Green roofing material-Armorlite roofing?

nicky_2006

16 years ago

Just posted over in the remodeling forum with this question.

Am looking for a green roofing material to replace asphalt shingles. Have looked at metal varieties, but don't have the question answered yet if we can keep the copper gutters using metal. Forgot the term, but something about metal fatigue (?) using two metals together. Saw on HGTV pro site a line about Armorlite roofing. It's a GE developed polymer product, has a limited lifetime warranty with pro installers, a 50 year one when self-installed. Seems to be fairly new, and used mostly in California. Has anyone used this? or know someone who's used it? We're in New England states, apparently it hasn't gotten nationwide yet, so can't get opinions around here. It seems very light weight, which would be good, especially for shipping these days. I know, is a polymer green? but that's what I trying to find out. Hoping this forum is active as the kitchen one, I practically lived there on-line when building ours- year and a half ago, and that one has great people. TIA for any info.

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Comments (8)

sierraeast
16 years ago
Dissimilar metals dont get along well and will corrode through osmosis. Some metals together are okay, others not.

Here's a link that might help:

Here is a link that might be useful: green roofs
mike13
16 years ago
Osmosis? Not quite, you may be thinking of electrolysis which is not the correct term either but many people think it is. Galvanic corrosion is the correct term.

Reminds me of a story... NC State was playing basketball in I believe the ACC tournament which was being televised nationally. Charles Shackleford was interviewed after the game and stated something like "I can play with my right hand, I can play with my left hand, I'm amphibious".
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Actually, I must continue to disagree as well:-) I don't think you are aware of the facts behind this technology nor how rapidly it is progressing and becoming commonplace. Seattle is by no means on the forefront of green roof activity - we are well behind Portland and Vancouver BC in this regard - but the real hotbed of activity is in the midwest. Chicago has more green roofs than any other US city - over 200 and covering more than 2.5 million square feet. Dearborn, MI has the largest, 10.4 acres covering the Ford Motor Company truck plant. Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Raleigh NC, Atlanta, New York City and Toronto are all very active green roof areas as well. And then of course there are the dozens of green roofs scattered across California, both commercial and residential. This is not an isolated movement nor is it a flash in the pan technology. Modern green roofs have at least a 30 year history in this country. There is a very active and increasingly growing community of architects and contractors specializing in this approach and scores of companies dedicated to the technology and materials to build and plant living roofs - a simple search through Google will turn up literally hundreds of them. One of the incentives that stir this on is the same you claim to be a deterrent - the downturn in the economy has made it even more appropriate to pursue this technology. Initial costs may be higher to design and install a living roof compared to a conventional roofing system, but this is easily offset by the extended lifespan, the lower maintenance and the energy savings realized over the life of the structure - an investment in a living roof actually saves money.
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I like this idea! Best of luck with the project. Obviously I have no real experience in a project like this but I think there are some general guidelines you can follow. Sedums are a good choice for this; which species did you have in mind? They are not like many other C&S and will thrive in soil that is a bit richer. The mix I am using is *very simple* and *ultra fast draining*. 50/50 haydite and organic potting soil. I believe this would give your sedums a good jump-start so they spread quickly. The organic matter may break down...but the haydite it will NOT compact. Haydite is lighter than decomposed granite. IMHO, I would completely toss the idea of using perlite, vermiculite, topsoil, sand or peat in this application. As you said, this is a one-shot deal. The organics will be replaced by leaves, birds, lizards, etc who find their way to or over your roof. The "grit" will be the main concern. Here is a site for haydite. Scroll down and you will find companies that manufacture it and they should be able to help you find a dealer in your area. My local organic gardening shop sells it in bulk. I pay $5.85 for a 40lb bag. I'm sure others will jump in and share their ideas; most folks love to talk about their personal soil mixes. I love the haydite. We've had nearly 3 months of non-stop rain and yet my pots are still "running thru". Again, IMHO, you'll want to give the sedums a good start so they spread quickly and there is no wash-off in a downpour. After that I dont think your soil or (lack of ferts) will matter: the plants themselves will collect materials that will compost just like it does in habitat. The main considerations would be weight and drainage. Fortunately, sedums are shallow rooted and grow on hillsides so deep soil is not required. I say, pick the "grit" you feel confident in...add some good potting soil and go for it! I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor and hope you will keep us posted (with pix) as it progresses. HTH - Jo (who is actually NOT a haydite salesperson just a satisfied client) Here is a link that might be useful: haydite
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sierraeast
16 years ago
Yeah, kinda like electrical....220, 221, whatever!

Thanks for the correction!
nicky_2006
Original Author
16 years ago
Well, thank you sierraeast and mike13, Loved your remarks and helping me out with the correct term. And yes, went to roofing101. Living on the edge of woodsy,land trust land in Connecticut, going with a true "green" vegetation roof would be interesting. Wow, Would need a heavy duty water barrier though. And not sure the construction here (mid-fifties) would hold it up. Haven't seen the weight per square for it in charts like other materials. Ours is looking pretty green now anyway with all the licken on it. Truly like the metal roofs, but even with some barrier for fasteners (copper to steel/aluminum/galalume,if there are any) between gutters and roof,there's the run off from roof into gutters. Read somewhere galalume shouldn't be used near ponds and streams, which we have, a brook and pond,naturally occuring. Ok, still hoping someone with a composite roof will speak up here, how about Tamko Lamarite Slate composite roofs? TIA
sierraeast
16 years ago
I was interested in recycled rubber roofing before we decided to go w/ certainteed grand manors. Heres a link:

Here is a link that might be useful: rubber shingles
nicky_2006
Original Author
16 years ago
Went out roof shopping today. One place handled only Certainteed products, Grand Manor squares at $90. My builder said that's down from when he was using it on Ct. shoreline a couple years ago when it was $200 sq. Then went to a place that handles Tamko products, asked about their laminate/composite product Lamarite. Guys kept laughing, saying they couldn't remember the price it was so stupid. I wanted to laugh too, so asked them to look it up. It's $500 a square here. For that probably could go with real slate, even copper! Who knows? One good thing, you can install yourself without voiding warranty. That's good for people like me who've been remodeling a couple of homes for years now. But for the real bottom line, will probably go with the Certainteed...Grand Manor (or one that weighs slightly less.) Gotta check the live and dead weight specs for my roof rafter situation. Thanks all.
sierraeast
16 years ago
Our grand manors were 185.00/sq. in oct. '06. Glad to see some things have come down! We got semi lucky w/ our copper flashing costs as copper went up again,( after going up), tripling over costs previous years soon after ours was installed. I believe the grand manors are in the area of 425-450 #'s /sq. If you need that info, go to their website:

Here is a link that might be useful: grand manor
deeageaux
13 years ago
bump

Green roofing material-Armorlite roofing?

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Green roofing material-Armorlite roofing?

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sierraeast

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