Age and type of house
The wire netting is slack at the eaves of a thatched roof and tight at the ridge. What of the eaves coat was not measured?
The thickness of the eaves coat was not measured. The wire is slack at the eaves of the thatch and tight at the ridge, so the note is the loose netting over the eaves, not a measured depth of coat. Slack wire can mean the coat has settled or that the netting has stretched. The survey recorded the difference between eaves and ridge. It has not probed the thatch for thickness, and it has not said what repair the eaves need.
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 held by spars and by wire that keeps the coat in place and the birds off. The eaves are the drip edge, and they weather differently from the ridge. Tight wire at the ridge does not describe the eaves. A surveyor can see slack netting. They cannot, from a limited look, measure the coat in a way that specifies a new layer. The survey did not lift the wire and did not quantify thickness. Slack eaves netting is the finding.
Ask a thatcher to judge the eaves coat and to say whether the slack wire is stretched netting or a thinning coat. Tell the solicitor the ridge wire was tight and the eaves wire was slack. Do not order a full rethatch on this note alone, and do not ignore the eaves because the ridge looks held. The survey has not specified the repair and it has not measured the coat.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the eaves coat left unmeasured?
- Is the wire slack at the eaves and tight at the ridge?
- Has the survey stopped short of specifying a rethatch?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the unmeasured eaves coat as the gap in the note.
- Ask a thatcher whether the slack wire means a thin coat.
- Do not commission a full rethatch from this observation alone.
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
If the ridge looks thick, is the eaves coat the same?
Not shown. The wire is tight at the ridge and slack at the eaves, which is a difference, not a measurement. The eaves coat was not measured. A healthy-looking ridge does not give the eaves a thickness. The survey has not said the two ends of the roof are in the same state.
Does slack wire by itself mean the thatch must be stripped?
No. Slack wire is what was seen at the eaves. It has not been tied to a measured coat, so it is not yet a specification to strip the roof. A thatcher has to say whether the netting has stretched or the coat has thinned. The survey has not made that call and has not measured the eaves.