Age and type of house
What should you ask about the ridge of a thatched roof, as against the coat?
Ask which part is failing. The ridge is often a separate, shorter-lived layer on top of the main coat. Netting and wire keep birds off. A home survey from the ground can see thinning, slippage and a tired ridge. It cannot comb the thatch, and it should not quote a life in years it has not been given by a thatcher.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Thatch is not tile. A “slipped slate” vocabulary does not fit. The surveyor should say if they are unfamiliar with the coat or if they could not see one slope. Chimneys and wiring through thatch are separate fire and condition questions. The survey does not certify a chimney in thatch as safe.
A thatcher’s view is the specialist step if the rating says the coat needs work before you commit. There is no RICS thatch price. Insurers also ask their own questions. The survey is not an insurance proposal. If the building is listed, consent sits with the solicitor before the material is changed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which slopes and which part of the ridge could you see?
- Is the wire cutting the coat, or holding it?
- Are you recommending a thatcher, or only noting age?
What are the typical next steps?
- Use a thatcher for a thatch quote. Do not send a general roofer who has only priced tiles.
- Tell insurers you are buying thatch. Do not wait for them to guess.
- Keep the chimney and the electrics in the roof as their own questions.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does moss on thatch mean it has failed?
Not by itself. Growth can sit on a sound coat or a tired one. The thatcher should say which.
Is reed the same as straw?
No. They are different coats. The survey should not pretend they wear identically if it could not tell them apart.