(no subject)
Thatched Roof
After I posted that we were considering buying a period home with a thatched roof, I thought some of you might worry about the risk of fire with the thatch, and also just be curious about thatched roofing. We've done a bit of research and I thought you might like to know the basics.
A great deal of information about living in a period home is consolidated at a website called Period Property UK.
There are three types of thatch used in Britain: Water Reed (lasts 55-65 years and is the most durable), Wheat Reed (which isn't reed, but winter wheat straw; lasts 20-40 years), and Long Straw (favored by conservationists in Hampshire; lasts 15-25 years).
Most thatchers charge by the "square," which is roughly 10 ft. by 10 ft. The charge per square is between £600 and £800.
Apparently, thatched cottages rarely catch fire. Period Property UK states, "U.K. Fire Brigades statistics show 1 in 360 "conventional" houses are devastated by fire every year, but only 1 in 750 thatched buildings." And further from that website: "In fact, only one death has been recorded during the 20C in a thatched house fire."
I suppose that owners of thatched houses are very aware of the risk and very cautious. Also, it isn't a stray spark landing on the roof that starts a fire. It's the build up of gases from the chimney due to poor sealant (and other complicated reasons) that put the conditions in place for a fire to start.
The bottom line is that we will thoroughly investigate all safety issues before buying any house, including one with a thatched roof.
Properties Viewed Today
For the viewing of both of these properties (and the one we'll be seeing tomorrow), the owners of the homes showed us the properties. Unlike in the US, in the UK it's normal to meet the owners and be shown around by them. It was a bit weird for us. When we view a property, we like to talk outloud about the pros and cons and things we'd change.
The first property we viewed, 60A Ashdell Road, is a 5 bedroom, 2 bathroom home built in the early 1980s. By English standards, the house is big, which we like, but the garden (yard) is small, which we don't like. It has one storage building that is long and skinny, one storage room that is a complete room (finished walls and floor, electricity), and a small detached office (separate building, completely finished), all of which we liked.
It is in need of some redecorating/remodeling, but the kitchen was remodeled four years ago and is fabulous. All of the rooms (including the kitchen) need new flooring and new paint and trim. Plus, there's bits and bobs to do here and there to make it liveable and stylish, which are all doable, but take time and money, and more importantly, may not return the bang for the buck.
Location, location, location: The house is conveniently located just across the street from Kings Pond (where we go for walks and feed duckies and swans), it's within easy walking distance of Alton High Street (high street = main street), and only a 1/4 mile from Chas's office. But, it is inconveniently near a busy road with lots of noise, near an office park (lots of industrial buildings, one of which is Chas's office), and adjacent to a not-so-great neighborhood.
I liked it more than Chas. I gave it a B+ and he gave it a B. I don't think we'll buy it, but it lingers in my mind.
The second property is a named property. (Britons love to name their homes. Currently, the most popular house name is The Cottage. In some cases, the name of the property is the official address of the property, in other cases, the property also has a street name and number.) The house we viewed is called Treetops, and I'm uncertain if it also has a street name and number. It is in a village called Upper Froyle and is very close to (almost on top of) a pub called The Hen & Chicken.
The house has 1.5 bathrooms and three bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms are on the ground floor. The master bedroom is upstairs, along with the 1/2 bathroom, and an attic space that could be made into a complete room.
The lounge (living room) is in a large turret. Lots of windows and a wood burning fireplace. Very cool.
The house has an extensive garden. The homeowners are avid gardeners and their home is on the garden tour circuit. The selling brochure states, "The garden is a feature of Treetops and has over 50 Clematis and roses, and many trees and shrubs, including three Magnolias, an Acer Griseum, Prunus, Amalanchier, Wedding Cake Tree, Phutina, Daphnes, and Vibernums."
The trees, shrubs, and hedges block out the view of the pub. As a matter of fact, we've eaten in the garden of the pub and we didn't notice Treetops! The view from the other side of the house is all farmland, which is terrific. (Maybe a little smelly during fertilizing time.)
There is a summer house in the garden. It is a small room with heat and electricity. It is mostly windows. It's really cute. The owner of the house promised us that it stays dry year round. It seems like the perfect gaming room.
Treetops is fairly large and has a nice flow of traffic from room to room, but it is badly in need of updating. The kitchen needs to be gutted and rebuilt. All the flooring has to be replaced. The walls need painting. The attic room needs to finished to become a real room. The upstairs 1/2 bath needs to be a full bath. And it would benefit greatly from the addition of a heated conservatory (a glass extension to the house, like a sun-room).
You might think we don't like it because it needs a lot of work, but it's a project we're familiar with and know we can handle. It's a house that needs lots of initial love and attention, but it can be made into a beauty of a home (one that we can sell for bigger bucks, too!).
After I posted that we were considering buying a period home with a thatched roof, I thought some of you might worry about the risk of fire with the thatch, and also just be curious about thatched roofing. We've done a bit of research and I thought you might like to know the basics.
A great deal of information about living in a period home is consolidated at a website called Period Property UK.
There are three types of thatch used in Britain: Water Reed (lasts 55-65 years and is the most durable), Wheat Reed (which isn't reed, but winter wheat straw; lasts 20-40 years), and Long Straw (favored by conservationists in Hampshire; lasts 15-25 years).
Most thatchers charge by the "square," which is roughly 10 ft. by 10 ft. The charge per square is between £600 and £800.
Apparently, thatched cottages rarely catch fire. Period Property UK states, "U.K. Fire Brigades statistics show 1 in 360 "conventional" houses are devastated by fire every year, but only 1 in 750 thatched buildings." And further from that website: "In fact, only one death has been recorded during the 20C in a thatched house fire."
I suppose that owners of thatched houses are very aware of the risk and very cautious. Also, it isn't a stray spark landing on the roof that starts a fire. It's the build up of gases from the chimney due to poor sealant (and other complicated reasons) that put the conditions in place for a fire to start.
The bottom line is that we will thoroughly investigate all safety issues before buying any house, including one with a thatched roof.
Properties Viewed Today
For the viewing of both of these properties (and the one we'll be seeing tomorrow), the owners of the homes showed us the properties. Unlike in the US, in the UK it's normal to meet the owners and be shown around by them. It was a bit weird for us. When we view a property, we like to talk outloud about the pros and cons and things we'd change.
The first property we viewed, 60A Ashdell Road, is a 5 bedroom, 2 bathroom home built in the early 1980s. By English standards, the house is big, which we like, but the garden (yard) is small, which we don't like. It has one storage building that is long and skinny, one storage room that is a complete room (finished walls and floor, electricity), and a small detached office (separate building, completely finished), all of which we liked.
It is in need of some redecorating/remodeling, but the kitchen was remodeled four years ago and is fabulous. All of the rooms (including the kitchen) need new flooring and new paint and trim. Plus, there's bits and bobs to do here and there to make it liveable and stylish, which are all doable, but take time and money, and more importantly, may not return the bang for the buck.
Location, location, location: The house is conveniently located just across the street from Kings Pond (where we go for walks and feed duckies and swans), it's within easy walking distance of Alton High Street (high street = main street), and only a 1/4 mile from Chas's office. But, it is inconveniently near a busy road with lots of noise, near an office park (lots of industrial buildings, one of which is Chas's office), and adjacent to a not-so-great neighborhood.
I liked it more than Chas. I gave it a B+ and he gave it a B. I don't think we'll buy it, but it lingers in my mind.
The second property is a named property. (Britons love to name their homes. Currently, the most popular house name is The Cottage. In some cases, the name of the property is the official address of the property, in other cases, the property also has a street name and number.) The house we viewed is called Treetops, and I'm uncertain if it also has a street name and number. It is in a village called Upper Froyle and is very close to (almost on top of) a pub called The Hen & Chicken.
The house has 1.5 bathrooms and three bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms are on the ground floor. The master bedroom is upstairs, along with the 1/2 bathroom, and an attic space that could be made into a complete room.
The lounge (living room) is in a large turret. Lots of windows and a wood burning fireplace. Very cool.
The house has an extensive garden. The homeowners are avid gardeners and their home is on the garden tour circuit. The selling brochure states, "The garden is a feature of Treetops and has over 50 Clematis and roses, and many trees and shrubs, including three Magnolias, an Acer Griseum, Prunus, Amalanchier, Wedding Cake Tree, Phutina, Daphnes, and Vibernums."
The trees, shrubs, and hedges block out the view of the pub. As a matter of fact, we've eaten in the garden of the pub and we didn't notice Treetops! The view from the other side of the house is all farmland, which is terrific. (Maybe a little smelly during fertilizing time.)
There is a summer house in the garden. It is a small room with heat and electricity. It is mostly windows. It's really cute. The owner of the house promised us that it stays dry year round. It seems like the perfect gaming room.
Treetops is fairly large and has a nice flow of traffic from room to room, but it is badly in need of updating. The kitchen needs to be gutted and rebuilt. All the flooring has to be replaced. The walls need painting. The attic room needs to finished to become a real room. The upstairs 1/2 bath needs to be a full bath. And it would benefit greatly from the addition of a heated conservatory (a glass extension to the house, like a sun-room).
You might think we don't like it because it needs a lot of work, but it's a project we're familiar with and know we can handle. It's a house that needs lots of initial love and attention, but it can be made into a beauty of a home (one that we can sell for bigger bucks, too!).