How To Tatch A Roof

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 since the bulk of the vegetation stays dry and is densely packed trapping air thatching also functions as insulation.

How to tatch a roof.

Start installing the thatch at the bottom edge of the roof and work in a horizontal row. A beginners guide to the craft of thatching. Which answers two questions. Thatching included as one of the crafting activities for the roofing process.

Build with dry vegetation materials including water reed heather straw rushes and also palm branches. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in. Use a hammer or staple gun to attach the thatch to the roof and check to ensure you are installing it with the rough shaggy side facing up and the woven knotted side facing down. But as melissa viney discovers don t expect it to come cheap.

As well as general degredation of the thatch which happens over time common problems in thatched roofs which require maintenance include damage caused by monkeys birds and overhanging trees as well as leaks and rotting often caused because the roof was improperly thatched and built in the first place. A roof thatcher s skills may date back to the bronze age and the trade is picking up again because of new builds. 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. The best reeds are harvested.

How to build a uk european style thatch roof using quickthatch melaleuca roof thatch from oznative. Real thatching is done on a house without a sub roof and at a pitch of at least 45 degrees. The thatch is laid directly on the rafters and is visible from the inside of the structure. Obtain the dried reeds either from a local source or by purchasing from a dealer.

Additional rafter poles can be temporarily put on the outside to hold thatching in place as you continue to lay upper levels. How long does thatch last and how much will it cost these are the questions every thatcher is asked most frequently. 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. How to build a thatched roof.