The housing market is specializing in ever-sophisticated niches. If there is demand, there is offer, whether you are after houses with a roof of Tudor style or a penthouse flat with a glass roof. If you are a nostalgic, consider thatched roofs. Thatching has been used as a form of roofing in England for hundreds of years. In spite of this tradition, the demand of thatched roofs remains very much in demand nowadays. A search for “thatched roofs in Devon” yields a few dozen nice cottages currently on offer.
Image credit: Flickr
Thatched roofs have always been less expensive
The manufacture of roof tiles requires more resources than the processing of natural fibres. While the water reed or straw necessary for thatching both grow naturally, clay or slate need to be mined. Not only does this mean that thatch is a renewable resource, it also means that cultivating it will generate far less carbon emissions than producing roof tiles, whilst possibly providing a habitat for wildlife. Water reed, by definition, only grows on land that is non-arable and so can be used to generate income from marshy ground without destroying animal habitats.
A local thatch is a good thatch
Nowadays a large proportion of English thatch is imported from abroad, although for those looking to earn their green credentials a local source is a must. As a matter of fact, the regional aspect of thatching, the local traditions, techniques and craftsmen, are a big part of what makes it so green. As all good locavores know, when things are locally sourced they create far less carbon emissions than when they are flown in from elsewhere. That includes the building material and the labour, both.
Energy saving by insulation and durability
The other main benefit to the environment is a result of thatch’s insulating properties. People with thatched roofs have no need to purchase additional loft insulation, making their heating demands a lot lower than many other homes.
However, above and beyond all of the other effects upon the environment, thatched roofs have one more advantage over roof-tiling: they blend in. As it slowly ages to a textured charcoal colour, thatching blends the line between your home and the natural world surrounding it. Birds like to nest in it (or, regrettably, steal bits of it and fly away), and mini-creatures like to live in it although you won’t notice them any more than in a normal house (or so I‘m told).
After the several decades that it will take before your thatch needs replacing, nature will have thrown up a new batch of building material that has housed ten generations of river voles before it did you. All in all, it’s hard to think of a more environmentally friendly building material for a modern house, and with thatched roofs slowly falling back into fashion, it’s certainly an interesting option for those who are willing to make the investment.
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