luscious green roof on a garden shed

DIY Green Roof Guide

The online resource for building small scale green roofs on garden sheds, garages, house extensions and other small construction or retrofitting projects

a green roof on a new house extension

New Builds

A step by step guide to creating a SAFE and LEAK FREE green roof on a new small scale construction project. Learn from the vastly experienced authors how to accomplish it yourself or provide guidance to your contractors

a small green roof on an electrical substation

Retrofitting

Even the smallest of roof spaces can provide a small haven of beauty and a wildlife oasis. The retrofitting section advice can be used on garden sheds, cycle & bin shelters, the fundamentals remain the same!

edge details of a garden shed green roof

Detailing

From suggested screw sizes through edge details to drainage suggestions, John & Dusty take you through the process using text, photos, illustrations and videos

edge details of a garden shed green roof

Planting Ideas

Plant suggestions focussed on native species that can provide the maximum biodiversity. Separate lists for the UK, Eastern USA & Canada, Mid-West USA

Previous Articles

Clifftop green roof – Cornwall

The clifftop green roof in Cornwall has featured a lot over the years. Of course it is rather special being the  being the first and last green roof in England. Built in 2011 the summer house has matured and provides a little patch of clifftop vegetation high...

read more

Log cabins are the original green roofs

Log cabins, in the style of Scandinavian houses, have recently come to the fore in our online community. A number of people have joined, wanting to construct a green roof on these types of buildings. The image above quite simply it shows that a roof must be able to...

read more

Green Roof Substation

Green Roof Substation - Green roof of the day 5 What if all the electricity substations in a city were greened? Now that would add a bit of biodiversity to a city. Green Roof on a Substation - Southwark John Little installed a green roof down in the Southwark a...

read more

Shed of the year – has a green roof crown

The Shed of the Year 2016 that has won the competition not only has a great green roof crown, it is also a stunning creation.   West Reading's Kevin Herbert, claimed his title earlier in August. It followed a record breaking year with 2,825 entries and 12,292 public...

read more

Scabious – late summer green roof plant

Scabious may sound un attractive but they are a beautiful group of plants. Furthermore the species tend to flower late in the summer. Three species of Scabious We have three native ones here in the UK - Small, Field and Devil's bit.  Small is the one for green roofs,...

read more

First and last green roof

The First and Last green roof in England is developing into a lovely coastal habitat. A few years ago I posted a blog about the roof at Sennen in Cornwall. I had used pictures from back in 2011 when I visited. The owner just happened to send me a few images of the...

read more

Beyond roofs: Brownfield gardening

Brownfield habitat and brownfield gardening is important to us here at GRT. In fact, we like to get people to design their green roofs to mimic the wonderful habitats that can be found on post-industrial landscapes. Why our waste could become our best wildlife habitat...

read more

Green Roof Bin and Bike Stores

The Green roof bin and bike stores are currently resting up a greenrooftraining HQ. The Green roof bin and bike stores featured were back of a garden at Hampton RHS Garden Show back in August. They were designed and constructed by our sister company Greenroofshelters...

read more
Get Started Now or Find Out More!

Gain immediate lifetime access for only £11.50 or browse the website and find out more about the whys and hows of designing and building small green roofs before you join.

Spring 2024 Special

The first 30 new registrations can get £2.50 off the usual price by using the discount code 20E3E039F7  at the checkout. That means only paying £9.00 in total to access the full guide. Grab a discounted membership now before they all go.