Are thatched roofs good? Thatched roofs have good and bad points. They are a natural material, look nice, are great insulators (both heat and sound), and are environmentally friendly. However, on the downside, they are a fire risk, can become infested with pests and mold, need a lot of maintenance, and are expensive.
As a side note, the plural of roof is roofs, even though the plural of hoof is hooves. I really want to write rooves, but roofs is the most common form. However, rooves is not incorrect, it is just not the most common modern form. It used to be common, but it has slowly faded out of fashion. In the future, hoof, elf, and wife might become hoofs, elfs, and wifes. Who knows?
Thatched roofs have existed for thousands of years because they are a natural way of covering a dwelling. If you were going to make a hut in the wilderness to survive a few days, you would probably cover it in thick leaves and branches, which is where thatched roofs come from. Thatched roofs have sprung up in many different continents independently because it is a natural roofing material. In Europe, the majority of agricultural homes had thatched roofs because the owners couldn’t afford to build brick or wood roofs. A thatched roof was a symbol of poverty, although these days, it is a symbol of wealth.
Most thatched houses are made with straw thatching. The straw has to be long and it is threshed and dried first. The straw is tied to the roof of the house in layers and the roof needs to be at an angle of 45 degrees or more. Thatch is not intrinsically waterproof, so the roof has to be steep enough for rain to run off it before it has time to soak in. Thatched roofs usually look steep for this reason.
So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of thatched roofs? They are very environmentally friendly because straw is a natural product that is not processed anymore than being threshed and dried. The production of straw can produce some carbon dioxide, but carbon is also trapped in the straw and then returned to the soil if the thatch is properly disposed of. It is far better for the environment than timber or brick. Straw is also a byproduct of wheat, so thatched roofs use a product that would simply be thrown away otherwise.
Thatched roofs are very well insulated. The straw in thick and in layers, which keeps heat from leaving the house during the cold months and stops heat from getting in during the hot months. It is also a good sound insulator. They are also very strong because of their thickness and angle. Places that get a lot of snow can actually benefit from thatched roofs. A properly constructed thatched roof can last for over 60 years if it is cared for. Thatched roofs also look very nice. They used to be a sign of poverty, but these days they are a sign of wealth and of well-kept houses. It takes money and effort to have a thatched roof.
Thatched roofs do have a few downsides as well. They are far more expensive than more conventional types of roof. They used to be a peasants roof because they could be made from materials lying around a farm and most people knew how to thatch. These days, they are made from specialist equipment, they take a long time to make, and there are not a lot of people in the world that can thatch. They also need to be cared for, which costs more money. Insurance is another reason why they can be expensive because thatched roofs are an obvious fire hazard. They are made of dry straw, which obviously burns very well. Houses with thatched roofs are no more likely to catch fire than any other type of house, but if they do, the fire can spread rapidly. If there are other thatched houses nearby, the fire can easily spread to those as well.
Thatch can also rot, become infested with mold and fungi, or become a home to birds and insects. As thatch is an organic material, it rots just like anything else. It is dried, so the rot can take a while, as long as the thatch is kept dry and cared for, but it is possible for mold to take hold. Once that happens, the infected parts need to be removed and replaced. It is not uncommon for birds to try to make nests in the thatch as well. They can use pieces of it to make nests and they can even make burrows in the thatch. Mice and rats can sometimes burrow into the thatch as well. Insects and other pests can also get into it as well. All of these things are a problem, but if you take proper care of the thatch, they shouldn’t be too bad. This is why cost is probably the biggest downside to a thatched roof. And this is what I learned today.
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Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thatching
Photo by PROSPER MBEMBA KOUTIHOU: https://www.pexels.com/photo/cottage-28209412/