Age and type of house
What is the difference between a thatch ridge and the thatch coat?
The ridge is the cap along the top. The coat is the main thickness on the slopes. A worn ridge can be renewed without redoing the whole roof, and a thin coat can be the real problem while the ridge still looks neat. A home survey describes what it can see. It does not give a thatcher’s remaining-life figure, and this page does not invent a lifespan in years.
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?
From the ground a ridge can look mossy while the coat is still deep, or the coat can be worn to the fixings on the weather side while the ridge is new. The surveyor should say which face they could see. They will not strip thatch. A chimney passing through thatch is a separate junction, not a sentence about the coat.
Ask a thatcher to look at the roof the survey has described, and to say whether they are pricing a ridge, a coat, or both. Keep that quote apart from the survey fee. If the house is listed, ask the solicitor before any stripping is agreed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Are you commenting on the ridge, the coat, or both?
- Which slope could you see, and which was hidden?
- What should a thatcher inspect that you could not?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get a thatcher’s written note before you turn a roof rating into a price cut.
- Do not assume a new ridge means the coat was renewed with it.
- If the house is listed, check consent before works are agreed.
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 a ridge mean the whole roof has failed?
No. Moss is a surface. The thatcher, not the moss, should say whether the coat is thin.
Will the survey wire-brush the thatch to look underneath?
No. A home survey does not strip or core the thatch unless you agreed a different instruction.