Had to laugh at the “noise” thing—my aunt’s old farmhouse had a metal roof and during hail it was like living inside a popcorn machine. But my own place? Newer metal, decent insulation, and honestly the dog snores louder than the rain. I do wonder though, has anyone tried those “green roofs” with plants and all? Curious if they actually help with sound or just attract squirrels looking for salad...
Had a green roof put on my garage about five years back—mostly sedum and some wildflowers. Honestly, it’s way quieter during storms compared to the regular shingle roof on the house. The soil and plants really do muffle the sound, even when hail hits. Maintenance isn’t bad, just some weeding now and then. As for squirrels, yeah, they poke around but haven’t caused any real trouble. Biggest surprise was how much cooler it keeps the space underneath in summer.
That’s pretty cool you went for the green roof route. I’ve been curious about those for a while but always figured they’d be more hassle than they’re worth, especially with the Midwest storms we get. Sounds like it’s holding up better than I expected, especially with hail—my regular asphalt shingles barely make it through a bad season without losing a few. The noise difference you mentioned is interesting. I never thought about how much quieter it could be during storms. My attic turns into a drumline every time we get heavy rain.
The cooling effect is another thing that’s got me thinking. My garage basically turns into an oven by July, and I’ve tried everything from extra insulation to those reflective roof coatings, but nothing really helps much. If plants do the trick, might be worth looking into for my next project. Did you have to reinforce the structure underneath for the extra weight? That’s one thing that’s always held me back—I’m not sure my old detached garage could handle it without some upgrades.
Maintenance-wise, sounds manageable if it’s just weeding. I get enough of that in the backyard already, but at least you don’t have to deal with moss eating away at shingles or constant gutter cleaning from granules. Squirrels are a pain no matter what, though... had one chew right through my soffit last year just to stash acorns.
I’m still on the fence about switching over, mostly because of cost and whether it’d actually last longer than traditional roofs. But hearing your experience makes it sound less intimidating than all those articles make it out to be. Maybe I’ll start small and try a patch on my shed first—see how it goes before going all in. Thanks for sharing how it’s worked out for you so far; definitely gives me something to think about next time a storm rolls through and I’m mopping up leaks in the garage again.
Structural reinforcement is a biggie with green roofs, especially on older garages. The weight of the soil and water adds up fast—wet soil can get heavy, and if you get a freak rainstorm, it’s even more. Most sheds and detached garages weren’t really designed for that kind of load. I’ve seen some folks beef up the rafters or add extra joists, but it’s definitely not a slap-it-on-and-go kind of project. If you’re thinking about a test patch on your shed, maybe start with an “extensive” green roof setup (shallow soil, lighter plants). Less weight, easier to manage, and still gives you a taste of the cooling effect. And yeah, squirrels… they’ll chew through anything short of stainless steel.
I put a green roof on my old detached garage about six years ago, and I’ll tell you, the reinforcement part is no joke. My place was built in the 50s, and those rafters were never meant to hold anything heavier than a couple of raccoons. I ended up sistering all the joists and adding some cross-bracing before even thinking about laying down soil. Even then, I stuck with sedum mats and maybe three inches of lightweight soil—nothing fancy.
One thing that caught me off guard was how much heavier everything gets after a big rain. You think you’ve done the math, but then you get one of those summer storms where it dumps for hours, and suddenly you’re out there at midnight checking for sagging. Never had an issue (knock on wood), but it’s always in the back of my mind.
I hear you on the squirrels too. Mine seem to think any new project is their personal playground. They dug up half my first planting trying to bury acorns. Ended up stapling some wire mesh just under the soil layer—slowed them down a bit, but nothing’s foolproof with those little guys.
If I did it again, I might look into some of those modular tray systems. They’re pricier upfront but way lighter and easier to swap out if something goes wrong. Plus, if you ever need to check for leaks or rot underneath, you can just lift a section instead of digging through layers of dirt.
Honestly, if your main goal is weather resistance and not just aesthetics or insulation, metal roofing might be less hassle long-term. My neighbor swapped his shingles for standing seam metal after a hailstorm shredded his roof last year—cost him more at first but he hasn’t had to touch it since.
Green roofs are cool (literally), but they’re definitely not set-it-and-forget-it, especially on older buildings. Just my two cents from sweating through it myself...
