Selecting the correct green roofing system for your property in Summerlin requires a careful assessment of a few crucial factors—climate, building design, and personal preferences. Green roofs are particularly beneficial in our warm, dry environment, and can help manage heat, provide insulation, and save energy. One popular option is an "extensive" green roof. These lightweight systems feature a layer of relatively drought-tolerant plants, like sedums, that can thrive here with minimal maintenance. "Extensive" roofs are also unlike "intensive" green roofs in that they usually cost significantly less, which also makes them a budget-friendly way to incorporate sustainable practices into your building design. Regardless of roof system, green roofs promote biodiversity. They provide a habitat for some of the local plants and animals that, in an exciting twist, help us manage pests and save energy!
If you want to create a vibrant, versatile rooftop space, then an intensive green roof is your best bet. These roofing systems can support an astonishing range of plant life, from sedums (a type of plant that store water in their leaves) to small trees. This largely has to do with the "intensive" nature of the green roofs: they have a deep, thick substrate layer that's similar to a soil layer found in a yard (or a garden, for that matter). "It's also quite possible that your HOA [homeowners' association] covenants and restrictions might consider an intensive green roof that promotes a full range of plant life—not just green "wall" (or type) plants—that might make even Heaven's Gate [the 2002 World Trade Center in New York] look like a polycarbonate shower not meant to be seen from the road. After all, what's on the outside counts for something with those who might be considered "neighbors."
Another option for a green roofing system is a pre-vegetated module. This system is made of plant-filled trays that are easy to install and easy to swap out (when necessary) with another module. The tray system can be kept fairly shallow, so there's no need for your roofing structure to support more weight than a layer of standard asphalt shingles. And while a modular green roofing system is a rather straightforward thing to look at (the trays, after all, are fairly uniform), it is also a system that allows for a fair amount of customization. You, too, can be part of the sustainable Renaissance, Summerlin.
