Anyone owned a house with a thatched roof?
Discussion
We're house hunting at the moment and coming across quite a few with thatched roofs. A bit like TVR ownership, the internet seems to be full of people who's brother's wife's mate had a thatched roof and it was terrible. Are they really that bad?
We're looking at smallish three-bed cottages, not Tudor manor houses. From what I gather online we'd have to budget about £15,000 every 15 years or so (spread across thatching and ridging)? I'm also aware that insurance can be expensive, but I've heard conflicting reports from a couple of hundred a year more to several thousand more than the equivalent slate-roofed property. And then I guess there's fire risk, rodents etc.
Any advice much appreciated.
We're looking at smallish three-bed cottages, not Tudor manor houses. From what I gather online we'd have to budget about £15,000 every 15 years or so (spread across thatching and ridging)? I'm also aware that insurance can be expensive, but I've heard conflicting reports from a couple of hundred a year more to several thousand more than the equivalent slate-roofed property. And then I guess there's fire risk, rodents etc.
Any advice much appreciated.
I don't have a thatched roof, however I do pass this place regularly and have been observing the ongoing chaos over that last few weeks.
http://www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk/news/six-fire...
I don't know what happened like and obviously any house roof can catch fire in certain circumstances.
Also there's a cottage in out village with thatch that's been marketted pretty much on and off by various owners in the time we've been living there (10 years) and has been re thatched twice in that time.
http://www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk/news/six-fire...
I don't know what happened like and obviously any house roof can catch fire in certain circumstances.
Also there's a cottage in out village with thatch that's been marketted pretty much on and off by various owners in the time we've been living there (10 years) and has been re thatched twice in that time.
15k? I looked at a cottage probably 20 years ago now and was quoted 20k to replace it back then.
anyhow..
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=12...
anyhow..
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=12...
I did own a Thatched Cottage many years ago, although I didn't have to have the roof re thatched, the person that brought the property from us did, I think they paid approx. £45k to get it re thatched
As for house insurance that was OK if you went through someone like NFU mutal
So I suppose ask the question when was it last re thatched and when was the ridge last re done
As for house insurance that was OK if you went through someone like NFU mutal
So I suppose ask the question when was it last re thatched and when was the ridge last re done
Chris71 said:
We're house hunting at the moment and coming across quite a few with thatched roofs. A bit like TVR ownership, the internet seems to be full of people who's brother's wife's mate had a thatched roof and it was terrible. Are they really that bad?
We're looking at smallish three-bed cottages, not Tudor manor houses. From what I gather online we'd have to budget about £15,000 every 15 years or so (spread across thatching and ridging)? I'm also aware that insurance can be expensive, but I've heard conflicting reports from a couple of hundred a year more to several thousand more than the equivalent slate-roofed property. And then I guess there's fire risk, rodents etc.
Any advice much appreciated.
Thatched roof here. Insurance through NFU is expensive. I think we pay about £2k a year for buildings and contents.We're looking at smallish three-bed cottages, not Tudor manor houses. From what I gather online we'd have to budget about £15,000 every 15 years or so (spread across thatching and ridging)? I'm also aware that insurance can be expensive, but I've heard conflicting reports from a couple of hundred a year more to several thousand more than the equivalent slate-roofed property. And then I guess there's fire risk, rodents etc.
Any advice much appreciated.
It depends what the thatch is - long straw lasts about 25 yrs with a ridge every 7-10. But you rarely do the whole roof together as, depending on the weather direction, one side deteriorates much faster. Reed lasts much longer, up to 50 yrs if you're lucky. Costs are about the same to thatch in straw or reed but you can't swop. Conservation officers will make you re thatch in the existing material. Having said that somtimes its hard to tell - straw tends to be netted, reed not but it isn't a hard and fast rule.
Ridge is £6k ish, half a roof about £15k ish.
Fire risk is not what you migth think. Its almost impossible to set a thatch on fire from the outside. Its like trying to set fire to a telephone directory - the old thick ones anyway. Thatch fires are almost always from damaged chimney flues, especially when teamed with wood burners rather than open fires. They get much hotter. Where the chimney passes through the roof if very hot air is getting through the liner then hot spots occur which eventually spontanously combust.
Mice - we get a few. Plenty of bait and armoured cable in the roof (and 5 cats) helps.
I love ours. It is expensive but it looks great, especially when just done. There is a feeling of custodianship for the next generation not just ownership for yours. Ours has been there over 400 yrs so our 20-30 is a drop in the ocean. Some of the timbers in the house could be approaching 1000 yrs old.
Hoep that helps
David
I very nearly purchased this house in 2014
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
on closer inspection the roof was proper fked in places - moss and Christ knows what else growing in it.
the estate agent assured me it had plenty of life left in it but I wasn't convinced.
doesn't help you but just reminded me of it. was a nice house otherwise.
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
on closer inspection the roof was proper fked in places - moss and Christ knows what else growing in it.
the estate agent assured me it had plenty of life left in it but I wasn't convinced.
doesn't help you but just reminded me of it. was a nice house otherwise.
DKL said:
Lots of good stuff.
Thanks. At the risk of a stupid question, do you know if it's only listed buildings and specific conservation areas that restrict the choice of material for re-thatching?The house we had in mind was this one, although this morning it seems to have disappeared from the market: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/prope...
We live in a modern thatched house, just had the ridge done at 15 years old and that cost £5k. Should be good for another 15 now. Insurance renewal was just under £800 for a 4 bed detached so probably 40% more than we would have paid if the roof was tiled. The running costs are more but they aren't ridiculously more considering the house is quieter and it's warmer. There are a few insurance requirements like an electrical inspection every ten years ( roughly £100) and if you have a wood burner or open fire the chimney has to be cleaned at least once a year (£50-60).
Having owned a TVR and a thatched house at the same time I can say that I was very happy with both.
The thatch was long straw and we knew it would need replacing within a few years so haggled that into the price. We had it done about 3 years later, it cost c£15k but we had it done while we were on holiday for two weeks. The neigbours weren't happy with straw flying around and from pics other people took it must have been a messy business, but when we got home it was all done and looked really nice in its soft golden glow. The thatcher had previously re-roofed it with his dad 25 years earlier, his son helped out this time. If you need re-roofing you have to book the thatcher a year or two in advance
I expected insurance to be a hassle but the previous owners used the CLA to get insurance and it was only about £70 more than we were paying before. We did dread fireworks night though, I used to leave a hose connected up around the house from Halloween onwards.
The thatch was a marvellous insulator, the house was always warm in winter and cool in summer.
We didn't have any rodent issues, we had a Jack Russell, but you do have to get used to spiders.
If it's old, the roof woodwork will be interesting, ours was constructed from bits of horse drawn carts. Check for woodworm.
The thatch was long straw and we knew it would need replacing within a few years so haggled that into the price. We had it done about 3 years later, it cost c£15k but we had it done while we were on holiday for two weeks. The neigbours weren't happy with straw flying around and from pics other people took it must have been a messy business, but when we got home it was all done and looked really nice in its soft golden glow. The thatcher had previously re-roofed it with his dad 25 years earlier, his son helped out this time. If you need re-roofing you have to book the thatcher a year or two in advance
I expected insurance to be a hassle but the previous owners used the CLA to get insurance and it was only about £70 more than we were paying before. We did dread fireworks night though, I used to leave a hose connected up around the house from Halloween onwards.
The thatch was a marvellous insulator, the house was always warm in winter and cool in summer.
We didn't have any rodent issues, we had a Jack Russell, but you do have to get used to spiders.
If it's old, the roof woodwork will be interesting, ours was constructed from bits of horse drawn carts. Check for woodworm.
Chris71 said:
Thanks. At the risk of a stupid question, do you know if it's only listed buildings and specific conservation areas that restrict the choice of material for re-thatching?
If its listed or in a conservation area the local authority normally say you cannot change the roofing material, as the style and material tends to be a tradition for the locality. Most old thatched houses are.Ean218 said:
If its listed or in a conservation area the local authority normally say you cannot change the roofing material, as the style and material tends to be a tradition for the locality. Most old thatched houses are.
What he said ^Materials are local to the area, or rather were as most reed and straw is imported these days.
We had a 3 bed thatched cottage in Wiltshire until 3 years ago. Ridge repairs were every 5-6 years and cost around £2k. A full re-thatch (laid over existing) costed £29k+VAT in 2005.
House insurance was with the NFU and buildings and contents was £800/yr. There are a couple of other alternative insurers but check their clauses. Having your chimney/fires comply with HETAS and annually/6mthly swept is a given in all cases.
House insurance was with the NFU and buildings and contents was £800/yr. There are a couple of other alternative insurers but check their clauses. Having your chimney/fires comply with HETAS and annually/6mthly swept is a given in all cases.
Ean218 said:
Chris71 said:
Thanks. At the risk of a stupid question, do you know if it's only listed buildings and specific conservation areas that restrict the choice of material for re-thatching?
If its listed or in a conservation area the local authority normally say you cannot change the roofing material, as the style and material tends to be a tradition for the locality. Most old thatched houses are.Chris71 said:
We're looking in rural Somerset, so thatched houses are relatively common - I'm not sure about conservation status, but very few that we've seen have been listed.
It's quite rare for a thatched property not to be listed - something over 90% in the UK are, I believe. Mine isn't, though I'd never swap the long straw for Chinese water reed; if you don't choose local raw materials when you're having it re-thatched then you're probably not buying the right house.We owned a thatched cottage up until three years ago, had the front of the roof re-thatched using long straw. Thatcher charge by a calculation referred to as 'thatchers rod' if memory serves me correctly that is a square area 10 feet x 10 feet. Find out the size of the roof and ask a couple of thatchers thier charge rates, Don't forget the ridge! You generally do not have to re-thatch all of the roof in one go, dependant on the aspect of roof and surrounding area will determine rate of wear on thatch. Thatchers also offer a repair maintenance service which will greatly extend the thatch life. For more information visit my second fave web site :
www.periodproperty.co.uk
Marlon45 mentioned new thatch laid over the old, the thatcher will remove all of the worn top coat down to the base coat. The base coat can be very old indeed even a couple of hundred years, think of the re-thatch over the base coat is in fact the wearing coat, never let the base coat deteriorate as it will cost much more money to lay a thatch from scratch.
www.periodproperty.co.uk
Marlon45 mentioned new thatch laid over the old, the thatcher will remove all of the worn top coat down to the base coat. The base coat can be very old indeed even a couple of hundred years, think of the re-thatch over the base coat is in fact the wearing coat, never let the base coat deteriorate as it will cost much more money to lay a thatch from scratch.
Edited by crankedup on Monday 24th April 15:31
DKL said:
Thatched roof here. Insurance through NFU is expensive. I think we pay about £2k a year for buildings and contents.
It depends what the thatch is - long straw lasts about 25 yrs with a ridge every 7-10. But you rarely do the whole roof together as, depending on the weather direction, one side deteriorates much faster. Reed lasts much longer, up to 50 yrs if you're lucky. Costs are about the same to thatch in straw or reed but you can't swop. Conservation officers will make you re thatch in the existing material. Having said that somtimes its hard to tell - straw tends to be netted, reed not but it isn't a hard and fast rule.
Ridge is £6k ish, half a roof about £15k ish.
Fire risk is not what you migth think. Its almost impossible to set a thatch on fire from the outside. Its like trying to set fire to a telephone directory - the old thick ones anyway. Thatch fires are almost always from damaged chimney flues, especially when teamed with wood burners rather than open fires. They get much hotter. Where the chimney passes through the roof if very hot air is getting through the liner then hot spots occur which eventually spontanously combust.
Mice - we get a few. Plenty of bait and armoured cable in the roof (and 5 cats) helps.
I love ours. It is expensive but it looks great, especially when just done. There is a feeling of custodianship for the next generation not just ownership for yours. Ours has been there over 400 yrs so our 20-30 is a drop in the ocean. Some of the timbers in the house could be approaching 1000 yrs old.
Hoep that helps
David
Not Cat 5 cable then? This is Pistonheads you know......It depends what the thatch is - long straw lasts about 25 yrs with a ridge every 7-10. But you rarely do the whole roof together as, depending on the weather direction, one side deteriorates much faster. Reed lasts much longer, up to 50 yrs if you're lucky. Costs are about the same to thatch in straw or reed but you can't swop. Conservation officers will make you re thatch in the existing material. Having said that somtimes its hard to tell - straw tends to be netted, reed not but it isn't a hard and fast rule.
Ridge is £6k ish, half a roof about £15k ish.
Fire risk is not what you migth think. Its almost impossible to set a thatch on fire from the outside. Its like trying to set fire to a telephone directory - the old thick ones anyway. Thatch fires are almost always from damaged chimney flues, especially when teamed with wood burners rather than open fires. They get much hotter. Where the chimney passes through the roof if very hot air is getting through the liner then hot spots occur which eventually spontanously combust.
Mice - we get a few. Plenty of bait and armoured cable in the roof (and 5 cats) helps.
I love ours. It is expensive but it looks great, especially when just done. There is a feeling of custodianship for the next generation not just ownership for yours. Ours has been there over 400 yrs so our 20-30 is a drop in the ocean. Some of the timbers in the house could be approaching 1000 yrs old.
Hoep that helps
David
Much of whats been said above is accurate and goes with our experience.
Full thatch every 25 years (straw). With two ridge replacements during that time.
Cost is dependent on area, complexity of the roof, and how desperate you look to get it done.
You will probably wait 2 years from contacting local thatchers to getting it done - long lead times. If you want to be bumped up due to emergency you can expect a very high quote.
Ridge for ours was 4k last time we had it done. Full re-thatch would be around 24k. That might not sound like a lot but its not like you get it on cheap HP agreements like you can buying a new car - you have to pay it up front. Gulp.
The biggest issue for me was reselling it. We owned it for 14 years but spent 5 years trying to sell it. Very few buyer who lets face it know that they are in a good bargaining position.
I loved owning it when we had it, loved living in it, but would never do it again and wouldn't recommend it to anyone that didn't have very deep pockets. Selling it was the most stressful thing ever. So many people wanted it but bottled out before completion. You might well be able to afford it fine now, but what about in 20 years time when you've retired and things are a lot more expensive compared to your income...?
Full thatch every 25 years (straw). With two ridge replacements during that time.
Cost is dependent on area, complexity of the roof, and how desperate you look to get it done.
You will probably wait 2 years from contacting local thatchers to getting it done - long lead times. If you want to be bumped up due to emergency you can expect a very high quote.
Ridge for ours was 4k last time we had it done. Full re-thatch would be around 24k. That might not sound like a lot but its not like you get it on cheap HP agreements like you can buying a new car - you have to pay it up front. Gulp.
The biggest issue for me was reselling it. We owned it for 14 years but spent 5 years trying to sell it. Very few buyer who lets face it know that they are in a good bargaining position.
I loved owning it when we had it, loved living in it, but would never do it again and wouldn't recommend it to anyone that didn't have very deep pockets. Selling it was the most stressful thing ever. So many people wanted it but bottled out before completion. You might well be able to afford it fine now, but what about in 20 years time when you've retired and things are a lot more expensive compared to your income...?
Hi Chris, another current thatched house owner here, mines grade 2 listed as well.
I was in the exact position as yourself 6 months ago, people saying don't do it, it will be an inferno before you know it, will cost the earth to rethatch and look after and so on.
Ummed and ahhhed a bit but eventually put an offer in on the house (4 bed detached cottage) and haven't looked back since.
Had the chimney inspected by a HETAS chap before buying, and the thatched roof examined by a recommended local thatcher to get an idea of the condition of it. This in addition to a full building survey.
Re insurance, NPU were a little pricey for me, I'm with Lloyd and Whyte for building and contents insurance, £800 a year and with the usual conditions such as smoke alarms, fire blanket, annual sweeping of flues, electrical inspection every 5 years etc.
Despite initial reservations I've not looked back, the garden is now beginning to bloom, it's picture postacrd stuff and our little bit of tranquility!
Agree about the spiders, I've lost count of how many I've chucked out of the house!
I was in the exact position as yourself 6 months ago, people saying don't do it, it will be an inferno before you know it, will cost the earth to rethatch and look after and so on.
Ummed and ahhhed a bit but eventually put an offer in on the house (4 bed detached cottage) and haven't looked back since.
Had the chimney inspected by a HETAS chap before buying, and the thatched roof examined by a recommended local thatcher to get an idea of the condition of it. This in addition to a full building survey.
Re insurance, NPU were a little pricey for me, I'm with Lloyd and Whyte for building and contents insurance, £800 a year and with the usual conditions such as smoke alarms, fire blanket, annual sweeping of flues, electrical inspection every 5 years etc.
Despite initial reservations I've not looked back, the garden is now beginning to bloom, it's picture postacrd stuff and our little bit of tranquility!
Agree about the spiders, I've lost count of how many I've chucked out of the house!
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