Thatched Roof House in the Philippines

Nipa hut by Alexcooper1. WIkipedia

Thatched roofs used to be the traditional roof construction norm in the Philippines. There are now few homes left that use natural dried leaves or grass to shed rain. Typically, roof thatching is used on nipa huts, the traditional-style house of Filipinos of old.

Through the centuries, the thatched roof never lost its popularity, though it became rare to see them used in houses, even the old ones from the early 20th century which are made of wood and stone. These days, old houses are stll found standing in heritage places like Vigan, Batangas, and Bulacan, but the roofs of most of them now use modern sheet iron.

Fortunately, there are still houses in the Philippines which use roof thatching. The house pictured here is found in Bulacan province. Notice that it also uses the traditional capiz shell sliding windows. Though the roof of the small garage is corrugated iron, the house is still a quaint picture  reminiscent of how all houses used to look in the country.