Products

We have installed a wide variety of cool roof coatings and green roof systems. (See: MAP).  To learn more about these technologies, visit our FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) page. We currently recommend the following products to our clients:

Extensive Green Roofs

  • Custom BioNeighbors green roof using Colbond recycled content drainage mat, as seen on Partnership CDC roof.  Extensive green roofs are generally 80 to 95% inorganic and 5 to 20% organic compost.  We use a custom blend of crushed brick, sand and aggregate from a building materials recycler and compost that can be got for free in small quantities at the Fairmount Park Recycling Center.
  • Live Roof has a premium modular system that we believe is the best on the market in terms of quality plants, long-term performance, and ease of installation and maintenance. The expense, however, may be prohibitive for many prospective roof owners
  • A more affordable modular system, that is currently the lightest on the market at as little as 8 pounds per square foot fully saturated with water, is Elevated Landscape Technologies pre-grown mats as seen on the Christian Street Row Home

Intensive Green Roofs

Cool Roof Coatings

  • Though produced in Michigan instead of Manayunk, Henry’s 280 DC, Envirowhite, and 287 SF are all coatings that we like. The 287 SF is cheaper, but requires three to four coats to get proper thickness and cannot be applied when the temperature is less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The other two coatings cost over $110 for five gallons, but can be applied in temperatures down to 50 degrees and 40 degrees successively and usually only require two coats. All coatings must be applied on a properly cleaned and repaired roof, and not within 24 hours of rain.
  • Roof Xtender 500 is pretty much identical to Henry’s 287; in fact it’s manufactured in the same plant in Michigan.  Their Roof Xtender 900 is comparable to the 280DC.  I haven’t used the 700 100% acrylic product yet.
  • I do not recommend Karnak 529; It stays sticky for weeks after application.  The only white Karnak roof I experimented with turned brown with leaves sticking to it in autumn!
  • For Delaware Valley residents, our closest cool roof manufacturer is Acrymax based out of Media, PA.  Though pricier than Henry’s line of products, they’ve been making cool coatings since 1979 and I know some cool roofing contractors who swear they have the best quality, longest-lasting products in the market.

Container Garden Roofs

  • Along with some expertise in designing container gardens, we are currently volunteering with PRooF, The Philadelphia Rooftop Farm Initiative, to help develop low cost self-watering containers for growing vegetables, herbs and flowers on roofs.

Traditional Suburban Roofing

  • Low-slope and flat roofs in suburban areas can be cool-coated or retrofitted with green roofs.
  • Large strategically planted shade trees can protect a roof from damaging overheating in the summer.
  • Though shingle roofs have been successfully white coated (See: Science 2020), our experimental project failed.  White roof coatings are designed to waterproof roofs whereas shingle roofs are merely meant to shed water.  When we applied two coats of Henry 287 SF to a shingled roof Experimental Shingled Cool Roof.  The coating trapped moisture under the shingles and caused the roof to start leaking at multiple places.  The homeowner ended up installing a new metal roof, which could safely be cool coated without the danger of trapping moisture beside nail penetrations.
  • I recommend looking into more natural and renewable products such as slate roofing, Cedar shakes, and straw thatch, all of which are being used successfully in modern construction.
  • If you must use shingles, don’t be cheap.  Invest in at least 50 year shingles.  They don’t require much more labor expense but will last twice as long, keeping toxic asphalt out of the landfill for that much longer.
  • Regardless of your roof type or condition, be sure to get an energy audit to learn the most cost effective ways to reduce your energy expenses, and consider moving within biking or walking distance of work and school.
  • Lets all work together to make sure our great grandchildren have at least as good quality of life as we do.
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