HI,

I have a car-port which I am just about to convert into a garage.
The roof will need to span 5.5m x 6m. The car-port is cut into my
hillside garden and the top is level with the land on the highest
side, which is a 1-metre thick retaining wall.

I would really like to use my new roof as a patio or other useful
area.
I had originally thought about constructing a concrete roof so
that I could grow a lawn on top of it - but the other wall is
only made up of a single skin of concrete blocks (laid flat) and
might not take the weight of a concrete roof.

Anyway, does anyone have any useful construction ideas for a roof
I can walk-on and use as a nice area of my garden?

TIA.

H.

--
Howard Coakley
e-mail... howarddot}coakleyatcoakleydot].codotuk
ICQ:4502837. (Try ICQ at www.icq.com)

"Howie" wrote in message
...
HI,

I have a car-port which I am just about to convert into a garage.
The roof will need to span 5.5m x 6m. The car-port is cut into my
hillside garden and the top is level with the land on the highest
side, which is a 1-metre thick retaining wall.

I would really like to use my new roof as a patio or other useful
area.
I had originally thought about constructing a concrete roof so
that I could grow a lawn on top of it - but the other wall is
only made up of a single skin of concrete blocks (laid flat) and
might not take the weight of a concrete roof.

Anyway, does anyone have any useful construction ideas for a roof
I can walk-on and use as a nice area of my garden?

TIA.

H.

--
Howard Coakley
e-mail... howarddot}coakleyatcoakleydot].codotuk
ICQ:4502837. (Try ICQ at www.icq.com)

Decking over poly roofing.
Real grass would have to be very heavy, but Astroturf would be ok

On Fri, 03 Jun 2005 12:47:45 +0100, Howie
wrote:

HI,

I have a car-port which I am just about to convert into a garage.
The roof will need to span 5.5m x 6m. The car-port is cut into my
hillside garden and the top is level with the land on the highest
side, which is a 1-metre thick retaining wall.

I would really like to use my new roof as a patio or other useful
area.
I had originally thought about constructing a concrete roof so
that I could grow a lawn on top of it - but the other wall is
only made up of a single skin of concrete blocks (laid flat) and
might not take the weight of a concrete roof.

Anyway, does anyone have any useful construction ideas for a roof
I can walk-on and use as a nice area of my garden?

TIA.

H.

I'd check with a strutrial engineer, but it sounds like you could put
just about anything up there. If the blocks are concrete blocks, laid
on their side they are massivly strong, assuming they have a good
foundation.

Beam and block floors can be put on a single skin of blocks, and may
well work on your roof.

Grass is not massivly heavy, say 2 tonnes a cube for soil, 50mm thick,
gives you 10 square meteres a tonne

Decking may well work.

You may consider tyring this place into a bomb shelter, you sould like
you are at least half way there .......

Rick

Rick wrote:
On Fri, 03 Jun 2005 12:47:45 +0100, Howie
wrote:

HI,

I have a car-port which I am just about to convert into a garage.
The roof will need to span 5.5m x 6m. The car-port is cut into my
hillside garden and the top is level with the land on the highest
side, which is a 1-metre thick retaining wall.

I would really like to use my new roof as a patio or other useful
area.
I had originally thought about constructing a concrete roof so
that I could grow a lawn on top of it - but the other wall is
only made up of a single skin of concrete blocks (laid flat) and
might not take the weight of a concrete roof.

Anyway, does anyone have any useful construction ideas for a roof
I can walk-on and use as a nice area of my garden?

TIA.

H.

I'd check with a strutrial engineer, but it sounds like you could put
just about anything up there. If the blocks are concrete blocks, laid
on their side they are massivly strong, assuming they have a good
foundation.

Beam and block floors can be put on a single skin of blocks, and may
well work on your roof.

Grass is not massivly heavy, say 2 tonnes a cube for soil, 50mm thick,
gives you 10 square meteres a tonne

Decking may well work.

You may consider tyring this place into a bomb shelter, you sould like
you are at least half way there .......

Rick

If you choose a 2" deep soil layer, which is well below the normal
recommended, you'll need consistent frequent watering in hot weather to
keep it all alive. As I found out to my cost. Unless its shaded all
day.

For more details on constructing turf roofs, see C.A.T.


NT