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Green Roofs A living roof, done properly.

Sedum green roofs on extensions, garages and garden rooms across Sheffield and North East Derbyshire. The planting is the part you see. The root-resistant waterproofing under it is the part that has to last, so it is laid, leak-tested and warranted by roofing specialists.

Fatra Modular Trays Root-Resistant Membrane Leak Test Included 20-Yr Membrane Warranty
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Sedum green roof in full flower on a stone-built garage on the western edge of Sheffield
Fatra
Sedum tray system
20-yr
Membrane warranty
Once
A year, early autumn
Day 1
Green from install
A real job, not a stock photo

Stone garage, Sheffield — membrane to meadow.

A new stone-built garage on the western edge of Sheffield, with a roof the owners look down on from the house. Fatra single ply first, tested electronically, then pre-grown Fatra sedum trays on top. It was in flower the day we finished.

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

Fatra wrote the specification and we built to it. The membrane went down in June as a warm roof: Fatra PVC single ply, hot-air welded, then tested electronically before anything went on top. The pre-grown Fatra Modular Trays followed in early July over a protection fleece, with pebble margins at the edges and around the outlet. What the owners look out on is a flowering roof with the countryside behind it. Underneath is a tested membrane with Fatra's manufacturer warranty, registered in June 2026, and our workmanship guarantee. The contractor on this job has since come back to us for their next green roof.

Read the full case study: sedum green roof, Sheffield
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 trays hold rainwater and let it go slowly, easing the load on drains and gutters in a heavy Sheffield downpour. Fatra's figure: a green roof can retain around 75% of summer rainfall runoff.

Protects the membrane

The living layer covers the waterproofing beneath. Fatra says a green roof shields it from UV, acid rain and freeze-thaw, and that its trays protect the membrane for a longer-lasting roof.

Can help at planning

A green roof may count in a scheme's favour for wildlife and drainage, and some councils ask for one. It is never a promise, so check with your council before you commit.

Helps with temperature

Fatra notes that green roofs help regulate a building's temperature. The sedum is not insulation, though: a heated room below still needs a warm roof to current Building Regulations, and we fit that underneath.

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.

A green roof on an extension, garage or garden room tends to involve several trades, and we work alongside them. The architect designs it. The builder or main contractor builds the structure. The landscaper or garden designer often leads the garden around it. We take the roof itself: the root-resistant waterproofing, the electronic leak test and the sedum layer on top, so the roof beneath the planting is done by roofing specialists.

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. Once the sedum is down the membrane is out of sight, so an electronic leak test of the finished membrane is included whenever we lay 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 steps, in the right order.

Structure, waterproofing, leak test, then sedum. We use the Fatra Modular Tray system, where each pre-grown tray is its own drainage layer and water reservoir, so there is no separate drainage layer to lay.

01

Engineer checks the structure

Fully wet, Fatra's sedum trays weigh about 65 kg per m² (75 kg for the wildflower mixes). A structural engineer confirms the structure can carry that, and we install on the basis of their calculation. You arrange the engineer, and their fee is separate from our price. On a new build, your designer or engineer sizes the joists to it.

02

Root-resistant single ply

A root-resistant single ply membrane, heat-welded and detailed into every upstand and outlet. Where the room below is heated, it goes in as a warm roof to current Building Regulations. An unheated garage can be a cold deck.

03

Electronic leak test

We test the finished membrane electronically before anything goes on top. It is included whenever we lay the membrane (testing one we did not lay is £500), because once the sedum is down the membrane is out of sight, and a leak under it is hard to find.

04

Fleece and sedum trays

A protection fleece, then pre-grown Fatra sedum trays clipped together over it. At the edges the trays run to an upstand or finish at a pebble margin, depending on the roof, and the outlets are kept clear. Green on day one: no seeding, no waiting.

Areas we cover

Green roof installation in Sheffield and North East Derbyshire.

We quote for green roof installation on extensions, garages and garden rooms across Sheffield, especially the western and south-western suburbs, and on the North East Derbyshire edge. All within reach of our yard in Kilnhurst.

Sheffield's western and south-western suburbs

Drive time from our Kilnhurst yard

  • S10 Broomhill, Crosspool, Fulwood, Ranmoor 32 min
  • S11 Ecclesall, Whirlow 32 min
  • S17 Dore, Totley, Bradway 38 min

And the rest of Sheffield, most of it about 25 minutes from the yard.

Flat roofing in Sheffield

The North East Derbyshire edge

Postcodes we cover

  • S18 Dronfield, Holmesfield
  • S21 Eckington
  • S40–S45 Chesterfield

We quote for green roofs in Dronfield, Holmesfield, Eckington and Chesterfield, with no extra charge for travel. Your firm price follows a free quote visit.

Price your green roof in 60 seconds

Weighing one up?

Read what a green roof costs in Sheffield and green roofs on extensions, garages and garden rooms.

Architects and main contractors

We can work to the architect's or the manufacturer's specification. On our Sheffield green roof, Fatra wrote it and we built to it. How we work with design teams.

FAQ

Green roof questions

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

What actually is a sedum green roof?
A living layer of sedum: low, drought-tolerant succulents that need very little soil and very little looking after. We use the Fatra Modular Tray system. Each 540 × 540 mm tray, made from recycled polypropylene, arrives with 30–40 mm of established plants growing in 60 mm of recycled growing medium. The tray is also the drainage layer and the water reservoir, holding about 20 litres per m², so there is no separate drainage layer to lay. The trays clip together on a protection fleece over a root-resistant single ply membrane. At the edges they run to an upstand or finish at a pebble margin, depending on the roof, and the outlets are kept clear. Sedum is the usual choice; Fatra also offers wildflower mixes, which we price at the visit.
Will it leak?
Not if the waterproofing underneath is done properly, and that is the part we specialise in. A green roof is a wet, planted layer sat on top of your membrane, and once it is down you cannot see a leak. So we treat the waterproofing as the job and the sedum as the finish: root-resistant membrane, heat-welded seams, and an electronic leak test over the finished membrane before the green layer goes down. The test is included whenever we lay the membrane; testing one we did not lay is £500. And if anyone ever needs to get at the membrane later, individual Fatra trays lift out and go back without damaging the plants.
How heavy is it? Can my roof take it?
Fully wet, which is the weight the structure has to carry, Fatra's sedum trays come to about 65 kg per m². The wildflower mixes (sedum and wildflower, or brown wildflower) are about 75 kg per m². Plenty of structures take that fine, some need strengthening, and some are not suitable. Checking that is a structural engineer’s job: you arrange the engineer, their fee is separate from our price, and we install on the basis of their calculation. On a new build, give your designer or structural engineer Fatra's figures so the joists are sized for the saturated load.
Is it yellow all year round?
No. Sedum flowers gold and yellow in early summer, sits green through the growing season, and can turn red or bronze in dry spells and cold weather. It is a living thing and it changes with the seasons. That is rather the point.
How much maintenance does it need?
Very little. Fatra recommends one going-over a year, in early autumn once the bird nesting season is over: hand-weed any unwanted seedlings, clear the outlets and gutters, clear fallen leaves, keep the pebble margins free of plants, and feed it with an organic phosphate and potassium fertiliser. No mowing, and no watering once it is established, except in a long dry spell (about an hour once a week, or wait for rain). If the sedum turns red or bronze in dry or cold weather, it is stressed, not dead. We hand over with a simple care sheet, and if you would rather not go up a ladder, our maintenance plans cover green roofs as well as single ply.
How much does it cost?
A sedum green roof starts from £285/m² inc VAT. Pick Green Roof in the 60-second estimator for a price range on the whole job: the roof beneath, the sedum layer and an electronic leak test. Stripping an old roof, if there is one, is included. You can add warm roof insulation and scaffolding there too. Wildflower mixes, unusual access and edge details are confirmed at the visit, so your firm price follows a free quote visit. You arrange the structural engineer, and their fee and any structural work are not included in our price. Our green roof cost guide goes through it in more detail. Or ring us on 07807 815181. 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 in writing. The sedum is a living layer, so it does not carry a 20-year warranty. Fatra guarantees the trays themselves for 1 year, and we hand over with clear care guidance to help the planting establish.
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, which a structural engineer confirms. Usually the right answer is a new single ply membrane with the green roof built on top, done once and done properly. If your membrane is good enough to keep and we did not lay it, we test it electronically before anything goes on top, and that test is £500. We will look at the membrane on a free quote visit and tell you honestly which side of the line it falls.
Do you cover Dronfield and Chesterfield for green roofs?
Yes. On the North East Derbyshire edge we cover Dronfield and Holmesfield (S18), Eckington (S21) and Chesterfield (S40–S45) for green roofs on extensions, garages and garden rooms, as well as Sheffield, with no extra charge for travel. Pick Green Roof in the estimator for a price range, and your firm price follows a free quote visit.
Do I need planning permission for a green roof?
We cannot promise either way, because it depends on the building and the scheme. Check with your local planning authority before you commit: Sheffield City Council, North East Derbyshire District Council or Chesterfield Borough Council, depending on where you live. A green roof may count in a scheme's favour for wildlife and drainage, and some councils ask for one, but that is the council's decision. If your home is in a conservation area or inside the Peak District National Park boundary, talk to the planning authority early. Building Regulations are separate: a heated room below needs a warm roof, and the sedum does not count as insulation.
From the blog

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Cost & Pricing

Green Roof Cost in Sheffield & North East Derbyshire (2026)

What a sedum green roof costs in Sheffield and North East Derbyshire in 2026: from £285/m² inc VAT, with the roof beneath and a leak test included.

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Want a green roof on an extension, garage or garden room? Weight, insulation, falls, drainage, edges, planning and who does what, for Sheffield homes.

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Green Roof Benefits in South Yorkshire: Worth It?

The real benefits of a sedum green roof in South Yorkshire — wildlife, drainage, roof lifespan and planning — plus the honest downsides nobody mentions.

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