A garden you grow on the roof, terrace or balcony of your house is known as a Terrace Garden. With urbanization and no space left to accommodate nature, terrace gardening is becoming rapidly adopted in buildings. The residents are conforming to terrace gardening to feel closer to nature from the comfort of their buildings. It doesn’t matter how big or small your rooftop is, with the right planning and little effort you can transform your terrace into a garden. Terrace gardening can be done on almost all kinds of buildings such as residential flats, individual houses, high-rise buildings and commercial centres.
Advantages of terrace garden
● Keeps the temperature cooler.
● Reduces building’s Carbon Footprint
● Help in rainwater harvesting.
● Keeps you closer to nature.
● Makes your house look more visually appealing.
● Helps in reducing pollution.
● Yields fresh and organic produced vegetation
● Allows you to grow medicinal herbs and plants at home.
● Spending 15-20 mins in the terrace garden can help reduce your stress levels
● Helps in reducing pollution
● You can grow medicinal plants and herbs too
● Makes the house look visually appealing
The components of terrace garden construction
Various components of terrace green wet garden construction must be properly maintained to get a lost lasting result. Its components include;
Waterproofing membrane- The membrane material must possess the ability to prevent moisture from entering the facility. The membrane must be durable enough to resist mechanical damage from the penetration of plant roots in the terrace.
Protection Board –This is installed over the waterproofing membrane and serves as the protective barrier of the membrane during garden construction.
Drainage Layer- This is installed above the protection board and consists of a rot-proof material that allows the water to flow through to the substrate drains. This is a critical component, which must be compatible with the filter fabric and the planting medium.
Filter Fabric- This is installed over the drainage medium to prevent the loss of soil, mulch or plant debris while allowing for the flow of moisture to the drains and keeping the drains unclogged.
The soil layer: The thickness of soil for lawn turfing is about 40 cm while for shrubs and trees ranges between 1 to 1.5 m. The soil should be rich, lightweight, well aerated and have adequate water retention capacity.
Waterproofing of your terrace garden is quite pivotal as the surface gets exposed to water buildup and soil chemicals. Properly applied waterproofing systems can have a good service life.
How to waterproof your terrace green wet area garden ?
There are two types of waterproofing requirements. One for waterproofing old terrace and new terrace garden. All the steps are discussed below.
Old terrace by waterproofing gravity pond to convert GARDEN
● Wash the terrace surface and make it dust free with a brush and blow dry out
● Open up the cracks and joints with sharp tools
● Fill up all the visible cracks and joints with crack fillers
● After crack filling let it dry for one hour
● When floor of slab is moist / SSD apply waterproofing coating of latest Nano Polymer Penetrating Concentrate Crystalline Chemistry (NPCCC) with damp proof and damp shed materials on the existing roof floor slab
● The first coat is for Filling the invisible cracks & small pores holes
● Let the first coat dry for 2-3 hours
● Apply fiberglass mesh using the sealant as the fixing agent
● Apply another layer of waterproof coating to strengthen the floor surface.
● Let is try for 24 to 48 hours
● The final layer is the finish, the material may be a tile, or a stone, or any material as per choice,
● Larger areas need SLOPE CORRECTION/ screed in slope of min.1:100, for areas need av. 9”(270mm)++ earth fill better be given Steel Fiber reinforced concrete min.50mm thick.
● Wet screed better be given dry shake sprinkling of Nano Penetrating Concentrate Crystalline Chemistry before Trowel able finishes
●After 2-3 days of 33% you achieve compressive strength.
Gravity pond of activ-flex & activ-guard, grades of min.100g & 150g/ Sqm for min. 7 days, check by increasing the water head up to 100mm deep to check leaks if you need injection grouting from the negative side. Apply the final waterproof coat of PROTECTO-BIT with ACTIV FLEX Acrylic polymer modified for full chemicals resist.
• Go for geo fabric min.125gsm
• drainage board/ Special aggregate
• Second topping layer of Geo fabric
• Perforated drains / specifications meeting
• Soft earth fill for preference to Slope & vegetation planning….
New terrace waterproofing with gravity pond to convert GARDEN
When there is a need to carry out the waterproofing of a newly built reinforced concrete roof, it is best to use new technology time tested water reducer cum self healing Nano pore sealing admixture to provide the waterproofing layer directly on the structural slab. The insulation layer and the finishing layer can then follow.
● Wash the Roof-terrace surface and make it dust-free. When floor of slab is moist / SSD apply waterproofing coating of latest Nano Polymer Penetrating Concentrate Crystalline Chemistry (NPCCC) with damp proof and damp shed materials on the existing roof floor slab
● The first coat is for Filling the invisible cracks & small pores holes
● Let the first coat dry for 2-3 hours
● Apply fiberglass mesh using the sealant as the fixing agent
● Apply another layer of waterproof coating to strengthen the floor surface.
● Let it cure for 24 to 48 hours
● Larger areas need SLOPE CORRECTION/ screed in slope of min.1:100, for areas need av. 9”(270mm)++ earth fill better be given Steel Fiber reinforced concrete min.50mm thick. ● Wet screed better be given dry shake sprinkling of Nano Penetrating Concentrate Crystalline Chemistry before Trowel able finishes.
●After 2-3 days of 33% achieve compressive Strength
Gravity pond of activ-flex & activ-guard, grades of min.100g & 150g/ Sqm for min. 7 days, check by increasing the water head up to 100mm deep to check leaks if you need injection grouting from the negative side. Apply the final waterproof coat of PROTECTO-BIT with ACTIV FLEX Acrylic polymer modified for full chemical resist.
• Go for geo fabric min.125gsm
• drainage board/ Special aggregate
• Second topping layer of Geo fabric
• Perforated drains / specifications meeting
• Soft earth fill for preference to Slope & vegetation planning….
Requirement for terrace garden waterproofing membrane products;
The selection of the right waterproofing product is the key for the long-term life cycle of the terrace garden. The product must have the following features.
Conclusion
Terrace gardens are proving to be effective stress busters. It is a place where you take a break from their daily routine and busy schedule. Nature is the best stress reliever and this terrace garden is one of the ways to connect with nature and spend some time with ourselves amidst the bustle of city life. Waterproofing with the right product and methods could go a long way in keeping them functional. Once the waterproofing is executed correctly, you can further enhance the look of your terrace garden with the mix of right plants and black window boxes for planters.
For more details on terrace waterproofing products- call on 9310032422 or,
Email- waterproofdaksh@gmail.com