A lot of people have been driven over the last few years to redesign their roof in the image of thatch roofing styles. The reason behind this is that many believe it provides a more authentic representation of what older styles of homes in villages looked like. While there is some merit to this, this aesthetic choice does have some pretty substantial, real world consequences.

Thatch, while an effective method for insulating your structure, and for protecting you from rain, does provide you with a number of unique problems.

Thatch is made up of reeds that when bunched together make thatch. It forms a layer that is highly insulative and can effectively prevent water from running through it. Unfortunately, the reeds will biodegrade over time, and weathering can also cause some of them to blow away or become damaged. This means that you will regularly have to have maintenance work carried out to ensure it continues to operate at a high standard.

It also can become very dry during periods of drought (as you’d expect) and during those times it can become a serious fire hazard. In many ways, thatch resembles a massive bundle of kindling, and when viewed in that way it is easy to see why it can be a problem.