THATCHED ROOFS

Did you know that a water-reed thatched roof can last more than 60 years? Headed by Colin McGhee, The Roof Thatchers is based in Virginia but they’ve traveled from Michigan (for a Charlevoix Mushroom House) to the Czech Republic. Their work is seen at Plimouth Plantation and the Bronx Zoo, in movies and on houses old and new. • “Thatch” may be any vegetation used for roofing; straw and reed are most common in Europe and North America. “When settlers arrived in Jamestown in 1607, they found Powhatan Indians living in houses with thatched roofs,” McGhee says. The Colonists followed suit. Natural water reed has great insulation value. The reed is dried to prevent shrinkage after installation; it is then gathered in bundles and secured to a framework that has…

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Old House Journal (Digital) - 1 Issue, September/October 2024

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