Thatched Roofs

It’s an interesting article but I think the pro-straw brigade are fighting a losing battle.
If reed is cheaper, more available, lasts longer and it’s almost impossible to tell the difference from straw why would you use straw unless to prove a point:-) But I do get his point.

I think there is a typo in one of the statistics quoted in the article that ‘ 90 percent of roofs in England and Wales were made of straw before 1800, with the remaining share split between water reed and heather’.

If you look at the original doc they are quoting it actually says ‘It is estimated that by 1800 close to one million buildings in England and Wales were thatched. The vast majority (c90%) had straw roofs…..’ So 90% of thatched properties not 90% of all properties, and a lot of those would have been farm buildings rather than dwellings.

There is definitely a lot of variation in roofing materials in the UK. Thatch is much more common down south. Where my brother lives in West Yorkshire stone roof tiles are common on older buildings and they can be a valuable commodity. Within a week of having his roof repaired he had the new tiles stolen from the roof. He was not happy!

Interesting, Steven, and also what you said, Emma.

I made my first trip overseas in 1996, and spent about three weeks in the UK. After spending a week in London, I rented a car on the outskirtsand then drove around the country for about ten days. One of the first places I stopped was the Cotswolds. I was so excited because I got to see them replacing a thatched roof on a house. I stood and watched for about half an hour. I loved watching the process.

Tile roofs, though, are very nice, and I've always liked the looks of those. Emma, that's a shame about your brother's tiles being stolen. Did he have any kind of insurance that covered it?

When I was in Romania, we visited a woodworking place where wooden shingles are hand-carved. No electrical tools are used at all. We were allowed to watch one man working, and I couldn't believe how fast he was. He split the wood, then shaved them by operating a wheel with his knee and then carved the shape. Most of the buildings in the Maramures area in Romania had these wooden shingles.

We have a boring steel roof, but it will last 60 to 75 years, which is a plus.

We have a boring steel roof, but it will last 60 to 75 years, which is a plus.

Tiles last a very long time. My first house was built in 1901 and it still has the original tiles. The outer walls of the house used to be covered with white glazed tiles which were surplus from the construction of the Blackwall Tunnel and purchased for a farthing each in 1896 but unfortunately a former owner decided to remove them at some point and replaced them with pebbledash....ugh. There are still a fair few houses in the road that have the tiles and they do look nice.

My current house was built in 1930 and has the original roof tiles and I don't see them needing to be replaced for quite some time.

I'm trying to picture what a steel roof would look like and how it performs in the summer.

"I'm trying to picture what a steel roof would look like and how it performs in the summer."

Long ago and far away I had a house in FL with a steel roof. It was painted silver and was very reflective and performed well in the heat. Here in North Idaho they perform well as the snow slides off them so you don't have to remove the snow (using a tool called an avalanche rake) in a heavy winter. They are expensive which is why most homes have the composite shingle roof (US term shingle meaning a slab of roofing stuff, not UK term for shingle as in rocky beach, lol). In higher end homes in ski resort areas they are more commonplace.

Really interesting article Steven. Thank you so much for sharing it here!

Thanks Pam. I can certainly see the benefits of a steel roof when it comes to snow and it's interesting to read about the reflective nature of the roof you had in Florida. FYI, in the UK we refer to roof shingles as having the same meaning as that in the US.

Our steel roof is red. 😂 We didn't get that color. It was there when we moved in. And as Pam said, they're great for both snow and warm weather. We also have solar panels on the roof, so that helps.

I do like tile roofs, JC, and I agree that they have a lot of longevity.

ETA: Oops, I lied. I don't know why I said our roof is red. It's actually silver, like Pam's was. The siding on the house is red. I knew something was red. It's not like we haven't lived here five years. Sheesh!

I'll jump in with a few comments which I hope everyone will find of interest - At the risk of sounding pedantic , the term " Tile roofing " is often used for both Clay or Clay concrete composite material which is then fired . It is also used to denote true Slate , very common particularly in the UK , as much of this material came from Wales . As differentiated from clay , Slate usually has a deep gray hue , and is much thinner . On one of my UK sojourns , we spent a week in Wales and visited this town , known for the slate quarrying until about the 1950's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaenau_Ffestiniog Also here is a type of roof , mostly seen in the Cotswolds' , known as " Cotswold Slat ( not to be confused with slate ) Shingles " Cut from the same honey colored limestone used in building construction in the area , it is designed to be graduated. ( lower courses , larger and thicker and becoming smaller as it reaches the top . The well known Arlington Row in Bibury is a good example of this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_Row .Finally glazed polychrome tile can be seen in many places on the continent , quite an eyeful https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Stephen%27s_Cathedral,_Vienna#/media/File:Wien_-_Stephansdom,_Dach,_nordseitige_Wappen.JPG Always pays to look up ,surprises await !!

When i was getting my roof repaired my roofer was adamant slates were not tiles even if they were individually sometimes referred to as 'slate tiles'. The house my flat is in was built in the 1880s and I only needed repairs done because the nails had failed not the slates. These days most slates come from China and as the descendent of a long line of welsh slate miners I felt very guilty going for that cheaper option!
My family worked at the Dinorwig mine which had an interesting history after mining stopped being converted into a hydro electric power plant. When i was very young we had a tour of the massive turbine halls before it opened it was quite something.

The slate mining area of North Wales is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and definitely worth a visit. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1633/

The PBS show England Made with Love, along with craftspeople producing bespoke suits, hats, cheese, and porcelain teapots, featured a master thatcher and his apprentice son, keeping that tradition alive. They talked about needing to rethatch regularly. Interesting that 2 in a thousand houses in Britain still have thatched roofs.

Our home in the mountains came with a dark brown metal roof, very durable. It’s steeply sloped, so snow and ice slide off after a storm, but that creates a horrible racket when it happens, echoing throughout the house.

Steven, I'm impressed! I do think it's really interesting how there are so many different types of roofing materials for various areas and countries.

These days most slates come from China and as the descendent of a long line of welsh slate miners I felt very guilty going for that cheaper option!

Emma, I can imagine the conundrum there. I have that problem at times with various options.

It’s steeply sloped, so snow and ice slide off after a storm, but that creates a horrible racket when it happens, echoing throughout the house.

Cyn, we have the same problem. I live on the lower level, and I'm constantly hearing heavy thuds of snow sliding off the roof, especially in the spring when it all starts to melt.

Mardee , do you have snow guards on your roof ? these are designed to hold the snow load in place , allowing the snow to melt and drain , rather than sliding off . an example - https://th.bing.com/th/id/OPHS.eFu1toqQC9WCgw474C474?w=658&h=658&qlt=100&o=5&dpr=2&pid=21.1 Cyn makes a good point about the preservation of crafts in many scenarios , so for fun take a look at these two short videos about the stone carving and restoration masonry work , ongoing at York Minster https://youtu.be/_OI6LjImBtM?si=TTo5yS0WXEHd1fjC and https://youtu.be/idCjOomCQ2s?si=cnliweWXHJeGYi5A Watch the second one first , Enjoy !!