Talk thatch to me please...

[Rollmops]

... the fire safety is upmost on my mind in regards to woodburning stoves, Aga's etc. How often does it need to be replaced, rough costs and degree of upheaval, etc.
Many thanks in advance.

I lived in a thatch for 15 years and loved it and would again. Insurance is about on par with tiled roof (if you shop around the thatch roof specialists of go straight to the NFU). Ours was straw so needed replacing about every 20 years. Ours was a converted forge, cottages and stables in three sections. The biggest section cost us about £10k to have done, but it was a very large section. We had open fires and a gas aga, but did have our chimneys swept religiously every year. Go for it.

I looked into this when I was looking at a thatched property. The time it lasts depends on the material a LOT. Some lasts 70 years or so according to what I read and some 10-20. The pointing will need doing more often (the top bit). You can't always choose your material as it might be limited by your local conservation area rules apparently. The price didn't seem to vary a lot by material.

I didn't go with the property for other reasons (I got the date my mortgage tie in was up wrong so I'm now looking again a year later). You might be able to get a local thatcher to give you some details that are current and in keeping with your area. I'd call some. Thats what I would have done had I been thinking about buying this house now.

can you insure a thatched property without specialist insurance? i'd definitely get a few quotes in before completing.

Thank you all! I suppose we'll have a local thatcher to have a look and give us an estimate for the replacement and rough timeline when it should be done. The thatch is all grey and in places covered in moss but under the eaves the colour is rather pale yellow? Not that I know how it should look like...