Thatch Roof Instructions

Spread the dried straw on the ground or a barn floor. Pour water over it with a bucket, tossing the straw with a fork to make sure it's thoroughly wetted.

Gather the straw into bundles 12 to 18 inches wide and 4 to 5 inches thick. Pull out any straws that are lying crooked or crosswise, then pull the bundles together tightly. Tie each of these bundles in the middle with twine that's been impregnated with tar to make it water-resistant. Stick four to six of these bundles between the tines of a two-tine thatching fork. Carry them onto the roof, securing the fork there with a peg and string.

Cut several rods of flexible wood, such as hazel, about 2 inches in diameter and 2 feet long. Split each rod into eight pieces and cut the ends to a point with a knife. Soak the rods in water for several hours to soften them. These will be used for "spars" to help fasten the bundles of straw to each other.

Lay the first bundle on the right side of the roof at the eaves. Tie it to the battens, which run horizontally between the rafters, or pin it down with a pole about 1 inch in diameter, nailed to the rafters on either side. Lay enough bundles side by side to cover a section of roof about 3 feet wide. Wet the bundles again and comb them with a rake to pull out any loose straw. Beat them flat with the back of the rake. Trim the bottoms of the bundles off square at the eaves.

Lay the next bundles above the first ones, overlapping them so that less than half the first bundles show.

Bend a spar in two, then twist it twice around itself and push it into the straw to fasten one bundle to the bundle below it. Space one spar about every foot along each row of bundles.

Lay another row of bundles above the second one, fastening it down the same way, then continuing up to the roof's peak. Leave half of the last bundle sticking beyond the peak.

Start at the eaves again and lay more bundles beside the first ones, working up to the peak. Repeat the process until one side of the roof is covered, then start at the eaves on the other side and continue the same way. When you come to the peak, bend over the last bundle from the first side and fasten it down on this side. Lay the last bundle on this side with some of it sticking up. Bend it over so you can fasten it down on the first side.