Roofing options

[af14729]

Hi there, I plan to build a log home with a walk in basement on a slight slope, so that as you drive up to the house it will look vey small and low to the ground, the roof will be almost at ground level.
My question is has any one put a turfed roof on a log home or ever seen a log home with a turfed roof?

[rreidnauer]

The closest thing I can think of as an actual example is Dick Proenneke's cabin in Alaska. No reason it can't be done though.

[StressMan79]

I think you are talking about building in W. NY, right? the thing about that area, is there is LOTS of snow. I think you can use a fairly shallow pitch roof, seeded with wildflowers, and wild grasses, with a more tenacious root structure, and use some stainless steel chicken wire to reinforce the slope (keep the dirt up there). I don't know of any experts on this forum who can guide you on your quest (google search) "green roof" but I do know it has been done.
for example the san francisco academie of sciences has a pretty nifty green roof that looks like a hillside from on top. One thing to watch out for is a sapling taking root in your roof. the logs you construct your home out of should be put there by you, not mother nature.
Great to have you on board.
-Peter

[ragdump]

Ragdump
A green metal roof with plastic flowers would be a lot easier (they make some very real looking flowers these days)

[edkemper]

Sounds like stress free living with artificial flowers.

[chadfortman]

Seal with wth poyurthane clear coat then tar paper ore roof guard 2 cant use stapes ore they gone need coated over.
You seal wth some 10 mll plastic ore tarps ore pool linner. if you platic you need first layer plastic with 2 feet dirt rake the rock out up side down rake.
then after the first layer you have do another layer plastic. Next you do a few more feet of dirt. What happen the pitch the roof and platic curbs the water off the roof.
You do roof pitch one and 3 feet for ever 3 feet drops a foot any more this it slide dirt off and leaks.
The dirt makes a Rvale better insulation and its free. And its a living roof Dirt is free its dirt cheep insulation is expensive.
If you want know more about this email me on the subject i got books dvds on this chad_fortman2001@yahoo.com

[StressMan79]

Chad is our resident living roof expert!


I don't know of any experts on this forum who can guide you on your quest (google search) "green roof" but I do know it has been done.

great info Chad!
-Peter

[chadfortman]

Peter far from expert but i been study dvds and the books on underground homes.
Pool linner 30 to 40 mill is not cheep and so heavy but the best to cover it.
But plastic in 2 layers one flat roof then a thin layer dirt to the second layer layers 10 to 6 mill as long not exposed sun will work.
Earth on 4 side of a home hold a tempture all year around about 50 degrees. The earth become the insulaton venting heat out and hold a ground tempture to warm the roof and sides of the home. so guss what you need heat the home cheep in winter time 20 degrees and then crack windows to bring in heat in the summer time warm it up.
Black plastic 10 to 6 mill exposed sun rots at slower rate. Clear plastic cover the roof but lets off less gas but breaks down fast exposed sunlight.
The high mill garbage bags not exposed sun will not break down that why if you look the bags are low mill now to break down.
I know if someone wanted do it they need do like perlin like the way Skips roofs made.
The weight of the mudd would be heavy and only perlins and liike 2 by 12 style roof be the only way hold the weight.
The style roofs and homes were made by Engineer worked with Mr Oehler.
Some of you are math expert you have figure out how much dirt weight by the sq foot and depth to figure the weigth load.
I read books Greenthumb got me onto study underground homes and gardens. Mike Oehler is hippie from the 60s.
If you want know about read ore buy his dvds ore my be just my be i can answer the qwestion but i am far from a expert.

[af14729]

Thanks to all for the info, I will get back to you on this Chad in the near future, going to do a bit more research
Andrew.

[af14729]

Hi, W NY is correct stressman, thanks

[ny_log_home_dreamer]

I live in eastern-upstate NY. 45 minutes south of montreal. My wife and I did a bunch of research on cordwood/stackwall masonary building techniques. One of the nations gurus is Rob Roy. He has a cordwood building school in my area. He has a 2000 sq ft cordwood home with a living roof. He has some great info on his site. Do a search for Earthwood Building School. Not sure if you are still looking in to this info, but he has great techniques for installing a living roof. Good luck!

[jrdavis]

Dreamer

I have looked that these for years.... but have never been able to convince my wife to like them. :)
We have trees downed by the weather here all the time and would have free wood, cut to size by others, free for picking up, but I digress.

So I go out to Rob Roys site to check them out.
I'd lke to try to incorporate the style inot the Log home, but we'll see.
oJD

[loghousenut]

Cordwood construction is cool. I thought about it for years. Don't know how it would set with the Wife to be Mrs. Firewoodhousenut. Somehow I always came back to logs. There's a WOW factor to a nice log home that I can't seem to see in most cordwood homes. I'd hate for the Grandkids to miss out on that.

I sweated for years the thought of working with the county inspector making a legal, handmade home. I found the process to be easy using the LHBA process. I wonder how tough it would be to build a legal cordwood home.

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using Tapatalk

[ny_log_home_dreamer]

So this thread doesn't get off track and gets back to roofing opitons. I only mentioned Rob Roy because he has used an living roof on his house which is 40 percent burmed. The roof on the back of the hosue is pretty much just above the burm. I have been in the house. It's awe inspiring. Huge and I mean huge mansonary stove. He fits right in with the LBHA philosophy. Build it mortgage free, scrounge for used EVERYTHING", don't buy new unless you have to. I have read 4 of his books. Very interesting guy. I even had the privilege of sitting down and talking with him for about 2 hours. He went cordwood because he figure he would never be able to lift a log with just himself and his wife (without power equipment) that is. Anyhow didn't I say we were going to get this back to ROOF options... back to ROOF options. My wife and I are considering a living roof. Great insulation factor, a more natural look and less breakdown over time. Not convinced it's the way to go yet though.

[dnwhansen]

Seal with wth poyurthane clear coat then tar paper ore roof guard 2 cant use stapes ore they gone need coated over.
You seal wth some 10 mll plastic ore tarps ore pool linner. if you platic you need first layer plastic with 2 feet dirt rake the rock out up side down rake.
then after the first layer you have do another layer plastic. Next you do a few more feet of dirt. What happen the pitch the roof and platic curbs the water off the roof.
You do roof pitch one and 3 feet for ever 3 feet drops a foot any more this it slide dirt off and leaks.
The dirt makes a Rvale better insulation and its free. And its a living roof Dirt is free its dirt cheep insulation is expensive.
If you want know more about this email me on the subject i got books dvds on this chad_fortman2001@yahoo.com

Has anyone used the Mike Oehler underground housing strategy as temporary housing before their main construction. It seems like it would be an afternoon of work with a back hoe, a couple of weeks of framing, and you could quickly have a cozy home while working. I was thinking of a sawdust toilet, propane fridge, and camp stove.

[spiralsands]

Hi there, I plan to build a log home with a walk in basement on a slight slope, so that as you drive up to the house it will look vey small and low to the ground, the roof will be almost at ground level.
My question is has any one put a turfed roof on a log home or ever seen a log home with a turfed roof?

I have a book at home about an artist called Hundertvasser and there are some pics of turf roofs in there. I'll try to scan some in when I get home.

Frances

[spiralsands]

840

Hundertvasser also had a city building in Vienna with a flat roof that was sodded but the only pic I had of that was of it covered in snow.

[edkemper]

That house looks very cool and historically romantic. But I'm guessing that while our style roofs are far more expensive they are also almost zero maintenance. I'm getting lazier as I age.

[BarstowRat]

Can't remember where I saw it, but it was of an old stone cabin in Europe that had a living roof, and as the story went, the old man got too old and built a ramp for the goats to get up there and trim the grass.