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Green Roofs

A living roof, done properly.

Sedum green roofs over root-resistant single ply membrane. Good for pollinators, good for drainage, good for the planning officer — and built on the one thing most green roof installers get wrong: the waterproofing underneath.

Fatra Sedum System Root-Resistant Membrane 20-Yr Membrane Warranty Good for Pollinators
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Sedum green roof in full flower on a stone-built garage near Sheffield
Fatra
Sedum system
20-yr
Membrane warranty
1–2
Check-ups a year
Day 1
Green from install
A real job, not a stock photo

Stone garage, Sheffield — membrane to meadow.

A new stone-built garage with a roof the owners would see every day from the house. Single ply membrane first, Fatra sedum blanket on top — and because the blanket arrives pre-grown, it was already flowering the day we laid it.

Dark grey single ply membrane installed on the garage roof before the sedum layer
Before: the waterproofing
The same roof after installation, covered in flowering yellow sedum with countryside beyond
After: the living roof

The membrane went down in June. The pre-grown sedum blanket followed in July, with pebble margins at every edge and outlet — already established and already in flower as it came off the roll. What the owners look out on is a flowering roof with the countryside behind it, and what we know is underneath is a heat-welded, root-resistant single ply membrane with a 20-year warranty.

Why go green

Six honest reasons — no greenwash.

A green roof is not for every building or every budget. But where it fits, it earns its keep in ways grey membrane cannot.

Good for wildlife

A sedum roof flowers through the summer and feeds bees, butterflies and other pollinators. It turns a dead grey surface into a living one.

Slows storm runoff

The sedum layer holds rainwater and releases it slowly, easing the load on drains and gutters during heavy South Yorkshire downpours.

Protects the membrane

The living layer shields the waterproofing beneath from UV and temperature swings — the two things that age a flat roof fastest.

Planning-friendly

Planners like green roofs. On extensions and garden buildings, a sedum roof can be the difference between an easy approval and a fight.

Helps with temperature

The extra build-up adds a layer of natural insulation — rooms below stay cooler in summer and hold warmth better in winter.

Looks the part

If you can see the roof from the house or the garden, sedum beats grey membrane every day of the week. Especially when it flowers.

The bit nobody photographs

A green roof is only as good as the roof under it.

Here is the problem with green roofs sold by landscapers and general builders: the pretty layer goes on top of whatever waterproofing they can manage. If that membrane fails — a poorly welded seam, a missed detail at an upstand — the leak is invisible under a carpet of sedum, and finding it means stripping the living roof off again.

We come at it from the other direction. We are single ply specialists first — trained by seven manufacturers, with an SPRA award for detailing to show for it. The membrane under your sedum is root-resistant, heat-welded, and installed to the same standard as every roof we fit. And because leaks hide under green roofs, we can electronically leak-test the membrane before a single plant goes down.

Get the waterproofing right and a green roof is a joy for decades. Get it wrong and it is a garden-sized problem. We do the first one.

Close-up of flowering sedum meeting the pebble drainage border on a Skyguard green roof
How we build it

Four layers, in the right order.

Waterproofing, structure, drainage, sedum. Skip or skimp any one of them and the roof fails — so we do not.

01

Waterproofing first

We install a root-resistant single ply membrane — the same manufacturer-trained standard as every roof we fit. This is the layer that keeps the water out for the next few decades, so it gets done properly.

02

Structural check

A saturated green roof is heavier than a bare one. We confirm the deck and structure can carry it before anything green goes up — not after.

03

Drainage and borders

Drainage layer, pebble margins at the edges and around outlets so water always has somewhere to go and the sedum stays where it should.

04

Sedum blanket

Pre-grown Fatra sedum blanket laid over the build-up. It arrives as an established living mat, not seed and hope — green from day one.

FAQ

Green roof questions

Weight, maintenance, leaks, and what it looks like in February.

What actually is a sedum green roof?
A living carpet of sedum — low, drought-tolerant, succulent plants — grown into a mat and laid over a proper flat roof build-up. Underneath it there is a root-resistant single ply membrane, a drainage layer, and pebble borders at the edges. The sedum needs almost no soil and very little looking after, which is why it is the standard choice for green roofs in the UK.
Will it leak?
Not if the waterproofing underneath is done properly — and that is the whole point of using us. A green roof is a wet, planted layer sat on top of your membrane. If the membrane fails, you cannot see the leak and you cannot get at it without lifting the garden off your roof. So we treat the waterproofing as the job, and the sedum as the finish. Root-resistant membrane, heat-welded seams, and a full electronic leak test available before the green layer goes down.
How heavy is it? Can my roof take it?
A saturated sedum build-up typically adds 60–100 kg per m² — roughly like parking three or four bags of cement on every square metre. Plenty of structures take that fine, some need beefing up, and some are not suitable. We check the structure before we quote, and we will tell you straight if your roof cannot carry it.
Is it yellow all year round?
No — and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you a photo, not a roof. Sedum flowers gold and yellow in early summer, sits green through the growing season, and can blush red or bronze in drought and through winter. It is a living thing and it changes with the seasons. That is rather the point.
How much maintenance does it need?
A light going-over once or twice a year: pull any windblown weeds, check the drainage outlets are clear, and give it a feed in spring. No mowing, no watering once established except in a serious drought. We hand over with a simple care sheet, and our maintenance plans can cover it if you would rather not go up a ladder.
How much does it cost?
It is priced per job — the sedum system sits on top of the cost of the single ply roof beneath it, and the structure, access and edge details vary too much for an honest flat rate. Use the 60-second estimator for the membrane and ring us on 07807 815181 about the green layer. We will give you a straight number in writing.
What warranty do I get?
The waterproofing underneath carries our standard cover: a 20-year manufacturer-backed warranty on the membrane plus our 20-year workmanship warranty, both transferable. The sedum itself is a living layer, not a manufactured product — it establishes and behaves like the planting it is, and we hand over with clear care guidance rather than pretending plants come with a certificate.
Can you put a green roof on my existing flat roof?
Sometimes. The membrane must be root-resistant and in genuinely good nick, and the structure must take the weight — most tired felt roofs fail on both counts. Usually the right answer is a new single ply membrane with the green roof built on top, done once and done properly. We will survey and tell you honestly which side of the line your roof falls.

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