Advice on thatched properties

[Lazurus]

Starting to look for a new home in the new year, here in norfolk many properties are thatched, I have no knowledge on this good looking but risk associated roofing material. Anyone who has experiance offer any advice when looking and enquiring about such properties? Insurance, mortgage, surveys, wiring, log burners?????

 

[Cobbler]

My son has a thatched cottage, insurance wise there are only one or two companies that do them, NFU is one. They do put a few restrictions on the policy, no bonfires, no charcoal barbecues, no candles to be used this sort of thing. He had a wood burner fitted, the chimney had to be so many feet above the roof & the chimney swept every year. I don’t think any of the restrictions are unreasonable, all make sense. From what I recall the mortgage company wanted a roof inspection done by a thatcher, once again understandable as they are lending the money.

 

[Ashley Burton]

I bet it's not cheap to re-thatch them!

 

[Bullet2012]

Have had 3 go up in flames local to me over the last 6-7 years

 

[roofman]

Why put yourself through hell without any form of torture or death threats...find a pretty house with a normal roof

 

[jerrytug]

I think they are beautiful to look at, but originally thatching must have been a cheap way of covering a roof, using material available from a local farm, if you were too poor to get some slates.
And there used to be millions of rural labourers used to throwing hay and straw around with pitchforks so repairs were cheap. Doesn't mean it's a durable roof.
I suggest you buy a house, with a proper tiled roof, directly across the road from a thatched cottage. Then you can enjoy looking at the thatch, while having a barbie on guy fawkes night round the bonfire

 

[roofman]

I think they are beautiful to look at, but originally thatching must have been a cheap way of covering a roof, using material available from a local farm, if you were too poor to get some slates.
And there used to be millions of rural labourers used to throwing hay and straw around with pitchforks so repairs were cheap. Doesn't mean it's a durable roof.
I suggest you buy a house, with a proper tiled roof, directly across the road from a thatched cottage. Then you can enjoy looking at the thatch, while having a barbie on guy fawkes night round the bonfire

And have your finger on speed dial for the fire brigade every heat wave

 

[CompoSimmonite]

You can get artificial thatch
https://www.thelapacompany.co.uk/finishes/endureed-synthetic-thatch

 

[jerrytug]

You can get artificial thatch
https://www.thelapacompany.co.uk/finishes/endureed-synthetic-thatch

Amazing!

 

[mike os]

Thatch looks great but is extremely expensive to replace and you will never get permission to change it.

Save yourself grief and find somewhere with a proper roof

 

[bourbon]

You can get artificial thatch
https://www.thelapacompany.co.uk/finishes/endureed-synthetic-thatch

If it's a listed building, You won't be able to use that

 

[addjunkie]

If it's a listed building, You won't be able to use that

The listed thing can be a costly nighmare, trying to do anything.

Go house hunting with your common sense head, not the rose tinted glasses.

 

[Kayos]

I know one house that had it changed, it looks like a thatched cottage with the wrong roof...

I'd live in one, ideally buy it needing work and add lots of fire proof boarding under the new thatch, so fire couldnt spread either way

 

[Shox Dr]

They do look idyllic. Always remind me of the story of the 3 pigs

 

[julianf]

Most of the houses around here are thatch.

I've not paid that much attention, but I get the impression it's about £10k to rethatch (which seems a lot to me) and it lasts about a decade.

£1k a year to keep the roof in order seems a bit much to me.

Ours was probably thatch when it was built. I reckon somthing catastrophic happened years ago through, and it's slate now. Thankfully.

 

[Shox Dr]

Most of the houses around here are thatch.

I've not paid that much attention, but I get the impression it's about £10k to rethatch (which seems a lot to me) and it lasts about a decade.

£1k a year to keep the roof in order seems a bit much to me.

Ours was probably thatch when it was built. I reckon somthing catastrophic happened years ago through, and it's slate now. Thankfully.

10k is cheap to reroof a tiled house, obviously depending on where you live that is. But 10k for a thatch roof I would say is very cheap

 

[fizzy]

My mother used to live in a thatched cottage.
Warm in winter. Much cooler in summer. She loved watching the field mice climbing the ivy to get up to bed

 

[Lazurus]

Hmmmmmm, sounds like too much trouble, will have to steer the good lady away from that idea then!!

 

[julianf]

View from (through) our kitchen window, just taken -

They may look pretty, but let someone else deal with the bother with them!

 

[Seadog]

Is that a flying saucer I can see?