Care & Maintenance

our services

A green roof is truly successful when it continues to look its best and perform at a high-level year after year. Whether recently installed or decades old, our Care & Maintenance team can confidently guarantee success because we specialize exclusively on green roofs. With Living Roofs you can have peace of mind.

Maintenance

Green roofs require minimal upkeep when it’s the right upkeep. Once a month during the growing season it’s important to have an experienced team, like Living Roofs visit your green roof to maintain its appearance and performance—which typically amounts to six or seven visits per year in the Southeast.

  • Review and edit plans and details
  • Structural load of green roof systems
  • Product and green roof system recommendations
  • Product and paver system recommendations
  • Irrigation system recommendations
  • Review planting plans and schedules
  • Roofing manufacturer and warranty recommendations
  • Value Engineering Options
Plant Care
Drain Inspections
Irrigation System
Soil Health

Green roofs are often prominent aesthetic features and commonly play an important role in managing stormwater.

Our Care & Maintenance team skillfully manages the plant palette on your green roof to ensure that it is looking great and operating at a high level through all seasons. We cut back grasses and perennials annually to provide room for new growth.

Living Roofs’ Care & Maintenance team are plant experts.
Living Roofs’ Care & Maintenance team are plant experts.

Green roofs capture a significant amount of rainwater, but during large storm events some water may pass through the system to gutters, internal drains, or scuppers.

Our Care & Maintenance team ensures that these egresses are free of debris and function correctly on every visit.

With Living Roofs you can have peace of mind knowing that your drains are free from obstructions.
With Living Roofs you can have peace of mind knowing that your drains are free from obstructions.

Due to extreme heat and periods of drought in the Southeast, irrigation systems are often an essential component of healthy green roofs.

Our Care & Maintenance team guarantees that your irrigation system is functioning properly and not wasting water during the growing season. We also winterize your system in the fall to protect it from freezing and start it up again in the spring.

Living Roofs fine-tunes the watering regime to both conserve water and deliver it when needed most.
We fine-tune the watering regime to both conserve water and deliver it when needed most.

Our Care & Maintenance team takes annual soil samples from your roof for testing to evaluate its evolving soil chemistry.

We always stay a step ahead and make sure your plants have the balance of nutrients they need to thrive so that you're not caught of guard.

Soil tests indicate whether the green roof media is within desirable ranges for pH, soluble salts, and trace minerals.
Soil tests indicate whether the green roof media is within desirable ranges for pH, soluble salts, and trace minerals.
Performance at a glance
6-7
Typical Number of Visits Needed
Per Year for Routine Maintenance
100%
Stormwater Reduction for Common Storms (1" rainfall)
20
Cities with Green Roofs Maintained
by Living Roofs
Living Roofs team working on green roof at Camp Mending Heart
“Living Roofs is extremely knowledgeable, responsible, and professional. Unlike many sub-contractors who only provide a one-time service and then leave a project, Living Roofs maintains the roofs they create and thus there's an on-going relationship between them and the client.”
– Parker Platt, Platt Architecture

Restoration

Green roofs sometimes fall into disrepair due to lack of irrigation, neglected maintenance or inappropriate system selection at the time of installation. A green roof in this condition will see significantly reduced performance and may be a vulnerability to the building’s integrity—not to mention an eye sore. Fortunately, our Care & Maintenance team is well equipped to bring green roofs back to life.

Site Visit
Restoration Plan
Green Roof Restoration
Maintenance

Green roof restoration starts with a site visit where we can see and understand the condition of your green roof and learn what your goals are. This visit will also help us evaluate the existing plant community.

Living Roofs team working on green roof at Columbia City Water
Living Roofs can bring your green roof back to life.

Following a Site Visit, Living Roofs will develop a site-specific restoration plan to achieve your goals by clearly identifying what is working on your green roof and what is not.

Side-by-side images of a green roof before and after restoration by Living Roofs Inc
We make sure you understand exactly what to expect at each step of the restoration process.

Our Care & Maintenance team carries out the restoration plan.

This can include work ranging from installing an irrigation system to the strategic removal of undesirable plants and adding new plants by applying cuttings and seed.

Living Roofs team working on green roof
Living Roofs understands that each green roof is unique.

We ensure your green roof restoration is a success by assisting the plants through establishment and keeping undesirable plants in check. Any new plantings that fail are replaced.

The irrigation system is fine-tuned to both conserve water and deliver it when needed most.

A properly functioning irrigation is often a critical component of green roofs in the Southeast.
A properly functioning irrigation is often a critical component of green roofs in the Southeast.
Performance at a glance
40+
Years of Extra Life a Green Roof
Adds to a Conventional Roof
30-40%
Reduction in Roof Temperatures
1,000s
Pollinators Seen On Maintenance Visits
Living Roofs added plants to attract pollinators, including the endangered WNC Bumble Bee
“Our building is in the heart of downtown Asheville and our roof was planted to attract pollinators, including the endangered WNC Bumble Bee. And while we definitely appreciate the practical and environmental benefits of a living roof, we were not prepared for how very beautiful our ‘meadow in the sky’ looks. The professionals at Living Roof are a pleasure to work with and the results are incredible!”
– Karen Ramshaw, Public Interest Projects

Consulting

We provide consulting services for existing green roofs, even those not originally installed or maintained by us. Our Care & Maintenance team will conduct the same thorough green roof analysis to determine its material composition, overall condition to make any/all necessary recommendations.

Site Visit
Green Roof Analysis

Our Care & Maintenance team will visit your site to identify and assess the condition of your green roof system and all its individual components.

Our assessment includes the roof protection, drainage layer, soil depth and chemistry, plant material, and irrigation system. Additional considerations include the roof membrane type, site access, and safety infrastructure.

Living Roofs can assist with existing green roofs that we didn’t install or aren’t maintaining.
Living Roofs can assist with existing green roofs that we didn’t install or aren’t maintaining.

Following the site visit, Living Roofs provides a clear and thorough report detailing the existing conditions of your green roof.

Our Green Roof Analysis report includes what is performing well, what’s underperforming, and any risks the green roof poses to the building or those that have access to it. We will also include recommendations to improve performance and safety.

A green roof analysis provides you with a full-picture understanding of your green roof.
A green roof analysis provides you with a full-picture understanding of your green roof.
Performance at a glance
17
Data Points on Soil Tests
72%
Reduction in Heat Flux from Roof
to Building
3
Average Irrigation Cycles per Week
Grasses and perennials on a green roof by Living Roofs Inc.
“I commend Living Roofs for their enthusiasm in taking on the CODE project — a challenging series of graduated roof terraces that feature a diverse range of regional and regionally appropriate plant species and varieties, and I thank them for their commitment in bringing these dynamic spaces to life.”
– Patrick Cullina, Horticultural Design + Consulting
A green roof on a pavilion next to a pond, installed by Living Roofs Inc.
Get it done right.
Close-up of custom green roof

Let us provide everything you need—construction, design studio, and care & maintenance services—to help you implement the perfect landscape on structure with confident ease.