AMERICAN ROOFTOP GARDENSAMERICAN ROOFTOP GARDENS

WHAT IS A ROOFTOP GARDEN?

ROOFTOP GARDEN: Any outdoor, elevated garden, generally found in urban areas; can be public, semi-public or private.

URBAN GARDEN: Any garden found in an inner city area, may include rooftops, terraces, balconies, community gardens, public/private parks, and backyards

Many rooftop gardens are:

found in urban areas situated in northeastern cities enjoyed by wealthy or others with disposable income

ACCESSIBILITY

PUBLIC: completely open to public. i.e. Lotus Garden SEMI-PUBLIC: found on rooftops of corporate,

government, or other buildings. Not generally open to public; access limited, related to certain activities, jobs, parties. For instance: NYC Parks Garden, Beth Israel Healing Garden

PRIVATE: restricted use; residential or related to membership; examples include home gardens, YMCA-Brooklyn garden, etc.

TYPES of “ROOFTOP” GARDENS

• PENTHOUSE• TOWNHOUSE• TERRACE• BALCONY• GREENROOF

TYPES of “ROOFTOP” GARDENS

PENTHOUSES

TYPES of “ROOFTOP” GARDENS

TOWNHOUSES

TYPES of “ROOFTOP” GARDENS

TERRACES and BALCONIES

TYPES of “ROOFTOP” GARDENS

GREENROOFS

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

WEIGHT DRAINAGE ZONE REPAIR REPLACEMENT ACCESS

MAINTENANCE CONSIDERATIONS

PLANT STRESS ROOT PRUNING NUTRIENT

DEFICIENCY PESTS AND

DISEASE PLANT SINKING

AND HEAVING

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

“BACKDROP EFFECT” rudin

CONSTANT SHOW

PERMANENCE

COST TO CLIENT

INSTALLATION ACCOUNTS $10,000 and up up upCan include containers, flooring, soil, stone,

lumber, plants, lighting, irrigation, water features, labor, delivery ($60), trash pick-up ($60+$8/bag) and more

Materials: 60%-80% over wholesale priceLabor: $65-$100+/hour

COST TO CLIENT

MAINTENANCE

ACCOUNTS: $1,000-$300,000/year Materials: 60%-80% over

wholesale price Labor: $65-$100+ per

hour; billed by quarter hour

Costs include chemicals, plants, soil, labor

LABOR ISSUES

Contracts generally begin with a seasonal proposal prepared by maintenance person

Laborer is extremely important for customer relations because he/she may be the only contact the client has with the company.

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

DEMANDING CLIENTS Must balance meeting

customer’s desires with the forces of nature. (i.e. can’t have roses in early March in the North.)

It can be hard to explain that certain plants are not available to purchase at certain times of the year!

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

ACCESS to BUILDING Apartment buildings: Usually 9am-4pm, sometimes

as early as 3:30; strictly enforced…building staff will come and escort you out of building!

Private homes: Coordinate with housekeepers; staff does not necessarily work everyday, or for full 8 hours at a time

Accessibility can directly affect your paycheck because of unexpected scheduling problems and generally not getting a 40 hour week!!

CUSTOMER RELATIONS

Dealing with staff Can be very particular because they are

responsible for running household; must answer to homeowner

Staff schedules decide your schedule Paperwork-

Critical to profit/loss to keep detailed records of billable hours vs ”down-time” (i.e. travel, lunch, unexpected problems)

Insurance!!!! “That rug you’re tracking dirt on cost $100,000!”

COMPANY STRUCTURE

Typical Departments: DESIGN-responsible for

designing planting schemes/hardscaping & selecting plants

INSTALL/BUILD-constructs the designs

MAINTENANCE-cares for and maintains the design;plant selection; customer relations!

LIGHTING-can be contracted or in-house

COMPANY STRUCTURE

Typical Departments:IRRIGATION-contracted or in-houseACCOUNTING-very important in this

business to carefully track overhead, especially regarding labor

LEGAL-Clients can and do sue!SPECIAL CONTRACTORS- i.e. water

features, artists, stonework

LONG TERM ISSUES

Plant growth Pruning (root and

shoot) Plant replacement Soil replacement (over

time) Deterioration of

containers, tiles Damage to building

infrastructure (again, drainage, drainage, drainage.)

ROOFTOP GARDENS

QUESTIONS??