In order to ensure the insulation and estetic characteristics of the thatched roof, its construction must be prepared in a special way. Already at the first stage of the design preparation it should be decided on the thatched roof or not. While designing the roof construction, the considerable weight of reed should be considered - 1m2 weighs about 40-45kg. The permanent humidity is about 15%, the soak ratio is about 5%. The architect has to consider appropriate slope of the various parts of the roof. The advisable slope is about 45-50°, it cannot be lower than 40° because of the difficult water outflow and fast appearance of moss. The slope above the roof windows should not be lower than 32°. While deciding where to place windows, their wooden casing and the thickness of the thatch should be considered. There are a few types of windows that can be distinguished: rectangle windows, semicircle windows, and lower windows with very small radius.

Thatched roof has no need for gutters, water flows down outside the building's range thanks to long eaves, which is about 30-50cm long. Some of the thatched roofs in The Netherlands are ended with standard gutters.

Also the upper edge of the roof vary from region to region. In Denmark it is common to apply heather to build and decor the upper edge of the roof, although old buildings still have turf on the upper edge. In Mecklemburg and Pomerania it is made of reed. In The Netherlands this part of the roof is made of ceramic tiles.

The natural and outstandig character of the thatched roof is only disrupted by lightning conductors. They are required by law and there is no sense not to install them because of the safety reasons. ( separate poles next to the buildings are also used, they can be also helpful in installation of for instance TV aerials).

Not only residential buildings might have thatched roofs. Also thatched wells and thatched garden sheds are very beautiful. Reed can be also applied in thatched gate-roofs, thatched bird tables, decorative amnings above windows and doors. In the last couple of years we have been building more and more restaurants, hotels and inns, where thatched roof is an element tha attracts customers.

Thatched roof, thanks to its special appearance and character, gives the feeling of warmth and cosiness. Before its actual constructing, its shape has to be considered. This is simply because the shape of the roof will determine the future character of the whole building. Thatched roofs enable to achieve interesting effects, which are very difficlut to achive in case of ceraminc tiles or metal sheets.