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Thatching a roof with a leggett.
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Thatching Tools & Equipment | Thatching Info.com
Previously: https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...2939#post97575
Thatched roof dwellings offer an amazingly high insulation factor, and remarkably last for many years. Never saw one being professionally built whit straw thatch like in the video though.
I live in the west country in the UK where there are a lot of beautiful thatched buildings, many are listed so will have to be re thatched, thatchers are premadonnas these days.
There are downsides to having a thatched roof as my youngest son would testify, when a chimney fire nearby destroyed his cottage along with four others, they are also a haven for spiders and nesting birds but the biggest problem these days is obtaining insurance, the cost of which is going through the roof (sorry).
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.
I wonder if Thatching could be treated with Borax like cellulose insulation is treated. Bugs hate it, mold won't grow in it, and though it may not be a fireproofer, it slows the burn rate to the point that it can be put out before it gets very far.
3 years ago the myself, my wife, our daughter, and my father-in-law bought a small farm. The main house is close to if not over, 100 years old (I know, young by UK standards). It has a metal roof, but the framing, ceiling, roof decking, and even the original siding(now covered with a modern vinyl) are all rough sawed Red Oak. The foundations are settling, and the floors are not quite level, but a hurricane couldn't blow it down.(Good thing too. We are at 1975 ft above sea level on a mountaintop and when it blows...brother it blows.)
Dutch drijfbord for thatching.
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