Have you ever wanted to know how to thatch

Have you ever wanted to know how to thatch?

Professionally printed, 115 gm gloss paper and 250 gm art cover to be more durable with 56 pages A5 size with over 6,300 words, 70 b/w detailed photographs, plans, and illustrations Including a glossary for our strange thatching terms - Second edition of this popular little book with more content than the first edition and at no extra cost- email support included. With a CD copy of this and other information. 

Now also with a DVD of a small round house in straw with great detail suitable for making your own, see the youtube snip on the home page, details on reed thatching is also included. This is not intended as a guide to help you start your own thatching business the only way to do this is with a proper apprenticeship 

DIY thatching Booklet

Written by a Thatcher of 45 years experience on full size, interior design and museum exhibit thatching. The roof slopes are thatched the same way as a full sized one so you can get a detailed insight into our British thatching technique. An extremely detailed step by step instruction booklet with photo's and drawings of all stages click  HERE  for ordering details. £8 (UK)  (US and worldwide $16 US or €16 EURO) including postage. Pay Pal available.

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The cost to have this porch made and thatched for you would be £470 This one was not made by a Thatcher but a diy carpenter following the plans in the book and without my help. I know of no other highly detailed books on thatching for this type of project. Tried and tested by many users since 2001

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33" High 50" long Porch / Wishing well top in combed wheat reed made for, constructed and used as the model in this thatch booklet. Approximately 1/6 of a full scale roof. Exact in details apart from stainless steel fixings and bamboo instead of Hazel spars on the ridge. The smallest practical accurate scaled down size using full size material.

Not tidied up or varnished, thatched using ordinary baled straw from any farm, you must be able to get 6" lengths from the bale for example to thatch a 24" X 12" roof. This is thatched exactly as a long straw main roof even down to the Hazel spars and Liggers, apart from the bale and few Hazel or Willow sticks all tools and fixing materials easily available from DIY shops. Up to 2.5 liters  of good quality varnish will be required to be soaked into it to give a life in excess of 10 years.

Small conical straw roof as featured in full details on my DVD a full very detailed almost to obsession (after all I do not expect you to be a Thatcher) version of the YouTube clip on my home page. Also includes Norfolk reed fixing technique in less detail but enough to understand the basics on a full size roof. 

An example of the difference. Very easy to make this, the booklet will help but is not really needed, all that is done is long lengths of material is fastened onto the roof, the patterns and fixing method is detailed in the booklet this is 2 feet long, just copy the garden center variety!

Thatcher's material suppliers will  be reluctant to supply small quantities of reeds and straw, and the type and shape will almost certainly be unsuitable for very small scale. Thatching straw / reed is normally sold by the lorry load!. Contact a local friendly farmer and cut some yourself with garden shears while it is still slightly green, grasses, heathers and other suitable types of vegetation have been used over the years to thatch. Try wools, plumbers hemp, cocoanut fibre, even cheap paint brushes are a good source for tiny ones. Coco fibre now available by post- see Dolls House

Click for a  sample from the book - Combed Wheat Reed (mechanically prepared wheat straw) is shown for clarity, but your own choice of vegetable material can be substituted, cats tails, deer grass, and all of the marsh sedges and grasses 2 to 3 feet and above can be used but remember that for a decent thickness a double armful at the cut end of material covers 1 square foot

Interior of thatching booklet

An explanation of all these strange terms is included in the book/DVD!

 

Book better than advertised....great seller...recommend.....1st class*********** 

First class little volume. As described and prompt delivery. Many thanks 

Thoroughly professionally written book, exactly how it should be done  

Excellent booklet, very fast delivery.5******

Fast delivery great, highly recommended A+++++++  A useful reference book & just as described. A satisfied customer, here. Thanks

Hi Leo,

I have to say, for the price you charge and the wealth of information within your booklet, I am very happy in receiving your pack. Thank you very much for this insight into what is truly a master craft. 

I will have a good read through and I am sure this will become my new bible.

 

Click  HERE  for ordering details. £8 (UK)  (US and worldwide $16 US or €16 EURO) including postage

 

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