Future Home

[want4rain]

YAY!! We are building our second home!! we would like to make this as efficient as possible. For starters we would like the south half to be underground, the south roof to be a green roof and to use cement walls and flooring to keep the house a more constant temp.

We aren't really sure where to start. We live in North Carolina so drainage is important... can anyone here point us in the right direction? I would like as much un-bias information on green roofs and waterproofing a cement or cinder block (which ever is preferred) wall.

THANK YOU!!!

-ashley

[want4rain]

To point out, this site has been *quite* helpful.

http://www.azsolarcenter.com/technology/pas-2.html


What I am looking for is information like effective moisture barrier for a concrete wall, water management for the hillside and the best method of green roofing (from material to positioning) possible. We want to do this the right way the first time.

-ashley[/url]

[csintexas]

Hi Ashley,
It's nice to see someone enthusiastic about good design. We do not build below ground in my area but I would think it is more common in North Carolina. It should be easy enough to find good details and product information regardless though.

That's a good link for passive solar -thanks. You are most likely in a high humidity environment so you won't get as much benefit from passive solar as they do in Arizona.

It seems a bit premature to think about the actual design details of the roof and wall assemblies at this point. These things have been around a long time and the actual construction details are not a major concern because we already know they can be done well. Cost is most likely the determining factor.

Are you planning to build this yourself?

[joelmckellar]

Just a heads up on the green roof prices, I've heard anywhere from $15-$25/sf for very large extensive installations (roofs you don't walk on) to $25-$40+/sf for intensive installations.

This does not include the additional costs to reinforce a roof to carry the significant weight loads involved in greenroof construction.

I wish you the best, but greenroofs are quite expensive. You may want to consider the benefits of greenroofs, and look at alternatives that help you achieve the same benefits for lower costs.

For instance, one of the benefits of a greenroof is reduced stormwater runoff. For much less cost, you can collect and store the stormwater through gutters and cisterns. Now you have a ready supply of non-potable water for irrigation and/or flushing toilets...

[lekizz]

Congratulations on your ambition! Greenroofs are increasing in popularity and there are a number of generic green roof systems that are available these days. Though of course, they will need to be tailored to your local climate and the plants chosen that will survive in your part of the world!

Of course, green roofs are not an expensive liability, they can save money by insulating your home, protect the roof surface, encourage wildlife and also look wonderful! They can be relatively light weight these days, only 3-4 inches in depth, but obviously the weight increases when they are wet!

The Whole Building design Guide website has a good section on green roofs

http://www.wbdg.org/design/greenroofs.php

and www.greenroofs.com has some useful information too.

Will be interesting to hear how your project goes.