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Sundeck Lawn?
Quaz and Wally
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Okay here we go.
So I live in a townhouse. I've got what I think is called a sundeck, if you up all the stairs in my house you'll eventually get to what is essentially like a patio on the roof. It's about 7.5' by 8.5' and has ceramic tile flooring. I've been playing with the idea of laying soil down up there, and planting grass up there. So that it'll be like the patio has a carpet of grass up there. The main motivation behind this is that I've got rabbits, and it would be cool to give them some space to run around outside on grass that they can eat. I'm also considering getting a small dog, and it would be pretty cool if they could relieve themselves up there, since my wife and I work 8 hour days, and a dog wouldn't be able to hold it in that long (and we don't have a lawn).
My concerns are...
Will this destroy my infrastructure? My roof?
Will the grass actually grow?
I've heard that you have to have proper drainage when you try to grow grass on stuff like concrete, or else bad things happen, how can I fix this? (There are drains up there at the outer edges of the sundeck that drain into the gutter pipes, but it's generally flat up there, so I imagine water would easily collect in the soil if I don't add some drainage method)
Other things I might not be thinking of?
What kind of professional would I talk to to get this sort of thing done?
Alternatives?
So I live in a townhouse. I've got what I think is called a sundeck, if you up all the stairs in my house you'll eventually get to what is essentially like a patio on the roof. It's about 7.5' by 8.5' and has ceramic tile flooring. I've been playing with the idea of laying soil down up there, and planting grass up there. So that it'll be like the patio has a carpet of grass up there. The main motivation behind this is that I've got rabbits, and it would be cool to give them some space to run around outside on grass that they can eat. I'm also considering getting a small dog, and it would be pretty cool if they could relieve themselves up there, since my wife and I work 8 hour days, and a dog wouldn't be able to hold it in that long (and we don't have a lawn).
My concerns are...
Will this destroy my infrastructure? My roof?
Will the grass actually grow?
I've heard that you have to have proper drainage when you try to grow grass on stuff like concrete, or else bad things happen, how can I fix this? (There are drains up there at the outer edges of the sundeck that drain into the gutter pipes, but it's generally flat up there, so I imagine water would easily collect in the soil if I don't add some drainage method)
Other things I might not be thinking of?
What kind of professional would I talk to to get this sort of thing done?
Alternatives?
Quaz and Wally on
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The problem you get into is that you will not have a"natural" setup. If it rains heavy you don't have feet of soil to soak up the water, you have inches. Also you have water just kind of hanging out in the soil all the time.
I'm sure there are systems that are designed for this, and I would venture to guess that they're probably expensive. However, this isn't something you really want to skimp out on and try to MacGyver it. As a builder, I'd say that this sounds like either a pretty expensive operation or an invitation for disaster.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5577149_install-rooftop-garden.html
I'll check anyways though. Look for an enviroscape company, check to see if it can handle increased weight. But it's not so much a roof that I want to plant grass on so much as a patio that's roof level. I suppose weight support is still an issue up here?
This is a good read, okay, it sounds like I need to find out what the laws and permits involved are, what the structural capacity of my sundeck is, and then this waterproof box or membrane thing sounds like the kind of thing I'd have to get, but I'll try to speak with a professional about it. Thanks guys.
Will this destroy my infrastructure? -Possibly- It's something you shouldn't just slap up there. There are structural concerns to worry about (4 +/- inches of soil with grass will weigh a LOT more when it rains). You may need a permit and if you have an association, you'll need permission.
My roof? See above. Grass roots aren't generally huge, so I doubt they'd do damage, but the moisture trapped in the soil freezing and thawing over the years may.
Will the grass actually grow? Probably. Grass doesn't take much and seeing as how you're looking for less than 100 s/f, you can probably get the correct seed and fertilizer for under $20. The soil will be another story depending on how you do it.
I've heard that you have to have proper drainage when you try to grow grass on stuff like concrete, or else bad things happen, how can I fix this? Your drainage if it looks flat is probably at 1/8" or 1/4" per foot which is probably fine for what you're doing. The thing you might run into is soil loss or flooding if you get a really big storm or a long steady rain.
Talk to a structural engineer to look at what's under your sun deck. Odds are he'll charge drive time and an hour for looking at it and giving his professional opinion. Or you may be able to find out what's under there yourself and shoot off an e-mail to one saying something like: My deck is 3/4" plywood atop Pressure Treated 2 x 10s at 24" on center and I'm looking to make it into a green roof by adding 4" of ____ soil to grow grass. Please advise!
Alternately, you can probably research all this online. Even though you'd probably be ok, I'd hate to think if 4 years down the line you're out there and something finally gives.
I don't think I'll be able to get any farther without finding out the weight capacity of the sundeck. I never really thought about how heavy all that soil would be. This sundeck is right over my office, so that would be bad.
Yea, you're looking at 63.5 sq ft.
I was going to suggest this also for when you get a dog. Not the rabbits so much unfortunately but If I had room in my apartment I would get one of those.
PSN Hypacia
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Discord Hypacia#0391
Yeah, was thinking about this actually. I was starting to really like the idea of a lawn up there because it had the bonus of my rabbits being able to eat the grass and stuff. I still have the same concern of drainage though with fake puppy grass. The floor seems relatively flat, so I feel like water would get trapped under the map instead of drain towards the gutter pipes, and just result in mold or some shit. I think if I can fix this drainage issue that would be super. Maybe I'll start with fake grass as I think I might be going in over my head with putting a whole lawn up there with the whole shebang.
Time to find a contractor!
You might want to do just a section of it as a fake lawn. Dogs are rabbits don't mind tile. That way it would be easier to build a frame that sits it on a slight grade.
Most puppy potties have a tray and a washable pad. You lay the grass over that, so there is no drainage issue involved, just washing the pad.
PSN Hypacia
Xbox HypaciaMinnow
Discord Hypacia#0391
Maybe grating with fake grass on top? We'd be able to lie down on that, but I don't know if that would work.
your sun deck isn't flat, it just has a very very low grade. Unless of course it currently pools in which case it was built wrong hehe
I wouldn't be too surprised unfortunately. Our neighbor unit had water leaking into his house because it wasn't caulked properly around the base of the door frame, and water was leaking in. One of our door frames is like 31 inches wide so we can't get a real door in there without having the door frame worked on to make it 30 inches. One of our neighbors is a contractor and he was like, "What the fuck..."
I'm sure the deck has a very low grade or something, because it's not like the day after it rains there's a little pool there, but I feel like the grade is low enough that I can't just trust that I can put a big fake grass mat up there and expect all the water to drain to the gutter pipes properly. Maybe I can and I am making a false assumption? How can I figure this one out?
PSN Hypacia
Xbox HypaciaMinnow
Discord Hypacia#0391
Or pour some water and watch where it goes.