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The top photo shows the old thatch being removed, then bagged and taken from the roof.
All the roof now has a layer of new thatch. This cottage roof is thatched with reed, the decorative top is straw. Straw is used because it bends without breaking - necessary to complete the “cap”.
The finished thatch is about 1 foot thick and weighs about 7lb per square foot. The combination of its compactness and the steep pitch of a thatched roof mean water is shed by running from one end of a reed stem to another. A new thatch will only ever get wet about 1” down from the surface.
Gutters are not usually fitted to thatched properties - the water runs off and soaks into the ground or, as in our case, French Drains are employed.
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