Reed roof: advantages and disadvantages, requirements, open and closed roof, paving

A reed roof in the minds of most of our compatriots (at least until recently) acted as a kind of attribute of low income, if not poverty.

Indeed, our ancestors considered reeds as a roofing material exclusively “out of trouble” - and as soon as the opportunity arose, they changed the roof from reeds or straw to shingles, tiles or tin.

However, to date, reed roofing is gradually regaining its lost ground.Reed roofs are becoming an attribute of "environmentally friendly" houses - and when properly erected, they are in no way inferior in terms of performance to roofs made of more modern materials.

Reed roof properties

The benefits of reed roofing

In order not to be unfounded, we list the main advantages of reed roofs:

• Reed roofing has high thermal insulation characteristics.
  Not only does it protect your home from the cold during the winter months, a thatched roof does a good job of keeping out the heat in the summer as well.
• Soundproofing characteristics of the reed roof are also on top - and even more so, it cannot be compared in this parameter with metal roofing or corrugated board.

• Reed roofing is resistant to temperature changes: its multilayer structure is not subject to temperature deformations, so cracking in the cold of a reed roof does not threaten.
• Wet environment is natural for reeds - therefore, when the reed roof is waterlogged, no rotting occurs house roofs, no fungus formation.
• Reed roofing does not require forced internal ventilation, and also (when arranging pitched roofs) - in additional hydro-, steam - and thermal insulation.

The average service life of a reed roof is about 50-60 years, therefore, having “invested” in one time, you will get a reliable, functional, and most importantly, a beautiful and unusual roof.

Disadvantages and ways to correct them

Like all other engineering solutions, thatched roofs are not without a number of disadvantages:

• Reed roofing is extremely susceptible to fire.. Therefore, if appropriate measures are not taken, a carelessly thrown cigarette butt can turn the entire roof into a quickly burning torch.
  To do this, reed bundles, from which the roof is laid, are impregnated with a fire retardant composition - moreover, one that is not washed off by rain and snow.
• The second trouble that awaits the owner of a thatched roof is birds.. They very often consider reeds as nest material and "tear" the roof.
  To avoid the destruction of the roof, the reed during laying must be laid very tightly, without gaps.

Reed roofing

roofing requirements

On the one hand, reed roofing is quite versatile.

However, some requirements for the geometry of such a roof are still present:

• The optimal roof slope is 35 degrees or more. Flat reed roofs are quite possible, but require reliable waterproofing and a drainage system.
• The roof frame must withstand a load of 50 kg/m².

Naturally, this does not mean that with other design features, the arrangement of a reed roof is impossible. However, in difficult cases, it is still worth seeking advice from specialists.

Open and closed roof

The construction of a reed roof can be of two types:

• open
• Closed

Open roof construction involves laying bundles of reeds directly on top of the battens so that the inner layer of the resulting roof acts as the ceiling of the room under the roof..

In residential premises, this method is of little use, but in public buildings - cafes, restaurants, on terraces, in gazebos - reed roofs designed in an open style look very impressive, creating the necessary atmosphere.

Reed roofing of a closed type is easier to install: at the same time, bundles of reeds are attached to a continuous crate with additional waterproofing. The speed of installation of reed roofs of a closed type is much higher - therefore, for the most part, construction companies offer this particular type of roof.

Reed laying

Reed roofing does not require any special equipment. At the same time, however, the quality of the final result largely depends on the skill of the stacker..

Therefore, if you decide to lay a thatched roof yourself, carefully study all available sources of information, including videos from the Internet.

It is optimal to install a reed roof on a crate made of 50x50 mm timber. Step battens - 30 cm, the crate must withstand a load of up to 35 kg / m².

We carry out the installation in compliance with the following rules:

• Reed for roofing is divided into short, long and coarse stems. Rough stems are used as the inner layer of the roof (substrate), short stems are used to decorate corners, ridges and gables. We lay the main part of the roof using long reed stems.
• Before laying the cane bundle, we treat it with an antipyretic - a composition that will make the reed roof almost non-combustible.
• Before laying the reed, we screw metal screws into the crate. Using these self-tapping screws, we fix a bent stainless steel wire on the crate.
• We lay out the reed stalks tied into bundles along the crate. We carry out laying from below, with an overlap.

• We carry out the laying of the first layer from a ladder or scaffolding, then the craftsmen can move along the beams of the crate.
• With the help of a wire stretched through the bundles, we attract the bundles to the base. This design (it looks rather unaesthetic) will subsequently be hidden by the following layers.

Fixing bundles of reeds to the crate is called stitching.

For flashing a reed roof can be used:

• Thin steel wire is the most labor-intensive method, which is practically not used today. Wire flashing requires the participation of two masters - one outside and one inside the roof.
• Nails - if the design of the crate allows it.
• Banners - pieces of wire, wood or bamboo stalks. Constrictions are used to decorate individual sections of the roof.

In the upper part of the roof, be sure to leave a small edge - with its help, we will align the next rows and layers. We tamp the edge with a special spatula, so that it is completely invisible on the finished roof.

We hold each next row during installation with temporary hooks - they must be stuck into the previous reed layer.Advancing the laid layer along the roof, we gradually shift the hooks.

Naturally, this is only the most general description of the process of arranging a thatched roof, and you need to start roofing a large residential building after practicing on buildings with a more modest roof area.

But still, the efforts made are worth it: a reed roof equipped with this technology will serve you for more than one year, and will serve as a decoration for your home!

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