Thatched roof homes

[Alex88]

Nice! It's fairly close to us; we're in Arlesey at the minute. But as WFH is more of a thing, being near a train station/A1 etc isn't as important as it once was.

Ha, we're in Ickleford, give us a wave!

Nice! Only a few miles away. Maybe we'll see you at one of the local meets when the weather is better. GF and I often take the noisy Mustang along

[duncs500]

Nice! It's fairly close to us; we're in Arlesey at the minute. But as WFH is more of a thing, being near a train station/A1 etc isn't as important as it once was.

Ha, we're in Ickleford, give us a wave!

Nice! Only a few miles away. Maybe we'll see you at one of the local meets when the weather is better. GF and I often take the noisy Mustang along

The H-town Classic & Dub ones? I usually try to go to the summer ones at The Cricketers. What colour is your Mustang? Someone passes me in a 5.0 pretty much every day. There seems to be a couple in the area.

[Jobbo]

If things seem to be going ok, that’s a good sign Alex - usually it’s obvious that a transaction is going to be problematic early on. I have just sold the last two flats in a scheme for a developer client; the last one took about 6 months but the one before it came out of nowhere in January and completed in 2 weeks. It was obvious the drawn out one was going to be a pain when the conveyancer kept raising the same questions which had already been answered

[Alex88]

We live here now!

We moved in 1 month ago and absolutely love the house.

There's been loads to do - multiple dump runs with garden waste, repairing a rotten front door, painting, deep cleaning. Had to buy a new oil storage tank as the current one is ancient and covered in corrosion (can't be good for the boiler!), but I knew there would be work to do so not bothered.

The house itself is just great and so much more convenient for us - having side access, a utility space, two toilets, upstairs bathroom, easy parking outside - all things we didn't have before. It's small but not too small. And obviously full of period charm and character.


The area is fantastic and everyone has been very friendly.

One issue, which I think I underestimated, the Jackdaws have been attacking the roof again. I knew this had happened before but they do make a right mess when they're pulling the straw out.

It does have a wire netting, but it doesn't stop them. I joined the thatch owners FB group and noticed that someone had mentioned doing a second wire netting, but raising it a couple of inches. They did this by rolling some mesh into drainpipe sizes tubes and using that to lift the second wire. This seems like the best option to me, but I need a thatcher to help me do it. Due to the time of year, they're all really busy.

I've bought some decoy dead birds and a decoy falcon. I'll rotate them around as I know they suss that they're fake after a little while, but hopefully it buys me some time until I can get a Thatcher round!

[mik]

We live here now!

We moved in 1 month ago and absolutely love the house.

Congrats

The main problem with Jackdaws is they are smart wee buggers.

I have one bird feeder filled with peanuts which has a "cage" so they can't reach. Small birds (and local woodpeckers) can get in. I have another filled with seed for which the small birds sit on little perches and peck a very small aperture. At first the jackdaws learned to bash into the feeder to release a few seeds as it swung away, but this wasn't very productive. Then one learned it could hold onto the perch and flap like a bastard to shake the feeder - which released much more seed to fall onto the ground, but they were only able to maintain this shaking for a a few seconds at a time. So now they come in gangs when I fill it, and take turns to be the shaker, emptying the entire feeder in about 15 mins.

[Alex88]

Thanks Mik!

That doesn't surprise me at all. The fact they exhibit learned behaviours makes them such a pain. This is why I'm trying to find a decent long term preventative solution instead of gimmicky pest control.

I have now spoken to the thatcher who did the double-netting that I mentioned in my post above. He is more than happy to do the same for me. Nice.

I have also spoken to another thatcher who has a different method - laying a second wire netting directly on top on the current one, but using a much smaller gauge - 10mm instead of 19mm. This isn't foolproof as they can't still get their pesky little beaks in, but it makes it much harder.

I'm not sure which option to go with. The first one essentially stops them being able to reach the thatch, but may not look great as the tubes will be visible (better than a ripped apart roof, though!)

The second option will look better but isn't fully preventative.

I also wonder if I'll need listed building consent for either?

[V8Granite]

Do they get scared of very loud noises ?

Ships which work around fishing areas use Boom Cannons.

Dave!

[Alex88]

Not sure, they are very cautious though. They certainly scarper quick when I run out there telling them to fuck off at 5 in the morning Which seems to be the only time they go for the straw!

[Mito Man]

I imagine if you just wait a few weeks their breeding season will be over and they'll be done for another year.

[Alex88]

Well, apparently they use it for nesting but also due to flies. Flies will get inside the thatch and the Jackdaws strip the straw to eat them. Clever bastards.

[Jobbo]

Congratulations Alex! Looks a lovely property. How much are the jackdaws removing and where from? I had birds pulling straw out of my old roof but from underneath effectively, and not at a rate that I did anything about it. My thatcher just filled the gap every couple of years. Squirrels removing the hazel spars which held the ridge down was far more of a practical problem

Sold our old house today so it looks like forum house transactions seem to be going pretty smoothly at the moment. Though… @IanF ?

[Alex88]

Thanks Jobbo! It's surreal being here!

They're pulling from the main body of the thatch and from the surface of it, making a bit of an eyesore at the same time. I've swept as much of it off as I can, but I do need a long term measure of keeping them off it.

I think the better option is to go for a raised second wire netting. I should probably speak with the council first as I don't want someone telling me later on that I should have sought consent.

I still love your old place. It's a beautiful house.

[Alex88]

Thatcher has quoted me £1000 to tidy up the mess and lay a raised wire on. I'm happy with that.

I suppose I'll have to notify the council that I'm doing this. I think being listed is a blessing and a curse

[IanF]

Congratulations Alex! Looks a lovely property. How much are the jackdaws removing and where from? I had birds pulling straw out of my old roof but from underneath effectively, and not at a rate that I did anything about it. My thatcher just filled the gap every couple of years. Squirrels removing the hazel spars which held the ridge down was far more of a practical problem

Sold our old house today so it looks like forum house transactions seem to be going pretty smoothly at the moment. Though… @IanF ?

Forgot this.. for the last few months I’ve been spending a week in Lisbon each month. Considering a move, and may rent for 3-6 months if I can line up some ducks so not necessarily keen to invest in the uk if I do

Really fvcking with my car purchase plans though!.. my parents are making moving noises, and aren’t the most patient so will see what happens there!