Reed Roof

2023 Author: Douglas Hoggarth | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:23

Contrary to its historical reputation, modern reed roofing is considered an elite roofing. It not only protects the building from atmospheric influences, but is also a means of architectural expression. Therefore, straw, like other exclusive materials, is most often laid in the project by the architect, and not chosen by the customer.

Reed (Phragmites australis) is the heaviest material among the straw. One square meter of coating 30 cm thick weighs about 40 kg dry and up to 50 kg wet. It is recommended to use a reed roof for roofs of simple shape and with a minimum slope of 45 °, necessary for timely water drainage. The lower the roof slope, the higher the skill of the installation and the more difficult the operation. To extend the service life of problematic areas of the roof, such as ridge and valleys, in combination with straw, wood, tiles, and copper are used. The drain is most often carried out using French drainage, less often a gutter is installed at the eaves level.

Reed roof benefits

One of the most important advantages of a reed roof is that it maintains a stable temperature - warm in winter and cool in summer. Unlike traditional roofing systems where heat and moisture are retained in the attic, with a reed roof, ventilation is not required in the attic.

The 30 cm thick reed roof with a 45 degree slope meets all modern insulation standards. The thermal insulation of a well-laid reed roof is equal to the thermal insulation of an insulation 10 cm thick. Additional insulation is not required for such a roof. It is only in the last ten years that this requirement for roof insulation has been included in building regulations. As it turned out, the reed roof had this property for hundreds of years. An added value to a reed roof is its ability to effectively absorb sound.

Reed roof cost

Reed roofing is an expensive coating, despite the apparent availability and cheapness of the material itself. In order for the straw to serve for about 50-60 years, special skill in laying and modern technologies for preparing straw is required. Reed flooring costs more than, for example, ceramic tiles. But, since there are no additional costs for waterproofing, vapor barrier, partly thermal insulation (30 cm of reed cover replaces 10-15 cm of mineral wool insulation), drainage system, the final cost is competitive.