Thatched roofs work differently from conventional roofs, including how they shed water. If you’ve looked closely at one, you might have wondered, do thatched roofs have gutters?
In this article, we’ll dive into whether thatched roofs have gutters and what this means for houses and rain.
Do Thatched Roofs Have Gutters? Thatched roofs don’t have gutters. There are 2 main reasons for this, but the most important is that the thatch material overhangs the edge of the building enough for there to be no risk of water running down the walls.
The second reason is practicality. As you might expect, it’d be fairly difficult to attach a gutter to a thatched roof.
This is both because of the roofing material and the significant overhang. In some cases, the overhang of a thatched roof can be as much as 45cm.
Thatched Roofs vs. Conventional Roofs
A conventional roof is made from tiles, whether these are slate, terracotta, or plastic. Regardless, the roof’s structure means that there’s an overhang, but only a minor one.
However, the importance of gutters comes in once we think about the actual building.
Houses are, generally, made from brick or stone. Both of these materials are porous, meaning water can soak into them. Without a gutter to channel the water away, rain would soak into the brickwork.
This would not only cause damage to the bricks, but it could also lead to damp problems within the building.
While thatched buildings are made from the same materials, the roof’s massive overhang means there’s no danger of rainwater coming into contact with the walls as it runs off the roof.
As such, a gutter isn’t necessary from a practical perspective because the roof’s design does its job.
Can You Have Gutters on a Thatched Roof?
The short answer is yes, you can have gutters on a thatched roof. Installation is slightly different and usually consists of metal brackets attached to the walls or eaves.
These project out past the edge of the roof to hold a gutter that channels runoff from the roof.
If a thatched property does have gutters, they’re usually above doorways. This is to stop people from getting wet when they use the door, which is arguably the only practical place to include them on the whole building.
But to change the question slightly: should you have gutters on a thatched roof? No, it’s not necessary due to the reasons mentioned above.
If you’ve recently moved into a thatched cottage, you might feel a bit strange not having gutters, but the roofs are designed to deal with the problem. After all, thatched roofs existed long before gutters, and they’ve been working well all this time!
Why Don’t Thatched Roofs Have Guttering?
Thatched roofs don’t have guttering because the sloped design facilitates water runoff, eliminating the need for additional drainage.
The structure of thatch—dense, water-resistant vegetation—allows rainwater to trickle down and evaporate before reaching the roof’s bottom. Gutters could cause damage by trapping water and encouraging rot or insect infestation in the thatch, undermining the roof’s integrity.
When you start looking at things like thatched roofs and gutters, you realise how well designed they actually are. Gutters are only necessary on tile roofs with minimal overhang.
Plus, it’s fair to say that plastic or metal gutters running along a thatched roof would definitely ruin the overall aesthetic.
