Mini green roofs

Ooops! I was sure I has posted this back in June, but that must have been another one of my way-too-vivid dreams.

After much research and consultation, D. decided to build and plant green roofs on the tops of the clerestories himself, rather than go with a pro. We had saved all the bricks that had formerly paved the roof patio container garden, so we transferred them all from the garage to the roofs via dolly and elevator. (Bonus: this freed up another parking space and the garage is now full to capacity.) With help from P, D purchased, sized and installed the the same layered system of water retainers and root barriers as on the big garden green roof. They purchased various soil components, mixed them by hand and filled the troughs about 3-4 inches deep.

D ordered several trays of sedum seedlings, and I dug up a few of our well established sedums and semper vivums. My father came to help plant one evening, and we finished up the next day.

Two of the clerestory green roofs have grown in beautifully (over the kitchen and sun/guest rooms), but the big one over the loft was picked clean by a flock of pigeons who are nesting in a nearby airshaft. D is calculating various means of pigeon destruction before allowing me to replant.
Planting the clerestories was really the last act that could be called construction. As D enjoys pointing out, I never believed it would happen. It is incredible: from late March 2009 to late June 2010 we lived through the complete re-creation of a parking garage and "office" to a home with three living floors and nine roofs (still parking 20 cars). We never left, and (after the rains of June 2009) didn't have too many terrible days. We're still talking to each other, and even to the architect (if not the contractor). We filed away the blueprints, after Charlie relinquished them. The rest of the summer we slowly unpacked, with the very last step being to hang paintings. When that's all done, we'll give you a tour.