The Thatched Roof Cottage, Reimagined

Picture a cottage in the English countryside. Pale walls, small-paned windows, and a thatched roof that sweeps low over the eaves, its edges trimmed clean and its surface softened by weather. Few buildings feel as settled in their landscape.

That look has lasted for centuries. Today it can be built anywhere, without the fragility that came with it.

A Tradition Still Standing

Thatch once covered most of rural England. In 1800 there were roughly 950,000 thatched buildings in the country. By 1960, about 35,000 remained.

The craft survived. Historic England estimates there are around 25,000 listed historic thatched properties today, most of them in the south-west. In that West Country tradition, which includes the county of Somerset, thatchers comb and dress wheat straw into “combed wheat reed,” a neat, close-cropped finish with a gently rounded profile.

Why the Cottage Look Is Hard to Build Today

Outside the English countryside, a natural thatched cottage is a difficult thing to build and keep.

• Materials and skills. Thatching straw and reed, and the master thatchers who work them, are scarce in most of the world.
• Fire. Natural straw and reed burn readily, and thatch fires are hard to put out. [LINK: fire post]
• Renewal. Straw roofs are traditionally kept up by adding a fresh weathering coat every so often. Pests, moisture and weather all shorten the cycle.
• Codes. Many commercial projects and jurisdictions require a fire-rated roof covering.

Somerset: The Look of European Thatch, Engineered

Somerset is drawn from the historic thatched roofs of the European countryside, where buildings were defined by order, proportion and longevity. It delivers a classic silhouette with a restrained, refined profile and natural tonal variation.

Beneath that surface sits a material built for modern projects:

• Class A fire rated, with Endureed FlameCore Technology
• Florida Product Approval FL21047
• 30-year no-maintenance warranty
• Pest and rot proof, with no re-thatching cycle
• Installs over plywood, concrete or metal substrates
• Made in the USA

Somerset in the Field: Nelis’ Dutch Village

In Holland, Michigan, a four-generation Dutch family set out to restore the 70-year-old windmill at the heart of Nelis’ Dutch Village. The family still remembered the real imported reed once used on the property, so authenticity wasn’t optional. They chose Somerset.

Designing With Thatch at the Right Scale

Historically, most thatched homes were modest in size. That is why the cottage form reads so naturally, and it is a useful guide for new work. At The Pendry Residence on Lake Keowee, South Carolina, architect Jeremy Driskell used Endureed Premium thatch on two turrets of a European-style manor. Used as an accent, it brings warmth to slate, stone and stucco.

The cottage look suits:

• Guest cottages, pool houses and garden structures
• Inns, bed and breakfasts and boutique hotels
• Themed attractions and cultural landmarks
• Restaurants and clubhouses with a European character

H2: Explore the Premium Collection

Somerset is one of six Premium profiles, each inspired by a thatching tradition: Bali, Capetown, Dominica, Kilimanjaro, Kona and Somerset.

See Somerset on your own design with the Endureed Visualizer, request a sample, or contact our team to book a design consultation.