Thatching a roof - GIF and photo

[Frank S]

Olderdan There are a host of plants which can be mixed in with the thatch straw to repel many insects and birds such as lemon grass, lemon thyme, basil , many of the other herbs as well, and leaves and stalks from some varieties of flowers, However like you stated thatchers can be premadonas. I dare say that trying to convince a team of them to intermingle a host of foreign plant stuffs to their thatching process would be like trying to get a ceder shake roofer to convert to steel. Here in the states in many areas everyone wants ceder roofs on their homes or another area they want asphalt shingles. both of which are in my opinion nothing but a temporary covering to keep out the elements. There are clay tile and natural slate tile roofs on buildings in parts of Europe which have even survived the ravages of 2 world wars. a hundred seasons of heavy snow fall and everything else which could rain down on them. the problem with using materials like those here in the states is the homes are build to shabbily withstand the weight. Even the million dollar homes are primarily nothing more than fancy stick built wooden shacks with brick cladding on them. My house like most everyone else's is nothing but a wood frame dwelling it has some kind of processed wood byproduct siding on it but at least I have a steel roof that one feature alone lowers my homeowner's insurance from that of what others have to pay.