A specialist quotes better with photos of the roof, its size and what is wrong. Send one request with the details and we pass it to thatchers who strip and re-thatch working in Welkom and nearby areas of Free State.
Re-thatching in Welkom
Re-thatching in Welkom? Send the roof size, photos of the worn areas and a view of the frame from inside if you can, so thatchers who work in Welkom and around Free State can quote the strip, the new thatch, the ridge and the travel.
Want to know more first? Our re-thatching guide covers the options, what to ask for and what affects the price.
Repairs & protection in Welkom: local notes
On the open plains, hail and lightning do the most damage. Repair torn thatch and a cracked ridge soon after a storm, and consider a free-standing lightning mast, which insurers often ask about. Keep firebreaks cut on farms before winter. Birds and rats can nest in lapas that stand empty, so an inspection before summer is a sensible habit.
Welkom: the buildings, the weather and the thatchers
Welkom is a planned goldfields town on flat Free State plains, dotted with pans that draw flamingos, and its suburbs are mostly brick and tile. Thatch is less common here than in Bloemfontein, but it is found in garden lapas behind homes in Riebeeckstad and the older suburbs, at clubs and venues, and on maize and cattle farms toward Hennenman and Odendaalsrus. The surrounding grassland is thatch grass country, so materials can come from close by. Summers bring thunderstorms, lightning and hail across the flat land; winters are dry and cold, with grass fires. Some local thatchers work here, and crews from Bloemfontein also travel in.
Typical re-thatching requests in the area come from:
- Homeowners: a worn family home roof stripped and re-laid in one dry season
- Restaurants, pubs and beach bars: a worn dining area roof stripped and re-laid in the slow season
- Farms and smallholdings: an old farmhouse or workers' rondavels re-thatched with grass from nearby
Local tips for Welkom
Common here: garden lapas in Riebeeckstad, farm lapas toward Hennenman, storm repairs. Ask each supplier about this: ask whether the grass is from nearby farms and when it was cut. Where they work from: some local thatchers; crews and grass suppliers from Bloemfontein and nearby farms.
Around Welkom the largest group asking is homeowners, which usually means a worn family home roof stripped and re-laid in one dry season. Before you agree to anything: frame condition, grass and thickness. Getting a crew there: crews cover the goldfields and come up the R30 from Bloemfontein.
Service area: Welkom and surrounds
Our network covers Welkom together with Thabong, Odendaalsrus, Virginia, Riebeeckstad, Allanridge, Hennenman. The building's size, photos and the address help a thatcher work out the job, the materials and the travel before quoting.