How Long Does A Thatched Roof Last In England
There are more than 60 000 thatched roofs in the united kingdom and over 150 000 in the netherlands.
How long does a thatched roof last in england. Loosely speaking thatching is the use of straw or grasses as a building material. The pitch of a thatched roof is also important as it allows water to run off and be thrown well away from the property before it has chance to be absorbed. 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. A beginners guide to the craft of thatching.
Which answers two questions. Based on the design thatched model is quite unique in a soft shape. Thatched roofs have been part of the british landscape for hundreds of years perhaps as far back as the eighth century ad. Combed wheat might stand for 20 to 40 years ad long straw will reach 15 to 25 years.
Thatched roof maintenance although a thatched roof can have a long lifespan there can be slight maintenance required due to the factors listed about and the natural degradation of materials over time which is inevitable. Under normal conditions a good thatched roof will not last more than 60 years without requiring major repairs. Moisture is not typically absorbed into thatched bundles any deeper than 1 or 2 inches whereas thatched roofs are typically 12 inches deep. The main factors are.
The longest durability for thatched roofing design may reached 65 years. Citation needed good quality straw thatch can last for more than 50 years when applied by a skilled thatcher traditionally a new layer of straw was simply applied over. Thatched popularity in england already reached almost 35 000 properties. Thatch is popular in the united kingdom germany the netherlands denmark parts of france sicily belgium and ireland.
Using thatch for roofing goes back as far as the bronze age in britain. But rest assured that the average thatched roof lifespan isn t that long. How long does a thatched roof last and how much do they cost. At shearplace hall in dorset there are remains of a round hut that shows signs of thatching.
That makes thatching a skill that has been refined and passed down the generations for 10 000 years in africa europe asia and beyond. There is also buildings insurance to consider. It is not wise to go through the trouble and expense of installing a thatched roof if a property owner is not willing to have buildings insurance in place. Many thatched house owners have been told that their roofs should last 30 40 years but it is hard to put an exact lifespan on a thatched roof as each thatched roof will vary depending on different factors.
As archaeologists will know thatching dates back at least as long as the bronze age. Thatched cottages and farm buildings were the norm. The total thatched roof cost a customer bears does not necessarily stop at the job itself.