[Cob] living roofs

[Karen Mason]

Hi again from Kansas,

Thanks for the info on the strawbale/rocket stove question. 

We have another question, this time regarding the insulation potential of a living roof. In Kansas the winters are relatively cold; but, not as cold as the northern states like Michigan or Wisconsin. Average lows are about 20 degrees, although with windchill it can be down in the single digits but it doesn't last long. The winds can be fierce. In the summer it gets hot, temps averaging around 90 degrees, with lows dropping to 70 or 65. We are seriously considering a living roof. In Becky Bee's book she states that when wet, a living roof will not be an effective insulator. In contrast, the book written by the UK couple states that a living roof is very insulating. And, I assume that in England their live roofs are wet all the time. The design of our roof and cost will be dependent on whether we insulate or not. We would prefer to not insulate as we have also realized that insulating with non-toxic materials will be challenging. 

Thanks, Karen & Pat in Kansas

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