Thatched Roof ?

Jjjjjjjbarry

Hello,

Does anyone own or know anything about owning a house with a thatched roof?

Are they a money pit and something only a rich person would consider in the current environment?

Skerries

They need to be rethatched every 10 years or so which can cost thousands, my mothers 2 bedroom cottage cost about 8k a few years ago
you can get a grant from the government which covers some of the cost though

TeaBagMania

WOW, ill stick with metal roofing thanks, good for the better part of 100 years

TeaBagMania

TeaBagMania wrote: »

WOW, ill stick with metal roofing thanks, good for the better part of 100 years

You won't find many, if any house with a metal roof in Ireland.

L1011

TeaBagMania wrote: »

WOW, ill stick with metal roofing thanks, good for the better part of 100 years

Even galvanised corrugated isn't going to last 100. And a house with a metal roof looks ridiculous rather than retro.

TeaBagMania

Bare galvanized, no (especially near the ocean) but painted and maintained galvanized, yes

I couldn t give a flip about the looks or curb appeal, im in it for the long haul

Quandary

I'd stay well clear of thatch. A neighbour of mine had to re-thatch her 3 bed cottage and she claims it ended up costing her €50k to do. She did get some conservation grant to offset the cost as it is a protected structure, but still cost a fortune.

L1011

TeaBagMania wrote: »

Bare galvanized, no (especially near the ocean) but painted and maintained galvanized, yes

I couldn t give a flip about the looks or curb appeal, im in it for the long haul

Concrete tiles like most people use will require less maintenance over that time period.

Do you really expect to be caring about roof maintenance in 100 years though?

TeaBagMania

TeaBagMania wrote: »

Bare galvanized, no (especially near the ocean) but painted and maintained galvanized, yes

I couldn t give a flip about the looks or curb appeal, im in it for the long haul

Galvanise roofs are for sheds. Look crap on a house and would be extremely loud in rain.

MugMugs

Thatch roofs attract premium insurance rates. Bear this in mind. You've basically got an outstanding firelighter on your roof.

Jjjjjjjbarry

Thanks everyone! I'll keep looking so! Not earning enough for that sort of never ending cost.

TeaBagMania

Concrete and ceramic tile are great roofing materials if you don t have to worry about a snow load and have the structure to support them.

The corrugated galvanized are for sheds and wouldn t install it on my roof, but on an old small Irish cottage? Indeed. Personally I enjoy the sound of rain on a metal roof, very relaxing

Went with 24 gauge standing seam metal on my house after a 100mph wind storm sent the majority of my asphalt shingles into the neighbors yard, manufacturer of the roofing panels guaranteed the paint for 30 years and said it would probably need painting at 50 years, doubt ill be around for that job but one thing is for certain ill never re-roof this house again.

Mug brings up a good point about fire and insurance. Mine actually decreased as no longer have a petroleum product covering my roof.

JJ keep us posted and let us know what material you decided on, cheers

my3cents

We have an old thatch cottage by the sea where the thatch has been trimmed back and a CGI (corrugated galvanised iron) roof put over the top. I'd put the CGI as good for at least 25 years. I replaced some that was 30+ years old a few years ago, the damage was due to salt being forced up under the eves in bad weather.

There are a couple of thatched cottages near by and they need the surface of the thatch redone about every 5-7 years, total rethatching hasn't been done to any of the cottages in the 20 years we have been here. Provided you keep up the maintenance then its more a regular outgoing rather than a massive cost.

Insurance is a nightmare and one recent purchaser of one of the thatched cottages near us had major problems getting insurance.

Ubbquittious

It is hard to imagine that its so costly to rethatch a roof given it's something every 18th century spud-picker in Ireland without two pennies to rub together used to do with locally sourced material. Is it just that there are very few people still at this trade? Would it be a good skill to learn?

Still waters

Ubbquittious wrote: »

It is hard to imagine that its so costly to rethatch a roof given it's something every 18th century spud-picker in Ireland without two pennies to rub together used to do with locally sourced material. Is it just that there are very few people still at this trade? Would it be a good skill to learn?

If memory serves me right tatching can come in around a 100 to 120 a square meter around here and tatchers are rarer than hens teeth so definitely worth training to be one if time and money allowed

Ubbquittious

Still waters wrote: »

If memory serves me right tatching can come in around a 100 to 120 a square meter around here and tatchers are rarer than hens teeth so definitely worth training to be one if time and money allowed

Are there any courses in Ireland? I only see UK places mentioned on the interweb and a FAS course from 2008. I'd prefer avoiding UK if I could

Still waters

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Are there any courses in Ireland? I only see UK places mentioned on the interweb and a FAS course from 2008. I'd prefer avoiding UK if I could

I think you'll have to go working with a tatcher and take it from there

an_fathach

Skerries wrote: »

They need to be rethatched every 10 years or so which can cost thousands, my mothers 2 bedroom cottage cost about 8k a few years ago
you can get a grant from the government which covers some of the cost though

This isnt correct, the top ridge needs touching up every 10-15 years but bulk of the thatch can last 50 years plus.



Thached houses do not burn down more, they are just as likley to ignite (wet reed doesnt burn). However if a fire starts they are harder to put out.

my3cents

an_fathach wrote: »

This isnt correct, the top ridge needs touching up every 10-15 years but bulk of the thatch can last 50 years plus.



Thached houses do not burn down more, they are just as likley to ignite (wet reed doesnt burn). However if a fire starts they are harder to put out.

5-7 years is how often the ridges get done around here. 10-15 years for top layer of thatch and around 40 for the whole lot.