2 feet underground it is a constant 65 degrees !

Living Roofs are beautiful plus they are tiny evaproative coolers during the heat of the day , and during the winter active and green or brown and self mulching they are great insulators from the cold.

Consult your local architect, engineer or design professional to assure compliance with code, construction and performance requirements in your area.

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The idea is for you to be able to learn simple angle cuts using a miter saw and a work table to precut all your pieces then glue and screw the ribs together and then tilt them up into position plumb and straight on a 12 inch center , using the winch off your tractor. Assembling and stacking them 12 deep using your first rib as your MODEL/JIG  to assemble the rest on top of .

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Wood Treatment is very important even though there is not direct earth to wood contact . simple prevnetion is cheap and effective. 

When the plywood arrives for a bout two or 3 days , twice a day coat the edges of the boards . The edges of plywood are like tiny straws that suck in moisture and start the rot and termite infestation problems of the future. 

first 2 treatments  BORAX and water . either go ahead and buy TIMBORE or buy bulk BORAX in 50 lb containers ( you will use this as a soil additive also to the dry soil under the 2 sheets of 6 mill vapor barrier that directly contacts your roofing finish ) to make a borax spray take 3 lbs to 5 gallons of hot water mix well put a lid on the bucket and put out in the sun to marry and evaporate down a bit for 5 days .  
use a pump sprayer ... so not get the un dissolved borax in the tank while filling ( pour un dissolved borax around foundation area before making a new mixture ) spray a wetting coat to plywood edges not a heavily dripping coat while the wood is warmed by the sun , later that after noon apply a second coat. to all ply wood sides while still stacked after delivery.
the following afternoon you can apply your first coat of commercial TreatmentSealer. following apply second coat.

After the ribs are up give them a spray of Borax and then after the whole shell is complete repeat covering all the wood with borax 2 coats and then Com treatment 2 coats. then Dry in.

click here for more info on this adhesive
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60 mil rubber roofing

Dry in and roofing :
after coating twice with borax and treatmenst . cover with Tyvek and then paint the tyvek with al cool seal type roof paint ( make sure it states it is mildew resistant and elastrometic ) then apply roofing as recomened by local codes UPGRADE when ever possible.

Cover the whole house with 2 layers of 6 mill vapor barrier to a distance of 10 feet past the foundation roll the vapoer barrier back up to above the roof line and procceed to install DrY BERM . You want this soil to be as sandy as possible , if there is alot of rocks it would be a good idea to have first covered the home with a proctive layer of 14 mill PPLYMAX WOVEN  it is almost indestructable and provides moisture protection also this will protect roofing from damage by rocks in soil.  

You may want to add some perilite or vermiculit to the 3 incehes of soil diecrctly touching the builidng whenever possilbe. 

From the first layer add a THICH  dusting of BORAX dry to the first foot ajcent to the wall in layers all the way up the building .   

After you reach to top or the wall and meet the roof line flush or 2 or 3 inches of soil deep at roof line. having tamped the soil down as you had added it . you can now un roll the two layers of vapor barrier and contiue berning the home till you achieve a 2 foot wid level at of aboe the roof line sloping woutwards about 8 foot. from foundation.

This method gives you a dry soil next to your home the borax make the soil unfriendly to termites . The soil above the vapoer barrier will be fine for growning turf grass.

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A=2.5feet
B=8 feet EROSION CONTROL 48' WIDE DOT COIR MAT METAL STAPLED
 SEEDED UNDER AND OVER
C=45 feet D=2'wide top 6'base earthen berm w/COIR MAT  E= green roof soil and sod 6 "

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Using sand bags to build up the berm that will be under the vapor barrier will make construstion and stabilzation easier and it will give more structure to the dirt actually epressing and conctaining any force that would bow or buckel the 10.5 inch span of the sheeting plywood.

http://www.oc.ca.gov/pfrd/programs/elnino/SandBagUse.html

This page gives great info on sand bag usage , the info is basedon using a burlap bag whihc degrades , the recommended bag is the Poly whihc when buryed will have an almost indefinte life span.

this is an older drawing
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16x40 starter home berned length wise
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w/10 patio area front and back

The berm starts at about 1 to 2 foot over the roof line then going out 2 feet then sharply sloping out to 6-8 feet from the home. Use a bio-erosion mat to stablize the soil before seeding or laying sod. 

The roof soil is a mix 50% perilite or vermiculit ( depending on the purchse of vermiculite you make to start your farming and costs. Verlite and vergro tampa florida you should be able to buy it at at about 400 a metric ton.that is alot buy the cubic foot baged 4 cf per at about 8 bucks delvered.)the other 50% is Canandian Peat and compost . This mix is light and gives great Drainage/perculation while giving a good medium for sod growth at 4 inches deep plus sod the wieght per Sq, Ft. is about 9.5 moist LB's

Land Slope and Dynaincs : When and where ever possilbe you do not want to disturb exisiting soil .you want the foundation to be atleast 6 inches above current soil line for great drainage.

If you build on a slope that slope will effect the pressures of your berm . So when creating the PAd the raised level land for your foundations. extent and build it up as per your engeers recomendations . Understanding these basic dynaics now will help when you are searching to purchase Land. and in deciding the position of the homes . Remembering that the long sides are designed to face the south and north so that the Pv panels can be located on top of the homes berms and close to the battery banks so there will be no lose of power due to long wire runs . 

You may carve into the slope and using earth anchors creat a stable retaining wall to redierect and presuure dynicns of the slope frome effecting your bermed house walls.  

Condensation / Moisture

happens form differences in air temperatures and the moisture in the air condescending , if there is not radical differences int temperature like between the wood of the berm-ed wails and the exterior soil condensation should not be a problem. The 2 exposed walls will have condensation potential . the interior air space must be filled totally with an expanding self pressurizing foam to drive out air before finishing these walls so that and condensing moisture will occur on wall exteriors where any molds or decay can be regularly treated .

NO stagnant air ! the ribs breath the 3 - 40 cfm muffin fans ( $15 each 12 volt 3 watts ) move the whole attic air volune down around the extior of the skin every 2 minutes , the THERMAL mass of the exterior walls keep match witht he inside temps . Raising the exterior ground temps because of your heating , cooling inside ari temps during the hotter times of year. Plus this air movement allows the plywood to repirate the layers of vapor barriers keep moisture out but allow for an osmosis of air movement. The bottom of the interior walls has a two inch grate like used on patio's for drainage to allow for air flow.  

yearly preventative maintence of gassing the whole house with a combo of lysol and an insect fogger will make sure you have no bug or mold problems . do it on a day your family is going away. let the home breate for an hour before going back in.
  

AFTER THE WOOD FLOORING IS INSTALLED YOU  will need to block off the air flow form air under the home. with a cut piece of 2x6 flush with the floor installed using cheap simple 90 degree angles screwed into the ribs . any small amout of air loss from gaps in this step is acceptable and will help insure that the whole home still breaths.

http://www.gp.com/build/apaRoofs.asp

The live load of 1/2 Gp plywood on 12 inch cneter is over 300 lbs per square foot


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