When I first started to think about it, it wasn’t much more then just another business idea. Something I could add to my portfolio. But the more I was reading about it, the more research I done, the more I fell in love with it.
What am I talking about?! Green roofs.
It’s not a new invention. I am sure that most of us have seen one. Green roofs have been around for centuries. They have won the contest of popularity not just because of the way the look, not just because of those many benefits they bring, but because of the way they make us feel. Green roofs bring extraordinary living goodness into the built environment.
I understand that having a tree or clump of grass growing on top of a house isn’t every ones cup of tea. But on the other hand, I think that there is little something in some ones garden, which would do with greening up.
Being a landscape gardener for several years, I have been asked to put up hundreds of sheds, summer houses, garden offices etc. And every time I did what I was told without having any thoughts.
But I have just passed my own personal test.
For my daughter’s second birthday, I have decided to build her a play house. But where do I put a play house in my little garden?! Do I destroy my already small lawn?! Do I get rid of my green house?! Do I rip out my long care for flower bed?! I am a gardener so it’s not an easy decision. But I am a father first of all. So there goes the flower bed (just half of it).
I was really pleased with the way it all came up and the smile on my daughter’s face was hundred percent worth it.
But something just didn’t feel right in the end. As any other garden building, even painted with the sweetest colour, is finished of with roof felt. Not the prettiest thing, is it?! So there it goes. Green roof. And you can see how a little flowerbed can make a big difference.
It is the small domestic green roofs that give us the most personnel feel. It is the small green roofs that can bring our gardens to the next higher level.
Now I can honestly say that I am a part of the community, who tries to bring nature back to its place. To a place where it was previously banished. And I hope, that in doing so, I can help to increase the number of green roofs around us.
Creative use of green roofs can transform any small scale structure into a beautiful focus point. Greening up their surfaces not only improves the view, but it can bring more possibilities to for plants and wildlife into small and restricted gardens and built up surrounding.
Just trying to say thank you to Mother Nature for her generosity and giving her a little something back.
Any feedback on the playhouse will be much appreciated.
My main problem is how do I get the playhouse on the market?
Any suggestions happily welcome.
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I don't want to be a downer but if you kept a record of all the time you spent on the playhouse and paid yourself a decent wage for making it you may find it very unpleasant.
The market for playhouses, sheds, large summer houses etc is fiercly competitive. To actually make money rather than just a hobby you need a decent sized area and a good cash-flow. You also may well need a degree of semi-automation such as jigs and basic assembly lines.
Have you considered offering to simply replace shed/ play house roofs? add a bit of strengthening and then your green roof? Or perhaps getting in with a local shed mftr and getting them to supply you play-houses which you can then add your green roof to and sell on yourself?
Of course you can try to go for the higher end market who are willing to pay more for the custom made style but it could be difficult to get in to.
On a more positive note the one you have done looks great, out of interest what do you use to waterproof the 'green' section?
All the best and good luck
It looks great, and really nicely made, well done. If you're thinking of marketing similar, you should definitely aim at the top end market as it must be quite time consuming - but when you look at the sort of money people will pay for pretty dovecots or hen houses, there must be a good market for lovely playhouses for kids! Maybe try taking a couple of prototypes to a local show? I would overspec rather than trying to cut any corners, look at the 'posh sheds' website for an example. Saying this, I'm sure Simon is right about the economics of it all and having to do the sums, business plans etc.
On a practical note, will the water draining from the planted section leave stains on the rest of the painted roof?
I totally agree with you about green roofs in general - looking out onto our own single storey flat roof extension I often think how horrible it would look if it was just grey bitumen instead of richly planted and buzzing with bees. It should be a general assumption- if we're going to replace a bit of green space with a building, just replace it on top of the structure.
www.chameleongardens.co.uk
Hello Rose, hello Simon,
thank you very much for your replay.
Just to mention, my main income comes from garden maintenance and landscaping. I love woodwork and this would be just a hobby with a bit a money coming in on side. After I built this one for my daughter I had very good feedback from my friends. But you know it, they are friends and sometimes they are just trying to be nice. That's why I wanted to have a profesional opinion.
Regarding the time. After you do one, the next one is easy. If I was going to sell it, I would sell it treated but unpainted ( painted for extra£). So then the construction itself takes about a weekend.
The roof. The roof has three layers. First one is covered with felt (waterproofing), middle one are beams to hold the cladding, and cladding itselft. The flowerbed sits inside the cladding on the felt and has a waterproof membrane too with drainage holes. So the water runs on the felt and under the cladding out.
After taking into consideration material cost, my time, I would be happy to sell them for about £700-£800?
I have done a little research for myself about green roofs. And the amount of spaces which could be planted up is unbelievable. And how much it would help, not just for wildlife but for flooding and mental health. That's another whole and very long discussion.