The Life Of Roofs.

The killing of the insect life in the roof material before making the sheets is held to help in prolonging the life of the roof. The time it lasts depends upon material, pitch and the closeness of the rows of thatch.

The pandanus leaf roof lasts much longer than nikau. The pandanus roof on the hospital building at Arutanga had been on for seven years, and it still looked good. The greater the slope or pitch, the more readily the rain runs off and the less time it has to soak into the inner layers of material. The closer the rows of sheets are together, the thicker the roof. A high pitch and a thick roof demands much more material. Though the material itself costs nothing, the extra labour and time involved increases the expense of feeding the workers.

The ordinary nikau roof may last a little over a year. With a good pitch, it may last over two years. If the partly dried leaves afterwards soaked in sea water are used, the thatch may last over three years.

When the thatch becomes thoroughly soaked through and infested with beetles, the thatch becomes rotten, pe, and has to be renewed.