How are reeds used to make thatched roofs?
How are reeds used to make thatched roofs?
Learn how reeds are used to make thatched roofs.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
Transcript
NARRATOR: On the banks of the river Weser grow the reeds, which for hundreds of years have provided roofing material for the houses of northern Germany. Here, just 15 kilometers from the North Sea, reeds thrive in the brackish water. It makes the stalks stable, yet flexible, meaning they're better at keeping out rain than very straight reeds. These reeds used to be harvested by hand using a sickle. Hydraulic machines now make the work easier.
Once the reeds have dried out, they are ready to be used as thatch. A carpenter has already fastened new battens to these old oak beams. Now the thatcher can dress the roof with the yellow bales of reed. A thatched roof this size will set you back around €30,000 and uses about 15 tons of reed. But how are the reeds fixed to the roof and how are they laid out? The eaves are the first to be given some special treatment. Using a mallet, the thatcher arranges the reeds in a nice, orderly fashion. Once the reeds have been placed on the roof they are affixed using stainless wire. Thatching a roof is a bit like rug making. Each batten is affixed using a 5mm thick piece of wire, which is carefully knotted with several thinner pieces of wire. When taken together, this makes for a rain-proof carpet of reeds.
ROOFER: "When the rain falls on the roof, it progresses down the roof, moving from one bale of reeds to the next. And it always runs down to the eaves, it never gets inside the house. It just can't. The steeper the roof, then quicker the rain washes away. It just runs quickly down the surface."
NARRATOR: Many thatchers use a piece of equipment known as a shaker. A marvel of engineering, the shaker quickly tightens the wire to ensure that the roof is wind, rain and even hurricane proof. From outside, a thatched cottage is a thing of beauty, but what's it like living inside? Is it any different from a normal tiled house?
HOME OWNER: "Yes, you don't hear the rain or storms when they arrive. It has to be really loud for you to hear it. You also don't get any drafts through the house. You go to leave the house and suddenly find out it's been raining. Whereas in a normal house you can sense the wind shaking the roofing tiles, in a thatched cottage you just don't get that. You don't hear buses going past the house either. We simply don't hear them. Everything inside the house is perfectly quiet."
NARRATOR: While wind and rain have little impact on a thatched roof, moss by contrast can quickly turn a house very damp. Thatched cottage owners also need to be aware of the danger posed by pine martens, which will quickly nibble through the reeds themselves.
Once the reeds have dried out, they are ready to be used as thatch. A carpenter has already fastened new battens to these old oak beams. Now the thatcher can dress the roof with the yellow bales of reed. A thatched roof this size will set you back around €30,000 and uses about 15 tons of reed. But how are the reeds fixed to the roof and how are they laid out? The eaves are the first to be given some special treatment. Using a mallet, the thatcher arranges the reeds in a nice, orderly fashion. Once the reeds have been placed on the roof they are affixed using stainless wire. Thatching a roof is a bit like rug making. Each batten is affixed using a 5mm thick piece of wire, which is carefully knotted with several thinner pieces of wire. When taken together, this makes for a rain-proof carpet of reeds.
ROOFER: "When the rain falls on the roof, it progresses down the roof, moving from one bale of reeds to the next. And it always runs down to the eaves, it never gets inside the house. It just can't. The steeper the roof, then quicker the rain washes away. It just runs quickly down the surface."
NARRATOR: Many thatchers use a piece of equipment known as a shaker. A marvel of engineering, the shaker quickly tightens the wire to ensure that the roof is wind, rain and even hurricane proof. From outside, a thatched cottage is a thing of beauty, but what's it like living inside? Is it any different from a normal tiled house?
HOME OWNER: "Yes, you don't hear the rain or storms when they arrive. It has to be really loud for you to hear it. You also don't get any drafts through the house. You go to leave the house and suddenly find out it's been raining. Whereas in a normal house you can sense the wind shaking the roofing tiles, in a thatched cottage you just don't get that. You don't hear buses going past the house either. We simply don't hear them. Everything inside the house is perfectly quiet."
NARRATOR: While wind and rain have little impact on a thatched roof, moss by contrast can quickly turn a house very damp. Thatched cottage owners also need to be aware of the danger posed by pine martens, which will quickly nibble through the reeds themselves.