Thatched roofs

[OwlHoot]

I've seen a house I like the look of in Devon, with a large garden, but it has a thatched roof.

Was wondering if any of the congregation had experience of this, and whether thatched houses should be avoided.

In particular, how often will the roof need re-thatching and at what cost if there are few thatchers around these days, and will the building insurance be sky high? Also, is there a tendency for wildlife such as squirrels and mice to nest in it?

I notice this place has been on the market for most of this year, which suggests the asking price is too high, or that other potential buyers are put off by the roof.

[northernladuk]

Thatch maintenance and repair, thatch cost, l Thatchowners Insurance*

and

Thatched cottages: when homeowners enjoy clutching at straws - Telegraph

says

This doesn't come cheap. With the cost of a complete thatch around £75 to £100 per square foot, you can pay anything up to £25,000 for a complete re-thatch. Mind you, prices are even higher outside the West Country, particularly in East Anglia, where they tend to use imported water reeds from the Continent.

I would think you must really really want a thatched roof for it to be viable. If that is the case you will be happy to swallow the costs and upkeep for it. In any other case you are better steering clear I would have thought.

[SarahL2012]

Looking into buying a house with 1/2 thatch and 1/2 slate at the moment. Cost to replace the 1/2 thatch is about £12k for the actual thatch but then there will be another few £k for the scaffolding - it takes a while apparently. 3 different types of thatch you can use but the one we've been quoted for has a lifespan of about 20 years.

Insurance quotes are around 3 x that for a normal house (the one we're looking at is grade 2 listed as well) but you have to have the electrics checked every 5 years, chimneys swept annually and they are really interested in the security of the property as well. Fire retardant covering on the thatch is advised. If the one you are looking at is listed then the rebuild costs for insurance can often be more than the amount you've paid for it as you'll probably have to rebuild in the same materials if it is destroyed.

Squirrels, rat etc in the thatch are a problem so that's why you see quite a lot of them with netting over the top.

Its definitely pricey for what is really 1/2 a mud hut with straw on top.

[MicrosoftBob]

Another consideration is that mortgage providers can get a bit funny about thatched roofs, it's worth asking them before you commit to buy

[SarahL2012]

Oh - and if its been on the market for a long time then that might be because the thatch needs replacing. If so, then insurance becomes a bit of a problem which means getting a mortgage becomes even more of a problem.

[eek]

Our friends who have a thatched roof factor in £2.5k a year (or £200 a month) and assume it needs to be done every 15 years.

Personally I would run a mile.

[SimonMac]

The ex-monster in law has a house with a thatched roof, it is a bit of a pain but the biggest problem is generally how much colder the house is in the winter, guess it goes with older properties and not as efficient building technieques

[darmstadt]

Blimey, nearly as expensive as Elton John's thatched roof...

[d000hg]

Is it listed or could you put on a proper roof? As NLUK said though, surely a thatched roof is a massive part of the house so you'd be buying it for that charm? And hard to imagine neighbours would be pleased