“I thatch roofs using either wheat reed or water reed. It is generally expected that water reed will last longer than wheat. However, this is not always true.”
Water Reed Thatching
I thatch roofs using either wheat reed or water reed. It is generally expected that water reed will last longer than wheat reed; however this is not always true. Water reed may last up to thirty years and wheat reed up to twenty years but there are many things that will affect the life span of reed.
Water Reed Thatching
Due to high demand water reed tends to be imported from abroad. Its origins include Turkey, Austria and even China.
Wheat Reed Thatching
Wheat reed is a locally grown product. All of the wheat reed we use comes from here in Devon.
When a house is re-thatched it is traditional for the old thatch to be stripped off down to a firm base coat. The new reed is then fixed using spars into the base coat. In some circumstances, if the roof has been neglected or leaking badly in one or more areas for a long period of time the base coat needs to be completely removed and some timbers may need to be replaced.
The new roof would then be fixed down using screw fixes or crocks over a steel rod. The layers of reed then need to be made up again so it’s level with the base coat then the new reed can be laid on top and thatching can begin.
If you’d like a free quotation or site survey, contact us on 01647 231 033 or 07890 620 603 to arrange this