Rondavel houses are round buildings with a conical thatched roof, traditional across much of rural South Africa and still built today as guest rooms, cottages, lodge chalets, studios and farm houses. Some are true circles; others have six or eight straight wall sections. This page covers the types of rondavel, the walls, the conical roof, plans, modern rondavel designs and re-roofing an existing rondavel. Send one request and builders and thatchers in your area who build rondavels quote you directly.
Round, 6 corner and 8 corner
A round rondavel has a circular wall and a true cone of thatch. A 6 corner or 8 corner rondavel has straight wall sections, which makes doors, windows, cupboards and kitchen units easier to fit, while the roof still reads as round. Several rondavels can be linked by short passages to make a larger home, or a rondavel can sit beside a main house as a guest room.
Walls and the conical roof
Walls are usually brick, block or stone, sometimes plastered and whitewashed. The wall needs a solid ring beam on top to carry the roof evenly.
The roof is a cone of gum poles rising to a central point, with laths around it. Thatch is laid in rings from the eave up and sewn tight, and the peak is finished with a cement, metal or grass cap, which must be well sealed because every course meets there. As with any thatch roof, a steep pitch sheds water better and the thatch should be thick enough: ask what is quoted.
Modern rondavels
Today's rondavels often have large windows or glass doors, a mezzanine under the high roof, an open plan kitchen and an en-suite bathroom in one of the straight sections. A tall roof is cool in summer and gives room for a loft. Big openings in a round wall need lintels and sometimes an engineer, so plan them early. Deep eaves shade the windows and keep rain off the walls, which matters more on a round building where every side faces the weather at some point in the day. Electrics in the roof must be done by a registered electrician, with no exposed wiring in the thatch and a certificate of compliance at the end.
Plans and re-roofing an old rondavel
A new rondavel, like any thatched building, usually needs approved plans and must meet the fire safety distances: check with the municipality. On farms and lodges, a firebreak around the buildings matters in veld fire country.
To re-roof an existing rondavel, the old thatch is stripped, the poles and laths checked and replaced where rotten, and new thatch laid. See re-thatching. If the cone has sagged, the frame may need rebuilding first.
On a group of old rondavels, it often pays to have a thatcher look at all of them at once. Re-thatching in one visit can save on travel and scaffolding, and the roofs then age together.
What to put in your request
- How many rondavels, and the diameter
- Round, 6 corner or 8 corner
- New build or re-roofing an old one
- Walls: brick, block or stone
- Plans and what the rondavel is for
Thatched Rondavels for homes, lodges, farms and venues
- Homeowners: a guest rondavel or studio beside the house, or a home of linked rondavels
- Estate homes and HOAs: a rondavel guest suite if the estate's guidelines allow round thatched buildings
- Game lodges and bush camps: rows of thatched rondavel chalets with en-suite bathrooms for guests
- Guesthouses and B&Bs: self-catering rondavels in the garden, each with its own small stoep
- Farms and smallholdings: rondavels for family, staff housing or farm stays, re-thatched with local grass
- Restaurants, pubs and beach bars: a round thatched building as a farm stall, coffee shop or tasting room
- Resorts and holiday parks: a group of rondavel units with matching roofs and a shared maintenance plan
- Wedding venues, schools and churches: a rondavel bridal suite or chapel at a country wedding venue
- Builders, architects and developers: a thatcher who can frame and thatch a conical roof on new round walls
Frequently asked questions
Do you build rondavels?
What is the difference between a 6 and an 8 corner rondavel?
Can I re-thatch the roof on an old farm rondavel?
Can a rondavel have a roof other than thatch?
Thatched Rondavels by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg