How to Make a Thatched Roof for a Playhouse

Gather your thatching material by cutting 2-foot long grasses or reeds with a sharp knife near ground level. Lay a piece of 1/2-inch diameter twine on the ground and place the grass on the twine. Wrap the rope around the grass to create a bundle measuring 24 inches across. Do not stack the bundles while they are damp. Store them standing on end if you are not thatching right away.

Screw eye hooks into the roof cross-beams or the surface every 18 inches. Thread a long wire through the first eye and lay two bundles on the roof starting at the bottom. Thread the wire up through the first bundle and over through the next one. Thread the end through the second eye hook. Pull the wire ends tightly together to smash the thatch bundles together. Twist the ends of the wire together with pliers and thread them back through the thatch to hide them.

Add the next bundle and repeat the wire threading. Add bundles across and thread the wires so that all the eyes have two wires in them except the end eye hooks. Lay the next layer of thatch on the roof so that half the length of the bundles overlaps the first layer. Work on both sides of the roof until the ridgeline is reached.

Lay the ridgeline thatch by forcing the length of thatch in half. The bent area is placed over top of the peak of the roof. Secure both ends of the ridgeline thatch bundles to each side of the roof. Tap the uneven ends of the thatch into place with a large flat putty knife. Trim stubborn ends that stick out with a pair of sharp scissors.