Timber-framed thatched cottages

[GertrudeG]

Hi, we're in the process of buying a 16th century timber-framed thatched cottage....
..... just wondering if anyone has any experience of houses like this or maybe have friends/ relatives who live in one? If so, what would you say the pros and cons are?

Thanks :)

You’re buying a piece of history. That will require constant upkeep. You need to have the income to cope with that. They like being damp. The that h needs watching and is eye watering to replace. Home insurance is hideous.

They look lovely but I wouldn’t buy one again. We are in a 1900s semi now and much much calmer and less worrying!

We have a 16th century timber framed cottage, not thatched though. Have you had the survey yet? You need a surveyor with experience of this sort of house.

One thing to look out for is what’s been used for the render. Cement based renders can cause real problems that take a fortune to fix.

Thatching is very expensive to replace; reeds are in short supply, and thatchers are as rare as unicorns!

Based on a relative's former house, if you put in modern heating, you might wake up the death watch beetle in the timbers. We could never afford to make it warm enough.

I think my main concern would be the thatch and fire risk. Dh grew up in an area with many thatched cottages and so many of them have had horrible fires over the years. I would just feel so anxious. You never know what stupid things your neighbours might do. The other thing about a 16th century property would be the windows. I assume they would be single glazed? I'd be concerned about cold and drafts. We lived in a drafty old cottage once where the curtains would blow in the wind. Not very energy efficient and we were often cold.

Also, I'd be concerned about it being listed. Is listed? I wouldn't want to be limited in what I could do in terms of upgrades. That doesn't have as much to do with the thatch or timber though.

I always thought that I would like to live opposite one, not in it.

Pros: it looks very nice, is a piece of history, irreplaceable, very interesting & you will feel like you're doing your bit for society on taking it on/preserving it.

Cons: pretty much everything else :D

A friend lived in one and it was absolutely freezing.

The thatch will need replacing every 20 years or so.

Get a full, exhaustive survey.

Friend bought a timber framed 16C building (not thatched, beautiful tiles) . There have been a huge number of things to put right, almost all due to incorrect materials being used in prior renovations, and things covered over and hidden. None of this came up in her survey. It is taking years and an enormous amount of both money and work, she works on it every weekend.
So make sure you really know what you are getting, as she had to replace most of the front of the house !
Thatch - can be cold, it depends on how layered it is, and the substrate. HUGE spiders. Many other creatures like to live in it too, from wasps and bees to mice, rats and squirrels .
How often it needs replacing will depend on how damp the area is, eg rainfall, surrounding trees, plus the roof pitch.

I bought a 1602 cottage, timber framed not thatched, Grade II* listed.

It was a lovely house, we had to remove a fair bit of inappropriate plaster inside and replace it with the right stuff. All damp disappeared 🪄. Roof overhauled, installed woodburners and had a solid fuel Rayburn (appreciate views on these have changed from 20 years ago), interlined curtains and blinds and door curtains and the house was warm, not damp and a lovely place to live.

Obvs a full structural survey and a thatch inspection required as a minimum.

I now live in a modern, designed not to require much heating/insulated house and it is a very different life, stays clean and warm on its own/with the flick of a switch.

We used to own a Georgian thatched (stone, not timber framed) house. I found it a constant worry about chimney fires, especially with the previous owner's huge wood burner that at one point came adrift from the flue and we did indeed have a small fire ☹️ Fortunately between us we managed to put it out, without having to call the fire brigade!

It was also overrun with huge spiders and I hated the smell of damp thatch in the upper two storeys.

Although it wasn't listed - so we had no trouble replacing the knackered single glazed windows with hardwood DG sashes etc - it was still very expensive restoring it using the right, period-appropriate materials. I didn't find it particularly hard to heat though (huge wood burner and oil fired central heating with cast iron radiators).

DH loved living there, but I was so glad to sell up! Our current house is 400 years old - not thatched or timber frame - so has its own set of issues, but having to fund thatch repair/replacement isn't one of them!

For me, it's one of those boxes I can tick, but I'd not buy another, sorry OP....

@TurkeyRoastvBubbleandSqueek

I always thought that I would like to live opposite one, not in it.

I do live opposite one. And it is absolutely lovely to look out on. Red roses round the windows. So pretty. But I'm very glad I don't have the upkeep, heating costs, or v small windows of actually living in one.