Also, thatched roofs are ideal for insects and rats to make their homes in. And they don't stand up very well to typhoons. Otherwise the Tang dynasty poet Du Fu would never have sighed, "The autumn winds have ruined my thatched cottage."
草屋會長蟲、窩老鼠，草屋怕颱風，否則唐朝詩人杜甫也不會高嘆「茅屋為秋風所破」了。