Greenroof for my ice house.

[LovinLife]

I posted this on EGF too.....I have this ice house. Right now it's kind of just a storage shed. I would like to clean it up and make it a food storage (sort of a root cellar). As you can see from the pic it needs a new roof. I would like to install a "green roof". Has anyone installed a green roof before or know where to get the materials?

Uhh pic was taken in Dec 2010.

 

[homesteadmomma]

I have no idea about the green roof but I see lots of potential in that building.

 

[dragonlaurel]

You got lucky to have an ice house.
Green roofs are pretty heavy. You might have to reinforce the side walls to handle the weight.
I would not use one here because of possible earthquakes, but I don't know if that is an issue in your area.
Eta- I can't tell how big this ice house is, but putting it in a basement or something similar would keep it shady and help keep the temps low. If it's hilly on your property, you might dig into a hill to earth berm it.

 

[LovinLife]

I live in VA, no earthwakes and no hills. The ice house is 6' all the way around and about 7' tall on the inside. The walls are about 12" thick so I'm pretty certain the they will hold the weight of the green roof. I've had no luck finding materials for the roof tho.

 

[LovinLife]

I have no idea about the green roof but I see lots of potential in that building.

It needs some serious TLC. After it's days storing ice it was storing other things and something stinky spilled on the floor. Smells like deisel fuel or something. Also leaks water in through the cooling unit that is still in place. Then of course the issue with the roof. :/

 

[SKR8PN]

Do a little investigating, and find out what the side walls are made off. Remove the refrigeration unit and have a peek at the wall construction. Most of those ice boxes, were made with thin aluminum skins filled with a hard foam and no vertical supports. It will more than likely require some reinforcement inside and out to support the roof. The inside reinforcement, if designed right, can also double as your shelving. As far as a green roof goes, I'd set some sort of rafters, framed on an angle for drainage, then cover it with plywood and steel roofing. For a green roof you'll only need about 8 inches of soil.
The main thing to remember, is that box was designed to keep stuff cold, NOT to support the weight of 8 inches of soil or to account for any sort of drainage.