There are several reasons to choose a flat roof, but the vast majority of people who consult a specialist to install or modify their roof do so in order to add functionality to their home or for aesthetic benefits.

Both of these reasons dovetail into the rising popularity of green roofs, or roofing systems that incorporate grass, plants or other greenery to form an integrated roof garden.

Whilst they can theoretically be planted onto any roof, a flat roof provides the best surface for a green roof to grow and allows for more intensive roofing to be planted as long as the structure allows it.

However, whilst the verdant beauty of nature inherently provides an aesthetic benefit to a green roof, there are financial benefits of well that are worth considering.

The most important of these is that adding greenery to your roof can help extend the lifespan of the waterproof membrane that is so critical to avoiding leaks and potential damage to your roof. 

A historic study on early green roofs suggests it could triple the lifespan, but more advanced greening methodologies and improved membrane technology could extend that lifespan even more.

The vegetation and soil protect the roof from ultraviolet radiation, its weight keeps the membrane even and if it is a walkable surface avoids physical damage to the material itself.

Similarly, green roofs are becoming increasingly desirable to prospective homebuyers, with a green roof potentially adding up to ten per cent more to the value of a property, through a combination of aesthetics and additional thermal benefits.

A green roof acts like an insulating layer, which helps buildings to retain heat in the winter, thus lowering energy bills, whilst also absorbing the sun’s rays in the summer, which reduces the need for air conditioning and the energy costs that they can entail.