectively seals the roof from rain, and on top of this sits around 400 trays of sedum plants. These help blend the house into nature when viewed from the road but they also absorb about half of the rain falling on them and thus reduce the surface water run off which in turn reduces the risk of surges of water into the ground.
Sedum is a drought tolerant plant which basically goes into hibernation when starved of water but which comes back to life when water is available again. The resilient little plants cope with heat, frost, wind, and drought, making them perfectly suited to exposed rooftops. Each sedum type adds its own colour, texture and character. Together they create a living roof that shifts gently through the seasons, supports bees and butterflies and adapts to the environment over time. (Text courtesy of Green Roof Tops of Newent).
The trays are very easy to install, as they just need to be laid down on an underfelt and they interlock with each other to form a solid mass of sedum. The whole roof took no more than half a day of fitting, although we did have daily deliveries of 50 to 100 trays at a time just to spread the load on our efforts.
