However, there are at least 100,000 in Japan, 4,000 to 5,000 added annually in Holland, and an estimated two million in Africa! Thatch is less common in the US, but thatcher William Cahill estimates that there are thatched buildings in at least every state. A 2013 report estimated that there were 60,000 properties in the UK and Ireland with a thatched roof. ‍Q: How many buildings are roofed with thatch? ‍A: The United Kingdom and Ireland are known for the strength of their past and present thatching tradition. It doesn’t get more green than that! ‍ Frequently asked Questions: Unlike most roofing, thatch is biodegradable, so it’ll simply decompose when it’s disposed of. Since it can be sourced locally, using thatch can help boost local economies.

It’s a rapidly renewable resource ready for harvest once if not several times a year. Thatch can be grown most anywhere, which can make it easy to locally source. ‍For several reasons, thatch is highly sustainable. Cahill says that people today travel and are exposed to a variety of things, whether it's a Bosch washer, European cars, or thatch roofs. He says it’s a lovely feeling to know you are preserving an ancient building craft, using sustainable/green materials and creating a unique custom product with each handmade roof. 'It's the first form of roofing it the world,' says Cahill. He has a small forge of his own back in Ohio, where he crafts many of his own tools. Since there are a smaller number of thatchers here, as evidenced by the variety of project locations in their portfolios, nationwide travel is often part of their work.Ĭahill’s tool chest is not of the hammer and nail variety. When a thatched house in Maine was listed for sale it increased traffic on its road enough to draw the attention of the police. While thatch hasn't been as common in the U.S., Cahill estimates that there are thatched buildings in every state. Slevin was instrumental in getting the Smithsonian Institute to sponsor William’s work on the prestigious Jamestown Church project in the historic Jamestown Virginia Settlement in 1986. He mentored under Peter Slevin, the only thatcher in the United States who has been here since the 1950s. William trained with his good friend, the late Peter Brockett, the master thatcher who led the thatch training school for the English Thatchers Association. He has been thatching in the US for over 30 years. Roof thatcher William Cahill, a native of Ireland, is based in Ohio. The Drum Inn of Cockington under a thatched roof

Hazel stick to attach thatched roofs