Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (Cladium mariscus), rushes and heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates. Thatch is still employed by builders in developing countries, usually with low-cost, local vegetation. By contrast in some developed countries it is now the choice of affluent people who desire a rustic look for their home or who have purchased an originally thatched abode.
Source: Wiki
Image source: Miner Descent
Image source: Gartoo (Good list of benefits and background information.)
I have spent a good bit of time in the Peruvian Amazon River basin. Palm leaf thatched roofs are everywhere and handle even the heaviest rains w/o a problem. Obviously, the rains there can be quite intense.
I’ve heard that palm thatch is more durable than vetiver. We use vetiver because that’s what grows locally. It was too costly and impractical to ship in palm thatch, but that means we have to re-thatch more frequently.
It’s amazing how something so simple can be so effective, huh? Roofs are critical to the longevity of buildings, and for the money thatch is an excellent choice. I was pleasantly surprised to read on one of the links above how thatch is now preferred by a growing number of rich in England. They can afford whatever type of roof they want obviously, and many prefer thatch — probably because it looks so great. Thatch doesn’t have that dead, factory made, sterile look.
gorgeous. Nice to see instructionals are available on youtube- 2 years ago there was nothing! i’m so going to do this.
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i saw that way of roofing in hungary, croatia and romania and i always asked myself how is it possible to be rain proof? it looks great though
Thatch is rain proof if it’s done correctly and in good repair. What’s amazing is even a thin layer of thatch is rain proof. I’ve sat in outdoor restaurants with thatch roofs about one inch thick in pouring rain. I expected to see at least a few drips here and there — but no, nothing. No leaks at all.