The old and the new, confusing contrasts

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:08 am

Sundayafternoon on Insh Meain, the least visited of the Aran Islands.

A traditional house, with corrugated galvanised sheet roof:

the other side of the road, the telephone exchange, thatched roof:

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:10 am

Is it very noisy inside one of those houses when it's raining?

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:12 am

I don't know, actually friends bought a house with a similar roof, only to find when reroofing there was still about four foot of the old thatch under it. It was nice and warm in there.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:28 am

The thatched roofs I've seen (in England, not Ireland,) are much thicker that the construction of this one. Really, really thick. Is this really thatch?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:34 am

Martin Milner wrote:Is it very noisy inside one of those houses when it's raining?

I once stayed in a house roofed like that on the West Coast of the south island in New Zealand. Rain on the roof was thunderous. I found it strangely relaxing though.

djm · Post by **djm** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:34 am

Perhaps its a thatch veneer, to make the building fit in with its surroundings more.

djm

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:51 am

emmline wrote: The thatched roofs I've seen (in England, not Ireland,) are much thicker that the construction of this one. Really, really thick. Is this really thatch?

It is really thatch but it is reed thatch, straw or rush thatch would be the more traditional way of doing it and those roofs can become very thick over time. On the other hand so can reedthatch roofs, if you keep adding to them for a long time. It's likely the (1989) telephone exchange has a different waterproof seal under the thatch with the thatch only being cosmetic.

Below is a more traditional roof, as it happens Teach Synge, the house John Millington Synge stayed at when on Inish Meain learning Irish.

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:03 am

Wombat wrote:
Martin Milner wrote:Is it very noisy inside one of those houses when it's raining?
I once stayed in a house roofed like that on the West Coast of the south island in New Zealand. Rain on the roof was thunderous. I found it strangely relaxing though.

I love the sound of rain on a tin roof. My grandparents, like many in the southern Appalachian mountains, had a tin roof on their house. It was wonderful to sleep in one of the bedrooms in the attic during a rainstorm, sunk down into an old feather bed and covered with several patchwork quilts. ZZZZZZZ...

OnTheMoor · Post by **OnTheMoor** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:14 am

I once came across a huge, modern, beautiful house that some American was having built in the Irish countryside. The fellas were up thatching the roof. It was hilarious! I bet they charged a pretty penny.

fiddleronvermouth · Post by **fiddleronvermouth** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 10:34 am

OnTheMoor wrote:I once came across a huge, modern, beautiful house that some American was having built in the Irish countryside. The fellas were up thatching the roof. It was hilarious! I bet they charged a pretty penny.

Like this?

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 11:41 am

"Old Thatch", a 17th Century Cottage in which Enid Blyton lived, is not far away from my house.

OnTheMoor · Post by **OnTheMoor** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:08 am

fiddleronvermouth wrote:
OnTheMoor wrote:I once came across a huge, modern, beautiful house that some American was having built in the Irish countryside. The fellas were up thatching the roof. It was hilarious! I bet they charged a pretty penny.
Like this?

Yeah, something like that.

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:14 am

IB wrote:

"Old Thatch", a 17th Century Cottage in which Enid Blyton lived, is not far away from my house.

Wow! Look at that garden! I can't believe people who go away on long journeys and come back with pictures of the exact same things as what is in their own backyards. If I could ever go on a trip to a place like England this is the type of stuff I would like to see.

djm

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:11 pm

Great photos. Those thatched roofs are true works of art.

My house has a metal roof. Yes, it truly IS wonderful when it rains. Unfortunately, we can't hear it quiet as loudly now since we put insulation in the attic. Before that, it was kinda like a roar now that you mention it.
There is no better way to go to sleep than to the sound of a rain storm on a metal roof.

Chiffed · Post by **Chiffed** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:07 pm

Metal roofing is pretty common out here, and the old rusty galvanised stuff, complete with cork-gasketed nails, were leaky and loud. The new stuff is a grand improvement. You can't hear it unless you try, and they're great for rainwater collecting, too.

Chiff and Fipple Forums

The old and the new, confusing contrasts

The old and the new, confusing contrasts

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