The potential flammability of the thatched (or any other natural material, e.g. wood shingles) roofing is frequently a reason why the homeowners do not decide to thatch their houses.
They are right - reed is flammable... and they are wrong - we live now in times when science is able to turn any flammable stuff into a nonflammable (even fire retardant) material (I strongly hope we are just one step away from inventing the nonflammable safety matches).
In the past, the thatchers solved this problem with dipping the thatching straw into the mud. It formed a hard, nonflammable crust over he thatched roofing so it was quite safe when confronted with some smaller fires...
Thathing sheaves
The thatchers (or the thatch producers) prepare the thatching sheaves from the thatching material (reed, straw, bamboo, PVC) so that they fix couple of hundreds of straws together with the thin wire (or cord made from some natural material).
The length of the sheaves depends on the natural length of the material they are produced from, the minimum profile (thickness) of such thatching sheaves is 25 cm.
Sheaves are then installed on the roof framing (beam profile 3,5 cm and more) and tethered (rust-proof wire or any natural material).
Roof truses for thatched roofing
The distance between the truss beams must be 30 - 45...
Thatching, just part of the (forgotten) history?
Thatched roofing and wood shingles belong to probably rearest types of roofing, anyway, in certain areas thatched roofs are still very popular. I am not talking about Africa or Australia only, no, in certain regions of United Kingdom (Devon, for example) thatching has really solid status and you will find couple of tens of thousands wheat straw thatched houses and cottages there.Thatched roofing, how it works
The principle of thatched roofing is the same as the principle of any shingle roofing. The thatching reed/straw sheaves are laid in layers sothat they overlap each other and so form a sort of compact and cohesive roofing/...
