How Do You Thatch A Roof

A beginners guide to the craft of thatching.

How do you thatch a roof.

Do not let anyone except an experienced thatcher do this job. He picks up a spar a branch of split hazel wood that has been tapered to a point at each end and. However before you decide to use the thatched roof make sure about the quality. And they are the most difficult ones to answer as nearly every thatch roof is a unique combination of the size shape and location of the roof and the materials and thatching skills used to create it.

Since the bulk of the vegetation stays dry and is densely packed trapping air thatching also functions as insulation. The thatched roof would need perfect quality of thatcher. Also replacing an existing thatched roof will cost less than having a brand new one installed in place of a tiled or slated roof. Tie the four corner boards together by nailing in cross members extending from each corner parallel to the ridge pole and 24 inches apart.

Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw water reed sedge cladium mariscus rushes heather or palm branches layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Which answers two questions. A lot of professional thatcher that you can find online. Long straw thatching should always be securely netted to prevent bird penetration.

Build the roof structure for the thatching by nailing a 2 by 4 inch piece of lumber from each of the four corners of the building up to a center ridge pole that runs parallel to the ground. Removing the old thatch may also expose unanticipated problems such as deterioration or damage to the wooden battens which support the thatch. Then the real work begins. If an existing thatched roof needs to be replaced the labour costs of removing the old thatch as well as the transport and disposal costs of the old reeds needs to be taken into account.

Once you have determined what needs to be done to get your thatch roof in tip top condition get a quote from an experienced thatcher and get going. If you re looking for ball park figures thatchers usually charge by the square which is 10 ft 10 ft 100 ft or 3 m 3 m 9 m.