To thatch or not to thatch?

A thatched cottage is the very quintessence of Englishness, but many potential buyers are put off by fears about fire risk and maintenance. Hester Lacey goes in search of the truth about thatched roofs

A thatched cottage, ideally with blush-pink, scented climbing roses scrambling round the door, is one of the quintessential images of English country living. Chocolate-box cliché it may be; but there are few people who don't coo over a charmingly higgledy-piggledy straw roof. Particularly if it faces on to the village green when a cricket match is in play, while squads of Miss Marples drink warm beer as they cycle to communion (or whatever). But, however misty-eyed we may become over thatch, we are likely to feel a little less romantic when we contemplate the cost of regular repair and renewal, the potential insurance-premium hike, and the possibility of a nasty fire in the roof. So is thatch something to appreciate as part of our traditional heritage - but to leave for someone else to live under?

A thatched cottage, ideally with blush-pink, scented climbing roses scrambling round the door, is one of the quintessential images of English country living. Chocolate-box cliché it may be; but there are few people who don't coo over a charmingly higgledy-piggledy straw roof. Particularly if it faces on to the village green when a cricket match is in play, while squads of Miss Marples drink warm beer as they cycle to communion (or whatever). But, however misty-eyed we may become over thatch, we are likely to feel a little less romantic when we contemplate the cost of regular repair and renewal, the potential insurance-premium hike, and the possibility of a nasty fire in the roof. So is thatch something to appreciate as part of our traditional heritage - but to leave for someone else to live under?

Certainly, some timid buyers won't touch it with a bargepole. "From a marketing point of view, some applicants specify that they don't want thatch," says Nigel Sheppard of Symonds and Sampson estate agents, which covers Dorset, Devon, Wiltshire and Somerset, prime thatch territory. "There is a perceived increase of fire risk, but the prime reason is the ongoing cost of maintenance. A good reed thatch in some locations may be basically good for 20 to 25 years, but it will need to be repaired during that time."

Often, he says, the slope of a roof that is most exposed to the weather will need replacing before its other half. "For a single slope on a fairly substantial property, you might be looking at around £7-£8,000."

A thatched roof is also likely to need occasional patching in exposed areas, and also rebridging (the replacement of the rooftop ridge, which is particularly vulnerable to wind and weather). But for many people, the cost and inconvenience of regular maintenance are a more than reasonable price to pay for the pleasure of living under thatch. Sheppard grew up in the thatched cottage where his 86-year-old mother still lives. "I was brought up with the thatcher coming at intervals, and thatch is a marvellous insulator; it keeps the property cool in summer and warm in winter. But the real advantage is aesthetic. People feel they are living in part of our heritage, an archetypal period cottage. And to be part of that roses-up-the-porch scene, they are prepared to take on the downside of maintenance."

Hampshire-based master thatcher Jason Morley agrees that a properly thatched roof will last up to 25 years, and says that owners should expect to replace their roof ridge every 10 to 15 years. He has worked on the Globe Theatre in London and also carried out projects in Japan and the US. He says that the increased risk of fire associated with thatch is a myth. "Statistically, fewer thatched houses burn down than tiled houses. And it's not normally the roof that catches, if there is a fire; it's the house that sets the roof alight."

Depending on the type of roof, he explains, re-thatching doesn't necessarily involve taking the whole structure off. "With wheat-straw roofs, we strip off enough old straw to get the shape back, repair the base, and fix a new layer back on the top; I've seen thatches that are up to five feet thick and 400 years old. If you have a water-reed roof, which is about a foot thick, we take it off and replace it completely."

While it's hard to say whether thatch is a value-enhancer or not Morley is currently working on a property that was bought for £37,000 and rethatched for £1,950, 25 years ago. "The house is now worth around £500,000 and we're re-thatching it for £15,000, so our prices have gone down in property-value-percentage terms."

David Meaden, chartered building surveyor with Symonds and Sampson, recommends facing up to maintenance "little and often". "Clients do well to have the thatcher in every two years, or at most five years, to see if repairs are needed." The massive insurance premium is something of a red herring, as he well knows. "I live in a thatched property myself, and the insurance is simply a question of an extra form or so. I'm with one of the big national companies, and it doesn't cost a whole lot more. An older property needs a bit more tlc, but you get used to that."

And if thatch itself appeals, but that extra level of tlc an older property requires is less attractive, then Michael Parker Homes can help. The Dorset-based company builds new homes to traditional standards.

"I love thatched cottages, and started off by renovating old properties," says Parker. "When I started building new homes, each development included thatched cottages. We work in thatch, flint, stone, all the materials that have been used for hundreds of years."

Thatched properties, he says, also help to sell their neighbours' houses, because they enhance the view from the other houses. Parker has also developed the Dorset Model of fire safety: "We use fireproof boarding below the thatch, so if for some reason it did catch fire, the bits don't fall into the house below and set that alight." He is working on three sites in Dorset; one of his typical new-build thatches is a substantial four-bed property that retails from £350,000 upwards.

The thatched cottages changing hands now can date from pre-Tudor times - as long as they have been well looked after. A thatch, says Morley, requires a degree of commitment and is held in trust for future generations. "An old thatched cottage is like an antique; it needs to be cherished and cared for, to pass it on."

Jason Morley, 01635 298174, www.master-thatchers.co.uk; National Society of Master Thatchers, 01844 281568, www.nsmt.co.uk; Michael Parker Homes Ltd, 01258 881555, www.thatchcottages.com; Symonds and Sampson, 01258 452670, www.symondsandsampson.co.uk.