Editing Thatching (section)

==Performance==
The performance of thatch depends on roof shape and design, pitch of roof, position—its [[geography]] and [[topography]]—the quality of material and the expertise of the thatcher.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

=== Advantages ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2023}}
Thatch has some natural properties that are advantageous to its performance. It is naturally weather-resistant, and when properly maintained does not absorb a lot of water. There should not be a significant increase to roof weight due to water retention. A roof pitch of at least 50 degrees allows precipitation to travel quickly down slope so that it runs off the roof before it can penetrate the structure.

Thatch is also a natural insulator, and air pockets within straw thatch insulate a building in both warm and cold weather. A thatched roof ensures that a building is cool in summer and warm in winter.

Thatch also has very good resistance to wind damage when applied correctly.

Thatching materials range from plains grasses to waterproof leaves found in equatorial regions. It is the most common roofing material in the world, because the materials are readily available.
[[Image:Partially thatched roof.jpg|thumb|right|Farm-house in the [[Netherlands]] near [[Alkmaar]]. The combination of thatch and [[roof tiles]] is quite common in that area.]]
Because thatch is lighter, less timber is required in the roof that supports it.

Thatch is a versatile material when it comes to covering irregular roof structures. This fact lends itself to the use of second-hand, [[recycled]] and natural materials that are not only more [[sustainable]], but need not fit exact standard dimensions to perform well.

===Disadvantages===
Thatched houses are harder to insure because of the perceived fire risk. In the UK, 50–80 thatched roofs are destroyed in house fires yearly.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thatching Advisory Service |url=http://www.thatchingadvisoryservices.co.uk/Thatch_Guide.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225205652/http://www.thatchingadvisoryservices.co.uk/Thatch_Guide.asp |archive-date=25 December 2012 |access-date=10 March 2013}}</ref> Because thatching is labour-intensive, it is much more expensive to thatch a roof than to cover it with slate or tiles. Birds can damage a roof while they are foraging for grubs, and rodents are attracted by residual grain in straw.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

[[Image:Lucy in the sky.jpg|thumb|right|Thatched hut in [[Lesotho]], Africa]]
New thatched roofs were forbidden in London in 1212 following a [[Early fires of London#The Great Fire of 1212|major fire]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://users.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/florilegium/community/cmfabr08.html|title=Florilegium urbanum - Physical fabric - Regulations for building construction and fire safety |website=users.trytel.com|access-date=6 May 2018 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026234132/http://users.trytel.com/~tristan/towns/florilegium/community/cmfabr08.html |archive-date=26 October 2017}}</ref> and existing roofs had to have their surfaces plastered to reduce the risk of fire. The modern [[Shakespeare's Globe|Globe Theatre]] is one of the few thatched buildings in London, but the Globe's modern, water reed thatch is purely for decorative purpose and actually lies over a fully waterproofed roof built with modern materials. The Globe Theatre, opened in 1997, was modelled on the original Globe, which was destroyed by a fire on a dry June night in 1613 when a burning wad of cloth ejected from a special effects cannon during a performance set light to the surface of the thatch. The nearby Rose Theatre was actually thatched with cereal straw, a sample of which was recovered by Museum of London archaeologists during the excavation of the site in the 1980s.<ref>{{Citation | first = John | last = Letts | title = Unpublished photos and sample records}}</ref>

Whether thatch can cope with regular snowfall depends — as with all roofing materials — on the strength of the underlying roof structure and the pitch of the surface. A law passed in 1640 in [[Massachusetts]] outlawed the use of thatched roofs in the colony for this reason. Thatch is lighter than most other roofing materials, typically around {{convert|7|lb/sqft|abbr=on|disp=flip}}, so the roof supporting it does not need to be so heavily constructed, but if snow accumulates on a lightly constructed thatched roof, it could collapse. A thatched roof is usually pitched between 45 and 55 degrees and under normal circumstances this is sufficient to shed snow and water. In areas of extreme snowfall, such as [[Minka#Roofing|parts of Japan]], the pitch is increased further.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.addictedtotravel.com/holidays/snow-country|title=Winter Japan at its Best|publisher=Addicted to Travel|access-date=7 September 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328175612/http://www.addictedtotravel.com/holidays/snow-country|archive-date=28 March 2012}}</ref>