Opinions on buying a thatched roof house?

[emmagray]

Hello - has anyone got experience of thatched roofs? I fear the cost of upkeep and replacement / insurance / not being able to have a wood burning stove / keeping chimneys in tip top condition etc etc etc may mean that the house for sale I've been thinking about viewing, I should think again! DH certainly thinks so, but that's after reading a 4 year old newspaper article. Though to be fair I'd assume what was pertinent to thatched roofs four years ago is probably the same now!
Thanks for any thoughts....

I think the way they do the thatching has changed recently so it might be worth researching. I may have dreamt this though.

They've always be on the "no" list for me, but that's partly because they trigger my husband's asthma really badly.

I never lived in a thatched house but there are a number of them in my parents village, including new builds, and I have known a number of friends and family who have lived in them.

I've never known any to have leaks but I have known two to have fires. One the husband went into the loft space and pushed the thatch off and into the garden with his hands! (it took at least 20 minutes for fire engines to get there).
If you have an open fire your HAVE to get your chimney regularly swept as a chimney fire would be very very serious.

As for having the thatch redone, it's not as often as you might think, about every 10 years I believe. Maintenance wise I think it's on a par with a flat roof.

I think the main part needs re thatching every 30/35 years and the ridge needs redoing every 15 years or so.

Not me but my cousin. His house insurance is astronomical. Looks lovely though!

We have lived in a thatched house for 11 years.

You are allowed to have a woodburner but there are rules about chimney height. When we installed ours, we also had to have the chimney extended slightly. For insurance purposes you must have the chimney swept once a year, which costs about £60.

Ask a local thatcher to give you a quote on how much a replacement would be. It depends on how big the roof is, obviously.

Insurance is more expensive, ours is £100 per month, for a 3 bed detached, I'm not sure how that compares to non thatch. The NFU is great for insuring thatches, a lot of companies wont insure them.

We've loved living here, it is a picture postcard home, every time I walk in the gate I get a lovely feeling. It obviously is slightly more expensive but if you can afford it, why not?

We're moving and we will miss it. We have been looking at thatched houses when house hunting, but cant find one so far.

Lifetime of thatch depends on what is used, different materials last for different lengths of time, some can last upwards of 50 years. Very little upkeep once done, just a tidy of the ridge. Absolutely possible to still have wood burners, but insurance is expensive and most places just won't touch thatched properties . NFU mutual were the best when looking for my parents, but still very expensive compared to a normal property.

You can have the experience of a thatched cottage by dousing your roof with petrol and setting it alight every summer.

Seriously, I would not touch them.

They look nice - if you like that sort of thing - but they burn better.

Locally (wilts/dorset), a few catch fire every summer. I would never be able to sleep on holiday if I had one.

hereandthere lots of homes without thatches set on fire too!

Most thatch fires are caused by old or badly fitted wood burners. Our chimney has a lining which is the same as that used on space shuttles. So the chances of a fire are minute.

If you have a thatch without a chimney liner, you're a bit of an idiot in my book.

Do they get a lot of spiders? My friend looked at one but heard this and it put her off.

Bakeoffcakes. Anecdotally non-thatch fires are pretty rare.

Thatched houses tend to go up in summer. A combination of dry thatct and garden fires and BBQs.

Thanks for these great replies & lots of useful info. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to persuade DH though. Oh well!