Winter garden on the roof of the house

Imagine that in order to lie on the lawn or soak in a hammock, you need not to leave the house, but go upstairs. It's nice when you have the opportunity to be in excellent conditions, "towering" over all the problems. Whatever the investment may be, the result will always exceed your expectations. Greenery will raise your spirits throughout the year. The fact that we are only gaining popularity has long been popular with residents of Europe and other countries.

Kinds

A winter garden is usually a separate building or room in which various plants are grown. There are several types of such buildings:

• Buffer - usually located at the entrance, in the adjacent room or transition corridor. It performs a purely aesthetic function. Usually there is no heating and centralized irrigation, so he can not boast of lush greenery.
• Greenhouse. It can be attributed to the non-residential type winter garden. It is intended for cultivation and care of plants that are not typical for our area. The greenhouse can be located as a separate room somewhere on the plot, adjoin the house or be part of it.
• Intense or residential. This is the most beautiful view of the winter garden. It is created for the convenience of the inhabitants of the house. It has everything in order to have a good time. It is usually closed with a transparent material of various kinds. Like the greenhouse can be either part of the house or a separate building.

Benefits only

The advantages of placing a winter garden on the roof are difficult to overestimate. Here are just some of the advantages that can be noted:

• Plantings of this kind can serve as air conditioning. In summer, the temperature below it will be several degrees lower than outside. In the winter - the heat will not erode. This reduces energy costs.
• If everything is well thought out, the need to repair the roof is reduced to a minimum.
• Plants and soil traps ultraviolet rays that can destroy building materials.
• You have your little corner filled with oxygen and fresh air.
• There will always be a place to escape from the bustle of the city.

Where to begin

If you have already decided that you are ready to place a winter garden on the roof of a private house, then you should start with an exemplary drawing of its appearance. What is important to determine:

• The territory, which will occupy the winter garden. This can be either the entire roof or a specific part of it.
• How will the heating system be implemented?
• What will be the watering system.
• What will be used in the role of the frame.
• What plants would you like to see in the garden.
• What kind of flooring will be for walking.
• Will there be mobile flower beds.
• How will zoning be done.
• What will be the weight of the dome, and whether the roof will withstand. Are additional measures needed to strengthen it?
• How will be discharged excess water.

Where does the sun shine

In order to best choose the location of plants inside the winter garden, you need to know how your house is located in relation to the cardinal points. The mini-park will be located on the roof, so it is open both for the cold wind and for the scorching sun. This is important to consider when planning zoning.

• The north side can be quite cold and get a small amount of light, so it is better to place plants that tolerate temperature fluctuations well.
• The south side allows a large amount of light and heat to pass through, this contributes to the rapid evaporation of moisture. The best option for this zone would be thermophilic drought-resistant plants.
• The western side is also perfect for exotic plants, because a large amount of light accumulates here.
• East is ideal, where most of the greenery will feel good.

Plants

As we have seen, a winter garden on the roof provides an advantage in choosing plants, because here you can create conditions for the growth of various species and classes. They are best placed in large pots or containers. Dimensions should be calculated taking into account the expansion of the root system. It is better not to use trees or shrubs that can reach a great height. The space will be limited and this can create certain difficulties. Choose dwarf analogs or hybrids.

Conifer. Among them, the thuja western has perfectly recommended itself. Its varieties can have a wonderful combination of colors and colors. because it is undemanding to intense illumination and resistant to temperature changes, it can be positioned on the north side. Pines and spruces can be attributed to the same order. A miniature cypress, as well as all sorts of varieties of Chinese juniper will fit well into the overall picture.

Evergreen and blooming. One of the beautiful options that will always delight the eye with life-saturated leaves and flowers is mahonia. This is a small shrub that can be easily planted in a pot. It dissolves its color in the winter time. This usually happens from December to March.

Scimmia японская также зарекомендовала себя как прекрасный обитатель садов. Листья имеют темно-зеленый оттенок, которые обрамлены красной каемкой. Бересклет имеет приятный окрас желто-зеленого цвета. Очень неприхотлив к условиям обитания и прекрасно переносит морозы. Антуриум радует глаз своими цветами оттенка розового, который сложно описать. Растение очень любит свет, но не терпит постоянного попадания прямых солнечных лучей.

Hippeastrum зацветает в зимние праздники и держит форму целых 1,5 месяца. Может быть расположен в умеренной зоне с прохладным климатом.

Hibiscus is an indispensable companion of the winter garden. He loves heat and light, but in return he is ready to give his little flowers of various shades.

Herbs. If you have enough space, you can make a small lawn, on which it will be nice to sit during a picnic. In such conditions, you can use almost any lawn grass. The only requirement is constant care and haircut.

Irrigation system

It would be good if it were possible to shed the roof, and so that the plants would be watered by precipitation. In fact, this can be implemented when planning the project. But the reality is that our conditions are not subtropical and non-tropical, so moisture loss will not be enough. It is burdensome to constantly run with a spray from the pot to the pot - it will take a lot of time and effort. To compensate for this gap, you must correctly organize an automated system.

The method of drip irrigation is the most widespread and popular. Its mechanism lies in the fact that over the entire area, to each pot and flower bed, a pipe is fed into which a special diverter is mounted. The pump pumps water, and it begins to slowly dig. This type of watering is the most common for plants, because it resembles falling rain. In addition, there is no over-wetting of the roof covering, which could have a bad effect on the structure. Thanks to special timers, it is possible to organize the switching on of the system according to time or install sensors into the ground and monitor them by humidity level.

Note! Along with the irrigation system, it would be good to install a humidification system. Some plants are used to the fact that water comes not only from the root system, but also through the leaves. If there is no such mechanism, they will lose color and may die.

Heating systems

In winter, the temperature mark on the thermometers in our area can fall far below zero. Most of the plants that are planted in such structures, do not tolerate this, so you need to take care of good space heating.

Here you can apply the same methods that we use for heating residential buildings. Heating can be implemented in the following ways:

• Electric heaters. These include all sorts of duyki, air conditioners, fan coils and sources of infrared radiation, as well as cable and film for underfloor heating. The advantage is the ability to quickly adjust the temperature and move removable units. Among the shortcomings, it is possible to note the high cost of both the devices themselves and the payment for electrical energy.
• Stove, steam heating. A great option, especially if it is combined. You can let the steam heating coil through an ordinary fireplace or stove. This will give the opportunity to evenly warm the entire territory and maintain an acceptable temperature value. The disadvantages include a certain high cost of installation, as well as the need to be constantly tied to the load of the stove with wood or coal. Now a huge number of solid fuel boilers have been developed, which require “feeding” only once or twice a day, which will not be a particular problem. The carrier can be poured both on radiators, pipes of large diameter, and in the warm floor.
• Alternative sources. An excellent option can be solar collectors and heat pumps. With this solution, you can completely forget about the need for any control, because everything will function in automatic mode thanks to the installed sensors. Solar panels of sufficient power can be combined with an electric heating system. The main disadvantage of this solution is its incredible cost.

Note! In winter, when using the heating system, the plants will especially need to humidify the air. Heating devices are very dry environment, which can be detrimental to greenery.

Dome

It may seem that this is the place where it is worth saving money. And the main indicator on which to focus is transparency. In fact, it is not. What you save now will result in a lot of money in the winter. In addition, cheap materials quickly fail.

Many people love polycarbonate as a coating. And indeed, it is very convenient and easy. It is easy to install it and it does not require special equipment. But remember that it, like ordinary glass, has excellent thermal conductivity, which will cause rapid cooling of the internal temperature. With a long stay in the sun, this material becomes fragile and brittle, which leads to damage. If you decide to use ordinary glass, then use double-glazed windows. They can be made independently. To do this in the frame they will need to be placed with a certain gap for the air gap.

The best, albeit an expensive solution, will be the use of metal-plastic profile with double-glazed windows. The advantage of this type of device is that professionals in their field will take part in the planning and installation. If you are confident in your abilities, then you yourself will be able to cope perfectly. The main rule will be the installation of the frame, and then the installation of glass. With such a dome will be many advantages. You can easily organize the ventilation system without any modifications. This design retains heat well, so huge sums will be saved on heating.

Note! Plants in the garden imply a large amount of moisture. Before you decide to break the roof garden, you will need to put an extra layer of insulation so that the fluid does not seep into the living quarters and does not harm construction materials.

With sufficient knowledge, you can do this kind of garden with your own hands. Practical steps to help get you started were outlined above. Never forget about security. Remember that all wires must be double insulated and sealed in their corrugation. Look forward to the result, and then the efforts, no matter how titanic they may seem, will be dust, when you can enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Video

In this video you can study one of the projects of the winter garden:

A photo