South African John Roston Smith specializes in thatched roofs, which are gaining popularity in other parts of the world. WSJ's Patrick McGroarty visits with him at several work sites.

The Mbhashe area of South Africa’s Eastern ... with mud and thatched with local grasses. Today, many are built with bricks and cement and roofed with zinc. Some houses are rectangular, with ...

Phil will give us an in-depth account of the processes involved in researching and investigating to restore, conserve, convert, extend, modernise, and landscape 18th century thatched cob houses, using ...