Authentic Thatched Roof Will Top Replica of English Cottage

The thatched roof, common in many parts of England and the Continent, will be used in the construction of a replica of an English cottage in a 75-acre home-site community being developed in Rancho Santa Fe, north of San Diego, by Kern-Atkinson Co. of Solana Beach.

It will be built of Warwickshire thatch, made of water reed imported from England and Europe, by Warwick Cottage Enterprises, 5221 E. Minuet Lane, Anaheim.

Wes Warwick, president, said it is waterproof, unaffected by sun and winds up to 100 miles an hour, a natural barrier against heat, cold and noise, and is fire-retardant.

“We’ve thatched roofs for gazebos, pool houses and a Danish-style restaurant and have plans for a hotel in Carlsbad,” Warwick said, “but this will be the first residential building with an authentic, code-approved thatched roof in America.” The 3,000-square-foot cottage was designed by Ade Collie of Orange.