National Trust tends toward the romantic. There is a place for that.
It has value.
Thatch has merit. Warm? so is Styrofoam; rustproof? so is stainless
steel; diseaseproof? sayz who?; childproof? I doubt it; leakproof?
not in this climate.
Thatch will stink, causes vary, duck and moose poop, mildew, rot all
create odors. Its like any other building material, it has to be
appropriate to the building, the climate, and the use. And it has to
be detailed and constructed well.
What is wrong with Thatch is us. We don't want to do yearly
maintenance; We don't want building materials that are messy or dirty
as the deteriorate; We do not want to create shelters for mice, ducks,
etc in or on hour homes; We want roofs to last 20 or more years; We
need roofs that deal with harsh climates; Fire; Insurance.
I think the biggest fault with thatch is culture and history.
Immigrants from thatch roofing cultures abandoned it within a
generation on these shores. Indigenous peoples made very limited use
of it. Our perceptions of, "roof" doesn't readily include thatch
anymore.
-jc
On Jun 23, 2004, at 8:02 AM, Met History wrote:
> In a message dated 6/23/2004 8:52:38 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
> Romantics go gaga over thatch, I like my roofs to
> rot a little slower and last a little longer.
> so, what is the deal on thatch? to listen to all the cutsey articles
> (e.g. National Trust c. 1980, etc.) thatch is great, warm, rustproof,
> diseaseproof, childproof, leakproof. but it always seemed unlikely.
> so, basically, does thatch really stink? c
|
