Norfolk has a great deal of thatch, particularly in the Broads villages and out towards the reed beds that supplied it. We are roofers, not thatchers, and we will not pretend otherwise. Thatching, ridging and re-coating are specialist trades with their own apprenticeships and we would always send you to a thatcher for them. What we can do is everything around the thatch, which is where a surprising number of leaks on thatched properties actually start.
What is not our trade
Laying, dressing, ridging and patching thatch are skilled crafts and they need a thatcher. If your reed or straw coat is thinning, the ridge has gone, or you have birds or vermin working into the coat, that is a thatcher's job and we will tell you so on the phone rather than sending someone out.
What we can do on a thatched property
Many thatched houses in Norfolk have had a tiled or felted extension added at some point, and almost all of them have a chimney passing through the coat. Those are conventional roofing details and they fail in conventional ways.
- Chimney repointing, flaunching and pot work
- Lead flashings and soakers where masonry meets a covering
- Tiled, slated or pantiled extensions and outbuildings
- Flat roofs on rear additions in EPDM, GRP or felt
- Guttering, downpipes and rainwater goods on adjoining sections
- Leadwork to porches, bays and dormers on the non-thatched parts
Why chimneys matter so much on thatch
A chimney stack rising through a thatched roof is both a fire consideration and a water one. Failed pointing, cracked flaunching and missing lead let water into the stack, and a damp stack against a dry coat is nobody's friend. Chimney repair and leadwork are squarely within what we do, and they are one of the most common reasons a thatched-property owner rings a roofer rather than a thatcher.
Working alongside a thatcher
Where a job needs both trades, the sensible order is usually masonry and lead first, thatch afterwards, so nobody is working over a fresh coat. We are happy to co-ordinate our part around a thatcher's programme and to keep off the coat entirely while we work.
Common questions
Do you re-thatch roofs?
No. Thatching is a separate specialist trade and we do not offer it. We will say so straight away rather than taking the job on.
Can you repair the chimney on my thatched cottage?
Yes. Repointing, flaunching and lead flashings around a stack are standard roofing work and we carry them out on thatched properties regularly.
Can you re-roof the extension on a thatched house in tiles?
Yes, subject to any listed-building or conservation-area consent that applies to the property. We survey with those constraints in mind.
Will you go on the thatch to inspect?
No. We work from scaffold, tower or ladder and keep off the coat, because walking on thatch damages it.
Can you recommend a thatcher?
We would rather point you at the Norfolk thatching trade generally than name a firm we have no current arrangement with. What we can do is tell you clearly which part of your problem is thatch and which part is ours.