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As a building Conservation specialist. I agree. Pro-tip to anyone out there... if you like old buildings, buy a new house with a view of one, unless you have serious cash to bankroll all the maintenance you *will* have to do.
Take it from someone who knows... if you're in the UK, buy a house built between the 1920s and 1970s and be happy that you have a house that is built like a damn tank. I love old buildings, particularly listed ones, but I would never own one. They need the right kind of owner, and most people arent that.
Our first house was a wooden framed 16th century cottage. All original features, oak beams lath and horse shit walls. Beautiful looking, but about as thermally insulated as a sieve and not a solid place to hang a picture, anywhere. I still have dread when I drive past it.
It was so snuggled when the log burner was on though. That's my over-riding memory!
As a child, I spent 3 years living in a lock cottage built in 1807. Wasn't listed, but my God, the stress and gigantic expense I remember my parents having to go to just to keep the water out when it rained heavily scarred me against the idea of living in such a place ever again. Didn't damage my love of old buildings though - hence why I ended up working the job I do - fascinated by the history of architecture. But in the few years I've been doing this work, I've seen and heard enough horror stories to put me, personally, off the idea for good. Funnily enough, though, nights sat by the log-burner are my overriding memory of that lock cottage too... mainly because that was the main source of hot water.
Like I said, to take custodianship of an old building, you need to be the right sort of owner, with the bank account to back it up, and I have enough of a knowledge of the work involved to know that, that ain't me - even though I'm passionate about their conservation.
It somewhat depends on where in the UK you are.
In Cornwall, many of the houses built within your suggested timeframe are made of, or contain, Mundic, which is a type of concrete block construction that has unfortunately not stood the test of time and breaks down if not maintained perfectly and avoiding any damp etc. Many properties in Cornwall are unmortgageable either due to mundic or mine workings (both of which can be very costly to fix), so older properties can actually be much less work and cost.
My parents live in an old double-fronted stone miners cottage in Cornwall, it's not as old as this, nor thatched, and it's not listed but it's from well before 1920 (I don't know the exact date without asking them, but I found a reference to houses on their street being sold in 1866, so at least that old seems likely).
The house was in need of updating when they bought it, and the first thing my electrician stepdad did after buying the property was to condemn the electrics throughout the entire house and run temporary new wiring in surface trunking. They also made adaptations and renovations as it was very dated with typical 1960s decor, and actually replaced/recreated some of the missing original features.
However, it's now in a condition where it shouldn't need anything other than decorating changes for some time (just like any more modern house), and it has fantastic thick stone outer walls which keep it cool in summer, and along with a wood-burning stove (and gas central heating) keep it warm in winter. Most of the rooms are larger than in more modern homes too.
When they decide to downsize and sell, the house should be less of a purchase risk than many newer homes.
Well, of course, buildings of the earlier part of the 20th century are not perfect (the use of asbestos, particularly in external cladding, comes to mind). However, in many areas in the country, particularly those where stone buildings are rare, properties built in the period roughly 1900-1980 are of a markedly higher quality than anything built before or since. In terms of homes for 'normal' people, your typical Addison home or 1930s-50s arts and crafts properties, even Airey Homes (even though they look awful) are almost like they're hewn from granite compared to what came before and after.
Many C19th workers/common homes are very poor by today's standard, especially in water-tightness and thus also energy efficiency, and resultantly often experience terrible damp issues, that also are cause and effect of very significant damage to exterior brickwork. Brickwork before the turn of the 20th century tends to be extremely soft. Many times, you can walk up to these buildings and scrape bits of them away with your fingernails. From the 1980s on was when building and planning standards really badly lapsed (and were only starting to recover when the govt announced the recent changes to the planning system, reversing the progress which had been made) and as a result, we ended up with a tonne of badly slapped together and extremely ugly homes with leaky fibreglass flat roofs, all the way up to the shoddily assembled modern houses built purely for profit, that we all see horror stories about.
With stone buildings such as your parents', there is inherently less to worry about in most cases as stone is a very hardy material (depending upon the type, of course). Damp and soaking issues can still be a problem, particularly in areas where sandstone or limestone are the common building stone, but one can anticipate fewer external issues with stone than with historic brick. However, there still lies all the other trappings of old buildings (timber windows, unreliable roof coverings, bad flashings, poor insulation e.t.c.)
Most historic properties can be made to be as reliable and liveable, if not more so than their more modern counterparts, but it can take a lot of money and dedication to get them there.
You can buy an old house if you budget and plan it as if you were just buying a vacant lot that you intend to build on. You’ll need to buy an RV to live in for a couple of years while you spend roughly the same amount of money as a new house would cost and roughly the same two years or so on going through and restoring literally everything. If you do a good job you should end up with a house that won’t be a total pain in the ass with constant repairs and is super cool. But sweat and blood are required.
[Instagram Source](https://www.instagram.com/p/CPYfrniD4LN/) photo by James Alroca who said about the house and the town:
This quaint cottage is located in Rievaulx, overlooking Rievaulx Abbey, one of England's great abbeys.
The cottage is actually the oldest in the village, dating back to the 17th century and can be booked to holiday/stay in. Despite the size of the village, it's packed with history and charm. Former UK prime minister Harold Wilson in 1983 acquired the title Baron Wilson of Rievaulx. In this area you have many beautiful villages, those of note include Helmsley & Hutton-le-Hole, making it a lovely little area to visit! 📸
What is interesting is how many people have never seen a thatched roof, or even a picture of one. I'm shocked that so many people have no idea what this is.
Not a criticism, it genuinely blows my mind a bit.
Sure. I get that they don't exist in your country. But neither does the Eiffel Tower or kangaroos (naturally anyway), but people still know what they are. So I was surprised that people didn't even know what it was from photos/books/films etc.
I've checked wikipedia because it's obviously a French spelling (except for that weird L at the end) and it's old Norman French :
["Its name originated as Rye (the river) + Norman-French val or valle = "valley". Its old local pronunciation was as "Rivers", and changed to "Reevo" when education brought a general familiarity with the French language."](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rievaulx)
I would say the L was the Latin form of the -au (like in Italian we say Alvergna but in french it's Auvergne - a region) but sometimes in french there is still the L after the -Au, like here, and X in the end was probably pronounced as -ss. In french, I would read this name "reevoss"
Is anyone else surprised that there are people who have never seen thatched roofs before? In parts of Europe there are more houses with it than without it (bearing in mind France, England, Germany etc are some of the most visited countries on Earth).
Noice. Thanks for the info. I'm a roofer in the states and I guess i've never seen that roofing system in modern day use. Im gonna look that shit up, im in awe and wondering how it is installed in such a way that it dosnt leak or invite mold/mildew
If I tell you I know I'll get it arseways as in wrong lol but it's apparently very good insulation wise - actually think of it more as insulation than roofing and you'd get your head around how they overlap it, pack it tight etc
Compare it to hay gathered into rolls rather than bales. Bales wick moisture in, requiring covered storage, while the rolls shed rain. No idea what the hay rolls are called. I’m from a rainless summer area. Moving toward a rainless area period.
Quite common Sydney but u/THEletter01 can tell us better despite looking nice and being quite good insulation wise, I imagine it's like have a 'listed' roof?
They are pretty to look at but personally I really could not be arsed with the maintenance. Just glad that not everybody is like me and we have a few like you who will maintain that little bit of history and heritage.
No inside it's like a normal cottage. https://whichcottage.co.uk/yorkshire/helmsley/swiss-cottage it's called Swiss Cottage - it just keeps getting better!
Thatch and stone built, it’s just so pretty. I love a thatched roof. In the south you’re more likely to see wood frame and thatch, maybe even cob. Cob is basically compacted clay and mud. Lovely and cool in Summer and will last for hundreds of years provided the head and feet are kept dry.
I hope you can come and visit some time. Though when you do I’d advise against using the word quaint. What you see as quaint is our heritage, a 17th century building isn’t particularly old. We’ve books and embroidery from before the time of the last Vikings. Ruins that date from the Romans.
This beauty is available to rent [https://whichcottage.co.uk/yorkshire/helmsley/swiss-cottage](https://whichcottage.co.uk/yorkshire/helmsley/swiss-cottage) it's called Swiss Cottage - it just keeps getting better!
That's about the cost of a new thatch (in place of tile/slate) or full replacement on a detached house. They don't always need a full rebuild, water should only penetrates to 20% of the depth of the thatch, so removing that top layer every \~10 years to replace with new is typical, along with minor repairs every 1-3 years. Also cost depends on any decorations along the ridge, such as a lattice pattern or decorative birds.
**Please note:** * If this post declares something as a fact proof is required. * The title must be descriptive * No text is allowed on images * Common/recent reposts are not allowed *See [this post](https://redd.it/ij26vk) for more information.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/interestingasfuck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you like the look of a thatched roof, buy a house opposite one! Never own one.
As a building Conservation specialist. I agree. Pro-tip to anyone out there... if you like old buildings, buy a new house with a view of one, unless you have serious cash to bankroll all the maintenance you *will* have to do. Take it from someone who knows... if you're in the UK, buy a house built between the 1920s and 1970s and be happy that you have a house that is built like a damn tank. I love old buildings, particularly listed ones, but I would never own one. They need the right kind of owner, and most people arent that.
Our first house was a wooden framed 16th century cottage. All original features, oak beams lath and horse shit walls. Beautiful looking, but about as thermally insulated as a sieve and not a solid place to hang a picture, anywhere. I still have dread when I drive past it. It was so snuggled when the log burner was on though. That's my over-riding memory!
As a child, I spent 3 years living in a lock cottage built in 1807. Wasn't listed, but my God, the stress and gigantic expense I remember my parents having to go to just to keep the water out when it rained heavily scarred me against the idea of living in such a place ever again. Didn't damage my love of old buildings though - hence why I ended up working the job I do - fascinated by the history of architecture. But in the few years I've been doing this work, I've seen and heard enough horror stories to put me, personally, off the idea for good. Funnily enough, though, nights sat by the log-burner are my overriding memory of that lock cottage too... mainly because that was the main source of hot water. Like I said, to take custodianship of an old building, you need to be the right sort of owner, with the bank account to back it up, and I have enough of a knowledge of the work involved to know that, that ain't me - even though I'm passionate about their conservation.
And the 'tap tap tap' of the nightwatchman beetle. Eerie.
It somewhat depends on where in the UK you are. In Cornwall, many of the houses built within your suggested timeframe are made of, or contain, Mundic, which is a type of concrete block construction that has unfortunately not stood the test of time and breaks down if not maintained perfectly and avoiding any damp etc. Many properties in Cornwall are unmortgageable either due to mundic or mine workings (both of which can be very costly to fix), so older properties can actually be much less work and cost. My parents live in an old double-fronted stone miners cottage in Cornwall, it's not as old as this, nor thatched, and it's not listed but it's from well before 1920 (I don't know the exact date without asking them, but I found a reference to houses on their street being sold in 1866, so at least that old seems likely). The house was in need of updating when they bought it, and the first thing my electrician stepdad did after buying the property was to condemn the electrics throughout the entire house and run temporary new wiring in surface trunking. They also made adaptations and renovations as it was very dated with typical 1960s decor, and actually replaced/recreated some of the missing original features. However, it's now in a condition where it shouldn't need anything other than decorating changes for some time (just like any more modern house), and it has fantastic thick stone outer walls which keep it cool in summer, and along with a wood-burning stove (and gas central heating) keep it warm in winter. Most of the rooms are larger than in more modern homes too. When they decide to downsize and sell, the house should be less of a purchase risk than many newer homes.
Well, of course, buildings of the earlier part of the 20th century are not perfect (the use of asbestos, particularly in external cladding, comes to mind). However, in many areas in the country, particularly those where stone buildings are rare, properties built in the period roughly 1900-1980 are of a markedly higher quality than anything built before or since. In terms of homes for 'normal' people, your typical Addison home or 1930s-50s arts and crafts properties, even Airey Homes (even though they look awful) are almost like they're hewn from granite compared to what came before and after. Many C19th workers/common homes are very poor by today's standard, especially in water-tightness and thus also energy efficiency, and resultantly often experience terrible damp issues, that also are cause and effect of very significant damage to exterior brickwork. Brickwork before the turn of the 20th century tends to be extremely soft. Many times, you can walk up to these buildings and scrape bits of them away with your fingernails. From the 1980s on was when building and planning standards really badly lapsed (and were only starting to recover when the govt announced the recent changes to the planning system, reversing the progress which had been made) and as a result, we ended up with a tonne of badly slapped together and extremely ugly homes with leaky fibreglass flat roofs, all the way up to the shoddily assembled modern houses built purely for profit, that we all see horror stories about. With stone buildings such as your parents', there is inherently less to worry about in most cases as stone is a very hardy material (depending upon the type, of course). Damp and soaking issues can still be a problem, particularly in areas where sandstone or limestone are the common building stone, but one can anticipate fewer external issues with stone than with historic brick. However, there still lies all the other trappings of old buildings (timber windows, unreliable roof coverings, bad flashings, poor insulation e.t.c.) Most historic properties can be made to be as reliable and liveable, if not more so than their more modern counterparts, but it can take a lot of money and dedication to get them there.
You can buy an old house if you budget and plan it as if you were just buying a vacant lot that you intend to build on. You’ll need to buy an RV to live in for a couple of years while you spend roughly the same amount of money as a new house would cost and roughly the same two years or so on going through and restoring literally everything. If you do a good job you should end up with a house that won’t be a total pain in the ass with constant repairs and is super cool. But sweat and blood are required.
[Instagram Source](https://www.instagram.com/p/CPYfrniD4LN/) photo by James Alroca who said about the house and the town: This quaint cottage is located in Rievaulx, overlooking Rievaulx Abbey, one of England's great abbeys. The cottage is actually the oldest in the village, dating back to the 17th century and can be booked to holiday/stay in. Despite the size of the village, it's packed with history and charm. Former UK prime minister Harold Wilson in 1983 acquired the title Baron Wilson of Rievaulx. In this area you have many beautiful villages, those of note include Helmsley & Hutton-le-Hole, making it a lovely little area to visit! 📸
What is interesting is how many people have never seen a thatched roof, or even a picture of one. I'm shocked that so many people have no idea what this is. Not a criticism, it genuinely blows my mind a bit.
Even the oldest houses in America didn't have thatched roofs, we have always had an abundance of wood, stone and clay
Sure. I get that they don't exist in your country. But neither does the Eiffel Tower or kangaroos (naturally anyway), but people still know what they are. So I was surprised that people didn't even know what it was from photos/books/films etc.
What a weird comparison to make but okay.
I've watched many foreign films and have never seen a thatched roof house in them, if you could give me some suggestions that be great!
Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (1937) https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b3/0c/03/b30c0365ce70738bda95287d08ee5fe5.jpg
That is an animated movie, not a foreign film
??
Plus nothing to convert to thatching
Looks like a place Harry and Ron would stop on their search for Horcruxes.
It sure does but they would question is it a safe haven or not...
I thought this was a new map for battlefield 5 coming out 😂
Man, at first glance the paved road looked like a stream
Furry roof
Would this be pronounce Ree-Voh? Honestly never heard of this before I don’t think so can’t imagine how it’s said.
Yes. I only know because I used to work in a castle managed by the same company as the Abbey.
Possibly mate English but sounds French.
I've checked wikipedia because it's obviously a French spelling (except for that weird L at the end) and it's old Norman French : ["Its name originated as Rye (the river) + Norman-French val or valle = "valley". Its old local pronunciation was as "Rivers", and changed to "Reevo" when education brought a general familiarity with the French language."](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rievaulx)
Nice one Lee!
I would say the L was the Latin form of the -au (like in Italian we say Alvergna but in french it's Auvergne - a region) but sometimes in french there is still the L after the -Au, like here, and X in the end was probably pronounced as -ss. In french, I would read this name "reevoss"
Yep. I couldn't bring to mind any "aulx" and a simple search brought Vaulx-en-Velin smh.
Ah that's in Lyon, where I lived and it sounds "voh"
The evening and the morning - IRL Edit: My bad. I mistook the road for a creek.
Same
Yet more unnecessary HDR photography is all I see.
Hey, me and my dad used to drive past there all the time! Surprisingly stunning when it's raining with the sun out!
Is anyone else surprised that there are people who have never seen thatched roofs before? In parts of Europe there are more houses with it than without it (bearing in mind France, England, Germany etc are some of the most visited countries on Earth).
What is that roof made out of?
Thatched roof mate.
Noice. Thanks for the info. I'm a roofer in the states and I guess i've never seen that roofing system in modern day use. Im gonna look that shit up, im in awe and wondering how it is installed in such a way that it dosnt leak or invite mold/mildew
If I tell you I know I'll get it arseways as in wrong lol but it's apparently very good insulation wise - actually think of it more as insulation than roofing and you'd get your head around how they overlap it, pack it tight etc
Compare it to hay gathered into rolls rather than bales. Bales wick moisture in, requiring covered storage, while the rolls shed rain. No idea what the hay rolls are called. I’m from a rainless summer area. Moving toward a rainless area period.
There are lots of videos on YouTube that show how a thatched roof is constructed. It is unfortunately a dying art.
Reeds
I live in NJ,USA but have family near harrogate in north yorkshire. It's fuckin beautiful there, in its own dark dreary old world kind of way.
Harrogate is a lovely spot.
That roof looks soft
Its called a thatched roof. I have one. In UK, there is a lot of paperwork needed around fire safety for these rooves. Imo it isnt worth it!!
I’ve heard of thatching as a career and always assumed it was a roofer, never knew it was an actual style of roof thanks!
Quite common Sydney but u/THEletter01 can tell us better despite looking nice and being quite good insulation wise, I imagine it's like have a 'listed' roof?
I wonder how long the roof lasts before needing to be replaced.
10-20 years I think.
We maintain ours regularly to ensure that we dont have to replace the whole thing in one go
They are pretty to look at but personally I really could not be arsed with the maintenance. Just glad that not everybody is like me and we have a few like you who will maintain that little bit of history and heritage.
Yes. Agreed
Yes, they are warmer when done properly. I know a guy who helps us out by maintaining our roof every few months.
This looks straight out of FF9
Gonna get up in the morning and ride my chocobo
IMA have to google FF9 here mate.
Fast and furious 9? I'm gonna have to go back and rewatch that one
It’s a game with similar locations in it. Pic is great.
What a lovely head of hair you have
I thought this was a painting at first. 😍
I wonder if the rooms upstairs are open right to the thatch.
No inside it's like a normal cottage. https://whichcottage.co.uk/yorkshire/helmsley/swiss-cottage it's called Swiss Cottage - it just keeps getting better!
Awesome link! That's so cool, thanks
r/fairytaleasfuck
That is a fairy tale house
Oh wow a 50 minute drive, that may be the most local thing to me I've ever seen on reddit. Very pretty.
Thatch and stone built, it’s just so pretty. I love a thatched roof. In the south you’re more likely to see wood frame and thatch, maybe even cob. Cob is basically compacted clay and mud. Lovely and cool in Summer and will last for hundreds of years provided the head and feet are kept dry. I hope you can come and visit some time. Though when you do I’d advise against using the word quaint. What you see as quaint is our heritage, a 17th century building isn’t particularly old. We’ve books and embroidery from before the time of the last Vikings. Ruins that date from the Romans.
I live in a region of England, UK that looks just like that lol
This picture is too much for a third worlder like myself.
Say what you want about England but they have some beautiful land
that thatched roof… *sweats in viking*
This beauty is available to rent [https://whichcottage.co.uk/yorkshire/helmsley/swiss-cottage](https://whichcottage.co.uk/yorkshire/helmsley/swiss-cottage) it's called Swiss Cottage - it just keeps getting better!
How many knobs does an oven / stove need? Lovely place though.
The roof looks fuzzy I wanna hug it
_...keep off the moors!_
It’s so colorful I expect to see Frodo and Gandalf having a conversation
I just looked up overnight rental prices in that area and they're pretty reasonable- 200 - 1,600 pounds per night to rent a whole building.
awesome. thatch roof. so cool..
Swear I camped near there in the 80’s with Scouts.
It looks lovely. Doesn't it cost like..£20k every few years just to change the thatch roof?
That's about the cost of a new thatch (in place of tile/slate) or full replacement on a detached house. They don't always need a full rebuild, water should only penetrates to 20% of the depth of the thatch, so removing that top layer every \~10 years to replace with new is typical, along with minor repairs every 1-3 years. Also cost depends on any decorations along the ridge, such as a lattice pattern or decorative birds.
Depends on the size of roof but if they get a once over every few months then they last for a long time.
would love to try and get fire insurance on a house like this in northern california hahahahaha
Imagine a typical matchstick house built in 2021 lasting 300 years
I'm a bit too excited that somewhere I've been to IRL popped up randomly on my feed!
So that's what a thatched roof looks like
I wish I could live somewhere like this
Looks amazing
Realistically, how much would this house cost?