Colorado residents are known for loving the outdoors. But, when you live in a downtown Denver neighborhood you might be more accustomed to seeing black rooftops and parking lots outside your window, rather than nature’s colorful backdrop. Green Roofs of Colorado can help you green up your urban area with lush vegetation and colorful Colorado flowers by turning your roof or deck space into a visually pleasing and environmentally friendly green space.
Live Among the Beauty of the Colorado Outdoors
The green roof concept was built from European technology that has been used worldwide greening up elevated outdoor areas for decades. Over the past seven years, Green Roofs of Colorado owner Andy Creath has adapted the green roof technology to thrive in Colorado’s unique climate and elevation. With installations from Boulder to the Highlands and downtown Denver, Green Roofs of Colorado has beautified hundreds of residential and commercial properties along the Front Range and throughout Colorado’s mountain communities.
“Green Roofs of Colorado’s main goal is to get more green spaces and infrastructure into the city, whether it’s for urban agriculture, condo dwellers, warehouse spaces or just a small outside deck,” explains Creath. “We like to use a lot of native Colorado plants and seasonal grasses that are green over the course of most of the spring, summer and fall seasons. When they go dormant during the winter, we leave the grasses long so you have some type of visual interest of architectural display throughout the year to enjoy.”
The majority of the roofs that Green Roof of Colorado design and install on are flat surfaces such as garages and deck spaces. But, the company can literally build green roofs on most types of structures – even domes and a-frame roofs. Before installing a green roof, though, it’s important to assess whether your roof is structurally viable to hold the additional weight of soil and water that is needed for planting vegetation. If your roof or deck area can’t withstand the additional weight, you also can choose to use planter boxes or raised beds to accommodate your roof or deck space. When considering the price of a green roof, Creath says that a basic version with limited bio-diversity and only a few different plant species will start at $13-$15 per square foot. As you add more detailed elements and plants, you can move into the $50-$60 square foot price range.
From Rooftop to Tabletop
As garden season approaches, you may think you’re limited by the space in your backyard or deck planters to grow a delicious vegetable or fruit garden. But, think again. You can turn your green thumb into a green roof to feed your family and the environment.
“As urban food trends continue to grow in the Denver area, more and more people are starting to grow food on their rooftops,” explains Creath.
Just as every home, condo or building has its own design elements and structural personalities, every green roof that Creath installs is unique to each owner’s needs and wishes. Owners have the option of planting mature plants, herbs or grasses that will create a full-blown garden right away. Or, they can choose to start with more traditional gardening seedlings, which will take more time for the green space to bloom, but it can be a more cost-effective approach. Either way, a green roof will not only dress up the outside of your home, but it also can function as a vegetable and herb producing area for your family to enjoy at the dinner table.
Green Spaces Escalate Property Values, Decrease Urban Heat Effect
The more dense and built up a city is, the more heat gets trapped in the concrete buildings, causing temperatures in cities to climb higher than in outlaying suburban areas. To help combat this urban heat island effect, cities are adding vegetation elements and cooling principles into the city by not only bringing in green roofs, but building parks and planting trees as well. Adding these types of green space elements can actually help to naturally cool down a city, thereby reducing the money and resources needed for air conditioning and other cooling techniques. For instance, research has shown that homeowners can save approximately 5-10 percent in heating costs in the space directly below the green roof in the winter and approximately 25 percent in cooling costs during the summer, says Creath
But, the value of incorporating green spaces into city areas goes above and beyond the monetary benefits of combating the urban heat island effect. If you look out your condo or office window and see a vibrant colorful space, rather than a dark black roof, you’re changing a building from being in a Class A value category to a Class A+. You not only raise the value of the property you install a green roof on, but you’re increasing the value of the property that looks down on the space, as well as the neighborhood at large.
Green Roofs of Colorado Are the Experts in Beautifying Urban Spaces
As you look at your plans for landscaping and beautifying the outside areas of your property this summer, don’t forget about the outdoor architectural potential that is available for your roof and deck areas. Green Roofs of Colorado can help you design, build and maintain a unique and aesthetically pleasing green urban space that you can enjoy year-round. With years of experience in residential and commercial green space designs and installations, they are the number one resource in the Mile High City for adding eco-friendly color and functionality to your external urban elevated spaces. See some of their work here.
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