A thatch roof is priced by its area, and the area comes from the size and the pitch. Put both in one request for thatch roofs in Free State and we pass it to thatchers and thatching contractors working in towns and cities across Free State.
Thatch Roofs in Free State
Need a thatch roof in Free State? Say whether it is a new roof, a re-thatch or repairs, the size and shape of the building, the pitch if you know it, and whether you want grass, Cape reed or synthetic thatch. Thatchers who work in Free State and Free State can then quote you directly.
New to this? Read the thatch roofs guide for the choices and the points worth checking before you agree to a quote.
Free State notes on roofs & lapas
Farmers across the province build <a href="/rondavels/">rondavels</a> for workers and guests and big <a href="/thatch-lapas/">lapas</a> for family gatherings. Clarens, Fouriesburg and the area around Golden Gate have many thatched guesthouses and holiday homes, and Parys on the Vaal has river resorts and venues. In Bloemfontein, lapas are the usual request in suburbs such as Langenhoven Park and Woodland Hills. Check plans with the municipality, and heritage rules for old sandstone buildings.
Who builds with thatch in Free State
Much of the thatching grass that roofs Gauteng is cut on Free State grassland, especially in the eastern Free State around Bethlehem, Harrismith, Reitz and Vrede, so supply here is close at hand. The thatch you see is varied: guesthouses and holiday cottages in Clarens and the Maluti foothills, farmhouses and workers' rondavels across the maize and cattle districts, lapas in Bloemfontein gardens and resorts along the Vaal near Parys. Weather is harsh in both directions: summer thunderstorms with lightning and hail, and cold, dry winters with frost and grass fires. Welkom and Sasolburg are mining and industrial towns with little thatch beyond garden lapas and smallholdings, so crews are often based in Bloemfontein, Bethlehem or Gauteng.
The requests we see from Free State usually come from:
- Farms and smallholdings: a farmhouse, lapa or workers' houses under grass thatch from nearby grasslands
- Game lodges and bush camps: thatched chalets, a main lodge and a boma, re-thatched in rotation between busy seasons
- Guesthouses and B&Bs: thatched rooms and a lapa that need to look neat for guests all year
Local tips for Free State
Asked for most in Free State: farm lapas and rondavels, Clarens guesthouses, grass bundles for other provinces. Where the thatchers are: bethlehem, Harrismith and Bloemfontein; grass cut on eastern Free State farms. A useful tip: ask whether the grass is from this season's cut and how it has been stored.
Around Free State the largest group asking is farms and smallholdings, which usually means a farmhouse, lapa or workers' houses under grass thatch from nearby grasslands. Before you agree to anything: pitch, thickness and the ridge detail. Getting a crew there: grass is local; crews travel from Bloemfontein, Bethlehem or Gauteng.
Service area: Free State and surrounds
Thatchers and suppliers on our network work throughout Free State, including Bloemfontein, Welkom, Kroonstad, Bethlehem, Sasolburg, Harrismith, Clarens. For farms, lodges and small towns, ask how travel, accommodation for the crew and deliveries are charged.