Posted by Adam Quinan on February 07, 2006 at 03:09:18 from 72.136.51.111 user Adam.
In Reply to: Thatched Roof posted by Ed Kiser on February 06, 2006 at 21:13:50:
The surface of a thatched roof is surprisingly fire resistant but a chimney that leaks hot gasses into the thatch or a lot of sparks from the fire can cause problems and once it is alight it is hard to put out as water doesn't penetrate it at all easily.
It is waterproof being tightly packed and more than a foot thick. It is subject to rot, animals and birds digging in, but a good roof will last much longer that the shingles they use here in Ontario. Norfolk reed has an estimated life span of up to 75 years, poor quality straw can be a third of that.
When the time comes, you usually remove the most decayed part of the upper layer, leaving the lower layers which haven't been exposed and then re-thatch with new reed or straw (a lot of thatch in England is wheat straw) on top. The thatch at the bottom will last for centuries.
It is often held in place with netting. My grandparents' house was in Somerset with the low lying Somerset Levels as the source of reeds.