Living roof - Bamboo

[Chris_in_Central_PA]

Things seem kinda quiet around here so I have a largely hypothetical discussion topic.

I'm in the process of designing/having designed and eventually (in a year or two) building a home. I'm looking at both conventional (timber frame) and non-conventional (rammed earth, earth sheltered, living roofs) building styles.

What about a bamboo living roof? I. Tessulus stays small enough that it would not bring the weight of an entire forest onto the roof. Would certainly shade in summer, rhizome system would live through PA winters so not encourage erosion. House would keep the rhizomes even in fairly thin soil as warm as plants in ground.

Thoughts, comments, mockery?

Chris

[boonut]

I like the idea. I think about things like that for my farm as well. I keep looking for ideas. Please pass on your ideas and send pics as you build.

[Iowaboo]

have you seen this site http://www.jmbamboo.com/home.htm

I like the idea of earthen homes, for protection against the elements. But I'll probably stick to what I'm used to in life, timber-framed home. Seems like there is enough buildings to deconstruct around here, that I could build a home out of the wasted lumber.

[svendrix]

Chris,

Sounds like a fun plan. I at one time thought it would be cool to try one of those homes built into the ground. As someone who sells insurance for a living, I'd highly recommend talking to your insurance agent before you try building any non-normal construction of home before you commit!

For special construction homes, you will see a lot of the larger companies (think Allstate, etc), they may not even insure those homes. A lot of companies won't even insure a log home for regular homeowner's insurance, or even earthquake insurance (we're prone over here on the west coast) if it is a log home for example. It is mainly due to the increase in replacement cost if something were to happen (ie if there is a fire at the bottom part of a wall in the kitchen, you would have to take each and every log off that was above it to reconstruct).

I have never tried a log/earth home, or other style of earth home. I just don't want you to find out until it it's too late that you can't insure it for less than 2 or possibly 3 times as much as a normal frame/brick style home. I have seen log homes that are regularly twice as much to insure, though to be honest there may be other markets out there I don't have access to.

That being said, I would LOVE to see anything you can put up if you do go that route with the living roof! =D

---Sven

[philinshelton]

If you haven't already checked this out, you might find it interesting

http://www.greenroofs.org/index.php?opt ... &Itemid=40

[Chris_in_Central_PA]

Thanks for the link. It's the extensive version (thicker soil layer) which they mention that is more interesting to me. It's tough finding parts of a house that I'd like and finding someone to bring all those concepts together into one home. Finding any really good/reliable builder is rough, finding a niche builder who meets the same criteria is really challenging (in central PA anyways).

Chris

[needmore]

Chris, if you end up pursuing this idea I would try to convince you to go with Sasa oshidensis instead - it is at least 10 degrees hardier than I Tess, which I find burns well below the listed -10F. S oshidensis may well be the hardiest bamboo I have, I'll keep watching over time.