"I'd also throw in a quick plug for green roofs—helps soak up heavy rains and keeps things cooler in summer."
Green roofs can be helpful, but they're not foolproof... seen plenty of leaks when they're not installed right. Curious if anyone's tried combining them with reinforced waterproof membranes underneath? Seems like a safer bet.
Yeah, reinforced waterproof membranes are pretty standard actually... at least from what I've seen. When I helped my brother install his green roof, we used a heavy-duty membrane underneath. It's been two years now, zero leaks so far. Worth the extra effort for peace of mind.
Reinforced membranes are great, but man, they can get pricey fast. If you're budget-conscious like me, a decent alternative I've found is layering standard waterproof membranes with a protective drainage mat. Did this on my shed roof last year—step one: membrane down tight, step two: drainage mat over it to channel water away, step three: cross fingers and hope for the best, lol. Survived some nasty storms already without leaks...so far anyway.
I've done something similar using regular membranes and drainage mats, and honestly, it's a pretty solid workaround. But one crucial thing I'd add is proper edge sealing—learned this the hard way. Last summer, I layered membranes on my garage roof without fully sealing the edges, thinking the drainage mat would handle everything. Big mistake...water found its way under during heavy rain. After sealing the edges thoroughly, zero issues since.
"step three: cross fingers and hope for the best, lol."
Haha, been there too...but sealing properly beats crossing fingers every time.
Good points on sealing, though honestly I'd argue membranes and mats are more of a temporary fix than a long-term solution. I've seen heavy wind-driven rain peel up even well-sealed edges over time, especially if the adhesive isn't top quality. Had a property a couple years back where we went through this exact scenario. Eventually bit the bullet and invested in proper flashing and metal edging—cost more upfront but saved us headaches later.
"Haha, been there too...but sealing properly beats crossing fingers every time."
True enough—but I'd add that proper materials beat sealing every time.
