Thatch For Roofing

[wilsongbrown]

I'm trying to source some quality heavy duty thatch for roofing, the straw looking kind you see on country cottages etc, not the leafy ones, which is all we seem to have here on Phuket.

Can anyone tell me where to source? Thanks.

[rice555]

Hello wilsongbrown, this should not be on the farming forum, it's not "derived from farming", maybe the the building forum?

My FiL cuts the Kings grass that grows on our land and makes the 1m long panels, they are sold at roadside stands, usually at bamboo furniture stands.

Very common here in Korat or Isan.

rice555 ps some places use other wild grasses to make panels. (.5m X 1m roughly)

[ozzydom]

Hello wilsongbrown, this should not be on the farming forum, it's not "derived from farming", maybe the the building forum?

My FiL cuts the Kings grass that grows on our land and makes the 1m long panels, they are sold at roadside stands, usually at bamboo furniture stands.

Very common here in Korat or Isan.

rice555 ps some places use other wild grasses to make panels. (.5m X 1m roughly)

I would disagree with your opening statement rice , the best roofing panels are made from Ya Ka and made primarily by subsistence farmers ,usually after the rice harvest (towards Xmas time ) . The Ya Ka is often fertilized for optimum growth as the income stream can be a substantial part of the farmers income .

Ya Ka has a flatter leaf section than Ya Fat ( Kings Grass ) and is much better roofing ,hence its premium price (about 20 baht per panel.

[wilsongbrown]

Thankyou both for your replies. I deliberately posted on the farming forum as opposed to the building forum as, having looked at both over time, was of the opinion that the former would be more helpful regards traditional building methods and thatch, the latter being more geared toward more 'modern' roofing - terracotta/concrete tiles and the like.

Is there any way bar tramping around the sois upcountry I could get a hold of this thatch do you know? I'm not talking about Homepro

Edited August 4, 2009 by wilsongbrown

[bojo]

Not meaning to put a dampner on your project but... as much as I too love thatched roofs, but am averse to use here, it should be noted that the (Com Loy) lanterns have a nasty habit, especially around Loy Kratong time of setting houses alight.

Regards Bojo

[rice555]

Hello ozzydom, I have on idea which makes a better panel, my reply was aimed at why it was on the farming forum. My FiL uses what's available and no cash input for growing. Same with the MiL and her loom and making floor mats to sell, their 78/84's, they lived and will die subsistence farmers.

As for for when I hear roof, I think building forum, I don't go there as I only know framed houses and roofs for 240-Lbs SQ FT snow load, not much use in LOS.

Subsistence farmers don't post much here, I guess they have other things to do.

rice555

[ozzydom]

Thankyou both for your replies. I deliberately posted on the farming forum as opposed to the building forum as, having looked at both over time, was of the opinion that the former would be more helpful regards traditional building methods and thatch, the latter being more geared toward more 'modern' roofing - terracotta/concrete tiles and the like.

Is there any way bar tramping around the sois upcountry I could get a hold of this thatch do you know? I'm not talking about Homepro

As rice555 advised,check out the caneware shops that are to be found along any highway, quality is a problem at this time of year , you may have to lay double or even triple thickness to obtain waterproofing.

The life expectancy is only about two years.

[Gary A]

Here in our area of Loei province, the thatch is made by locals when they have nothing else to do. We use them on the little huts on the farms. My wife complains that they are making them thinner and more expensive. They are now 20 baht per panel and if you want them to last, you have to use two of them rather than one.

[bina]

really? i helped do some while in korat and the mother of hubby's best friend sells them for 50 baht; they were well made but they all told me life is about one year... i would definately use these on any roof i do; they are great insulation, water proof, decompose, cheap to fix and our house will be the 'kon jon bannork' style and not the farang blue roof style anyhow...

she took whatever grasses they had in the fields; its a good use of a byproduct, dont think anyone grows the stuff for use although it might be popular as an 'ethnic' thing in the future and people will grow the grasses specifically for thatch roofs as an 'ornament' above regular roofs for the 'ethnic' look-- rather like many other 'ethnic' things that started as by products (ricotta cheese made from the whey comes to mind)

bina

israel

[ozzydom]

really? i helped do some while in korat and the mother of hubby's best friend sells them for 50 baht; they were well made but they all told me life is about one year... i would definately use these on any roof i do; they are great insulation, water proof, decompose, cheap to fix and our house will be the 'kon jon bannork' style and not the farang blue roof style anyhow...

she took whatever grasses they had in the fields; its a good use of a byproduct, dont think anyone grows the stuff for use although it might be popular as an 'ethnic' thing in the future and people will grow the grasses specifically for thatch roofs as an 'ornament' above regular roofs for the 'ethnic' look-- rather like many other 'ethnic' things that started as by products (ricotta cheese made from the whey comes to mind)

bina

israel

Bina, the panels are usually fixed at about 6 inch spacings,that makes it about 100 baht per running foot.

With galvanised corrugated iron selling at 17 baht per foot and a life of over 10 years, that would make thatching 6 times more expensive initially and 60 times more expensive over 10 years.

Exactly why our duck shelters are now corrugated iron .

[bina]

the thatchng would be put over the corrugated roof for insulation... we actually did that one year here for my goat shed; only the thai worker at the time did it with the long grasses we have around here in the winter. but on other hand we have major fires in hot season and the sparks jump, so we took them off. that was a few years ago... but it did improve the coolness in the goat house. they got to eat their roof after we took it off...

bina

israel

[Harcourt]

In the South of Thai, do they not use coconut leaves for thatch? It has to be the longest lasting, strongest, most weather-proof, easiest to make thatch around.

In the Pacific, coconut thatch is the only way to go. Each frond is split, and each half is quickly woven, with every second leaf folded back to weave between the others (if you can picture that). Within minutes, you have a panel 40 cms deep and 1.5 metre long, with a very stiff spine that is used for fixing to the house.

The panels are put on "upside down" as the leaves form a natural gutter.

I'd be happy to explain it in detail if anyone is interested.

[Smithson]

As was mentioned earlier, now is not a good time to be looking, best is after the rains. The price varies from B10 - B20, I've been told if you use enough of the expensive ones on a steep pitch roof they can last up to 5 yrs.

The flat Ya Ka are probably cheaper and should last longer, but don't look so nice.

Overall thatch isn't economical in the long term and has a few other drawbacks, but it's great looking and very sustainable.

[bina]

me, working ........shhhhhhhh!

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[sbk]

Yes, in the South, thatch is usually made from coconut leaves. I have never seen locally made thatch made from anything other than coconut or pandanus leaves.

[Noris]

Is it possible to get straw grass thatch the same the use in UK and South Africa in Thailand rather than Ya Ka.

 

Cheers for any, advice.

[kickstart]

21 hours ago, Noris said:

Is it possible to get straw grass thatch the same the use in UK and South Africa in Thailand rather than Ya Ka.

 

Cheers for any, advice.

In a nutshell no,thatch in the UK comes from wheat straw ,and long straw verities too, and not a lot of wheat is grown in Thailand, as for South Africa I would not know, but I would say they would use a local  grass.

They are alternatives to Yar Ka, but it is finding them, หญ้าแฝก Yar Fark what is used to prevent soil erosion ,often  found planted in newly dug ditches,better than Ya Ka thicker leaves lasts longer,you could grow some a quick growing grass 

I have seen ,similar to coconut leaves is,ใปจาก,Bie Jak,lasts a long time,but as I said it finding it.