Is green roofing even still an option when everyone in the world wants to cover the roof with PV panels/solar thermal?
As already says, yes, because that’s exactly what we did. First green roofing, waited a year until everything was reasonably grown in and then the photovoltaic system on top. There are hardly any bees & co up there anyway (unfortunately) due to the height (even though we paid special attention to bee-friendly plants when sowing), but we were aware of that beforehand. Nevertheless, the greening, as correctly pointed out, is mainly done to protect the roof membrane, the UV radiation is slowed down which increases durability. The modules of the photovoltaic system do not interfere with that, as the plants chosen are low-growing anyway.
@Nemesis – what are the actual experiences with the roof shape in everyday life so far?
Basically very good, we have absolutely no problems. The greening absorbs an incredible amount of water, in spot checks, even during heavy rain, only rather a trickle flows into the cistern. I do a control walk now and then (about 2-3 times a year) with no findings. On the contrary, sometimes I just stay sitting on the roof for an hour and enjoy the view with a beer ;)
What must be addressed, even though we were aware of it beforehand, is the issue of the missing roof overhang. At the entrance we have a dry spot thanks to a cube of the upper floor, but at the terrace door we very quickly needed the glass roof to avoid constantly exposing shoes and such to the weather. This was actually the biggest point for us in the decision-making process, as we simply didn’t like flat roofs with overhangs in our house size category. A few meters further is a flat-roof villa with about 400-500 m² living space, which does have the overhang, and that looks better (in our opinion). With our 9x12.5 meters, we would not have liked that.
Maybe here a general contractor simply had no desire for constant price discussions and therefore decided to equate both in the sales price.
That does not apply here. We had no price discussions with our general contractor, he presented the offer and we agreed. Then he voluntarily rounded down by 2,000 euros without being asked and apologized that he could not reduce any further.
I have heard similar from other builders regarding roof shape and prices. Although it must also be said that our general contractor works only regionally and enjoys a very good reputation.