Top Tips For Creating The Perfect Green Flat Roof

Daniel Bracewell • 24 November 2022

Having a flat roof has a lot of benefits to it, including more convenient access, the potential to have an extra outdoor rooftop space to use and a better location to place air conditioning units or solar panels, the mostly flat surfaces also allow for unique, versatile additions such as green roofs.

Initially popularised by Waldspirale, a unique melding of nature and architecture by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, green roofing is the installation of a garden or green area on the top of a flat roof.

Not only does this look beautiful and striking, but roof gardens tend to be low maintenance, offer natural insulation that keeps the building warm in summer but also avoids the heat island effect in summer, and help to manage water drainage, whilst also helping the environment.

If you have a flat roof or plan to install one soon, you have the perfect platform for a rooftop garden, and here are some top tips for making it perfect.

Extensive Or Intensive

Whilst in most other contexts the words extensive and intensive largely mean the same thing, they have very different meanings when it comes to green roofs, and choosing which one you want will determine the types of greenery you will be able to grow on it.

An extensive roof is one with a soil layer of less than 15cm (six inches), which is sufficient for a small lawn or flowers, but an intensive roof has a thicker layer of more than six inches that can be used more like a ground-level garden.

Exactly which is more suited to your needs depends on whether you plan on building it yourself or contracting the work out, as well as the structural soundness of your building. Contacting a structural engineer and flat roof specialists is essential.

Follow The Seasons

When it comes to timing your build, try to install it at the start of spring or the start of autumn, as these two relatively mild seasons will allow for the plants to bed in, take root and brace themselves for either an intense summer or cold winter.

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Can You Install Solar Panels On A Flat Roof?

by Daniel Bracewell • 10 December 2025

If you’re exploring how to lower your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint, you may be looking at the likes of solar panels for your home. But what if your property has a flat roof rather than a pitched roof? Can you still install solar panels on a flat roof? The short answer is yes, you can! In fact, it is often easier to install solar panels on a flat roof than it is to fit them to a sloped roof, which might make this an even more appealing avenue to explore when you’re looking at flat roof ideas . In many cases, you also don’t need planning permission to install solar panels on your flat roof. Of course, there are exceptions if you have a listed building or live in a conservation area, but if you own your house (different rules apply for flats too), you should be free to add solar panels to your home as you choose. There are different kinds of mounting systems for flat roof solar panels and which is most appropriate for your home will depend on the direction it faces. It is worth noting that the cost of installing solar panels is often higher on flat roofs because of the mounting system, but some of this can be offset by the lower labour costs because the installation process is usually more straightforward. One of the main reasons homeowners install solar panels is to reduce their energy bills. Many report savings of hundreds of pounds each year, which means these panels often pay for themselves relatively quickly. What’s more, under the Smart Export Guarantee , you can sell any energy you don’t use back to the National Grid, which can increase the rate at which your investment in solar panels pays for itself. So, if you are exploring ways to make the most of your flat roof, consider solar panels as an option to reduce your energy bills and do good for the environment.