Thatching Explained | The Industry

If you are seeking the services of a competent thatcher, the following information may provide guidance to those not fully conversant with some aspects of the Thatching industry.

Little is generally known about thatch, its renewal or maintenance. There are often articles in newspapers and magazines, but most of them are uniformed and technically inaccurate. Only two authentic works of reference exist and even these are guidelines rather than technical manuals.

There are no British Standards for materials used or for the Specifications of finished work. Building Inspectors stay away from thatching in progress, architects make incredibly basic mistakes in designing for thatch and surveyors reporting upon thatched property find themselves out of their depth.
 
 
 

Thatching is entirely self-regulating and central to this process is the quality and integrity of the thatcher himself. Methods of training are traditional and protracted. An apprentice who possesses a very personal desire to achieve high standards of workmanship and is fortunate to find a skillful and willing tutor, will produce a sound craftsman whose expertise will grow with experience and be an asset to the industry.

However, there are many who do not share this ideology; they see the training and experience necessary to become a competent thatcher as a commercial barrier which has to be overcome in the fastest time possible. The same argument applies to the time and care necessary to do good work.

This is the downside of self-regulation. There are no restraints upon the unprincipled charlatan who chooses to set up in business and describe themselves as 'Thatchers' or 'Master Thatchers'. many see the term 'Master Thatcher' as commercially exploitable and are immeasurably helped in this by the lack of any legal definition for the term.

The thatch owner can be deceived by the 'badges of credibility' of various organisations where consistent production of good quality work does not appear to be a prerequisite for membership, or employ a 'thatcher' of limited skills who does not have the best interests of the client at heart.

It would also be unwise to assume that the number of years or generations a thatching business has been established is any measure of either its integrity or technical ability.

Therefore, the effect of insisting upon a comprehensive specification of work should go some way in screening out those operators with doubtful standards and questionable aspirations.