Bay Area Residential and Commercial Roofing

When you think of the words Bay Area roofing, the words “bright, vibrant garden” probably don’t leap to mind. But green Bay Area roofs are increasingly growing in popularity, and for good reasons.

What is a green roof?

Also known as a rooftop garden, it’s a layer of vegetation plants sustained on a roof. These gardens can be installed on many buildings, including private homes and industrial complexes. They can include park-styled gardens, trees, edible vegetation, flowers, etc.

Although they are often associated with “hipster communities” in places like Brooklyn, Portland, Berkeley and other Bay Area communities, green roofs have sprouted up (literally) in every state and in every kind of urban environment. As of the middle of 2008, over 8.5 million square feet of green roofing had been installed in the U.S., and that number is undoubtedly much higher today.

So why do a green roof in the Bay Area?

1. Climate control
Green roofs offer protection against shade and heat through a kind of microclimate-inducing effect called evapotranspiration.

2. Improve energy use
Since these roofs insulate buildings, they reduce heating/cooling costs and also, potentially, reduce maintenance and installation costs.

3. Improve the overall ecosystem.
Advocates suggest these roofs can reduce the demand for A/C, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, soak up Bay Area air pollution, sequester carbon dioxide, help reduce storm-water drainage and improve the overall Bay Area urban water quality. The plants from the roof can also filter out pollutants from rainwater and recycle them back into usable organic compounds.

4. Boost health and comfort.
Not only does the green roof improve Bay Area air quality and heat flux, but it also offers roofing aesthetic value. Powerful research indicts our lack of regular safe sun exposure as a potential cause of dangerously low levels of Vitamin D. If you have a beautiful garden roof to chill out on, you might be more inclined to get out and rest among beautiful plants and fresh sunshine and thus revitalize your whole body.

5. Relatively easy to install and maintain.
You might think it would require far less “work” to throw slabs of concrete or tar onto a roof than it would to add and maintain a massive garden. You might be surprised. The materials used in green roofs often last longer than conventional materials, and you can offset cost differences by saving on heat, insulation, storm water management expenses, and beyond.

For help determining whether a Bay Area green roof is right for you, get in touch with an Bay Area roofing contractor here at Ben’s Roofing, located in Oakland. We would be happy to provide a free roofing estimate to make sure that you make the best choice for your budget and project. Call Ben’s today: (510) 690-8570

Bay Area Roofing