tobydog
Member
- Messages
- 923
- Location
- South Suffolk
We had a thatcher round on Saturday to remove the thick moss that was accumulating on the back north facing side of the roof. There were some patches on the sunny south side but not too much to worry about, or so I thought. He started on the south side and started doing the whole thing which made sense otherwise it would look odd. He got to an area which looked perfectly clean but he managed to put his hand right into the thatch. There was a rotten patch.
The thatch is generally in very good condition and the thatcher thinks it's good for another 20-25 years. It's already 30. He re-ridged it 7 years ago and it was pointed out to the previous owners at the time that the chimney lead flashing was too low. The lead is forced upwards and created a gully with the chimney. I was conncerned about this when we moved in but I couldn't see any immediate issues. Little did I know what was lurking below, particularly after the constant wet summer we've had.
The thatcher said that he can easily repair it but I suspect the same thing has happened on the wetter north side because the gully goes both ways. I'll find out by Wednesday.
I'll get the lead flashing re-positioned as soon as the thatch is sorted, however, I thought I should warn the other thatch owners on PPUK to have a good look at theirs. A good looking thatch might not be a good thatch and a repair now could put years on its life and save you thousands.
The thatch is generally in very good condition and the thatcher thinks it's good for another 20-25 years. It's already 30. He re-ridged it 7 years ago and it was pointed out to the previous owners at the time that the chimney lead flashing was too low. The lead is forced upwards and created a gully with the chimney. I was conncerned about this when we moved in but I couldn't see any immediate issues. Little did I know what was lurking below, particularly after the constant wet summer we've had.
The thatcher said that he can easily repair it but I suspect the same thing has happened on the wetter north side because the gully goes both ways. I'll find out by Wednesday.
I'll get the lead flashing re-positioned as soon as the thatch is sorted, however, I thought I should warn the other thatch owners on PPUK to have a good look at theirs. A good looking thatch might not be a good thatch and a repair now could put years on its life and save you thousands.