One of the reasons to visit Europe, and France in particular, is the many examples of beautiful vernacular architecture that one can admire—from easily disassembled half-timbered houses to stone cottages with thatched roofs.
Often, we think of these examples as being “quaint” and not reliable for modern construction. I mean, thatched roofs? On the other hand, they last a long time, have a great insulating value, and if you do it yourself, they’re not that expensive.
From the interesting Ariège-Pyrénées Photo Blog comes a story of an architect who left the business, desiring to become self-sufficient in the countryside. So he bought a small cottage to restore:
The final step in his house renovation was to replace the old asbestos sheeted roof with thatch. In the past, thatch in this area was made of rye or wheat stalks and generally lasted about 15 years before it had to be replaced or another layer added. Now water reed is preferred because it lasts up to 40 or 50 years, with a bit of maintenance.
There are some great photos of the results; see: Un toit à l’ancienne / A new old roof