HI everyone,

Does anyone know how much it would cost to build a thatch roof for a small muaythai gym? Would thatch be cheaper than PVC roof paneling?

The Concrete will run 14 meters by 14 meters. Obviously the roof will need to extend past the end of the concrete slab.

I have included a few pics as examples of what I need. I done really care what kind of roofing material that we use, just looking for cheapest option. Will upgrade in a few years

Any input is very much appreciated

The best one and the cheapest is the one that let the bloody rain in all over the place try that sort first before you really put you hand in your pocket

I wouldnt advise thatch in such a hot climate and possibly having upset a little urchin or 2 who favours throwing lighted petrol soaked rags at your bonnet.

Synthetic roof sheeting most likely cheapest but it deadens resale value over concrete tiles.

I understand you're under a tight budget.

I can empathise with "I'll upgrade at a later date".

But unless thatch is extremely cheaper than other roofing, I think it is false economy to go cheap with a roof.....taking efficiency and maintenance into account.

I did a thatch roof on a small sala about 10 years ago. The panels were made by an old lady in the next village at 3 baht per piece. If I remember correctly it took about 8 panels per square meter. Remember this was 10 years ago, price are probably more now. Hope that helps.

Thatch will have to be replaced/repaired quite often. The cheapest and long lasting would be corrugated metal. The sheets come in colors but the unpainted is the cheapest. I used it in my outbuilding/barn and it is still in fine condition with no leaks after 16 years.

Some of the houses around where I live are well over 40 years old with the original metal roofs. They even use sued tin with holes in it to roof new structures. They plug the holes wit "napalm"! Take a tin can put some foam insulation in it and a little benzine, and mix, instant "napalm" and hole filler!

Thank you for all of the info guys.

haha, Yes I understand that the cheaper the lower quality. If this was for a house it would be different. It is only going to be covering a small open air thai muay thai gym and will be a temp roof until the neccessary funds clear that will enable both an expansion and upgraded materials.

As long as it gives me a solid year- year and a half we are golden.

Ok, so Thatch, grass, whatever the name of this particular method of roofing is called that can be seen in the pictures I provided.

I have seen a few segmants on people using this method on coolthaihouse but no one mentioned cost per suare meter which is what I am looking for.

Figured it would be a good idea to ask here first and get a basic idea so i dont get screwed on prices.

Thanks Tim. That does help alot. so roughly eight layers of thatch/grass per meter at 3-8 baht a pop. that helps.

Appreciate it guys

Some pricing here is outdated. They raise the price of thatch every year. Once upon a time it was 1 baht, 3 baht, 5 baht 10 baht, 15 baht. Thatch is now around 20 baht a 1.5M panel in my area. That comes out to over 1000 baht a square meter for thatch over a 15 year period since you have to do it over again every 3 years and there will be huge inflation buying the next 4 times. Thatch is the absolute most expensive roofing material in Thailand. Strange how things change isn't it? It's cheaper to buy a tile made in a factory built by a company made of modern materials and shipped from a 1000 miles away than twisting some nearby grass onto a wedge of bamboo.

We paid ฿8.- for a one metre panel and later discovered that they had been stocked for a year or two (no longer firmly attached to the top stick, brittle). The number of panels/ M2 depends on the slope of the roof. Go look at other roofs in your area first. Living in Buriram, we have the impression that the stuff we buy here is imported from Cambodia.

Big disadvantage from this kind of roof is that it is very dusty inside

Good point. Normally the spline is made of bamboo. Wood boring beetles love to get into it and drop lots of sawdust on the floor on a daily basis. This is usually ok in outdoor settings but a consideration. Since the grass wears off so quickly the structural loss usually doesn't come into play.

The number of panels/ M2 depends on the slope of the roof

Higher pitches are better for thatch longevity since water can leave more rapidly. I've seen 40-55 degrees minimum recommended depending on who you talk to. In practice since Thai thatch disintegrates so quickly I haven't noticed a marked longevity boost based on pitch. If longevity is important, in some areas they have longer lasting panels made from other materials than thin grass. One is called yaak for instance.

I think the metal roofs are better then the thatch roofs as its life is more then the thatch roofs. Higher pitches can be easily installed in it but the cost of metal roofs are little high then the thatch roofs.