How to: Reed Thatch

Form reed into tidy, compact bundles. This will organize the reed straw into manageable amounts that are used like roof tiles. A yealm bundle is typically 14 inches to 18 inches wide and 4 inches thick.

Fill the space between the roof rafters with basketwork consisting of interlocking reeds, also called fleeking, or horizontal strips of lumber, called battens.

Lay bundles of reed on top of the battens or fleeking and across the building starting at the eaves and working from right to left. Position the bundles so the stalk butt ends are exposed as each row overlaps the previous one. Secure the lowest row of reed yealms to the wall as well as the rafters.

Use a legget tool to hit the reed ends and push them into position.

Hold the bundles down with hazel sways, which are horizontal wooden strips.

Drive iron reed hooks into the rafters to anchor all work. Some thatchers also sew tarred twine into the ends to further attach the the bundles to the rafters.

Form the ridge of the roof with sedge or rush grass, as water reed is too brittle to wrap over this area. Combed wheat reed, rye straw and heather can also be used. If a chimney is located along the ridge, start on either side of it with the ridge work and move toward the gables.

Hold the ridge grasses in place with liggers. These are 3- to 5-foot pieces of split hazel.

Secure the ridge grasses and liggers in place with hazel split brooches or spars. Make these by bending 30-inch long, pointed pieces of hazel into a hairpin shape.

Determine if a tilting fillet is needed at the gable end of the roof. This is a frequently triangular timber used to create the correct tension by ensuring the proper angle of the roof.