The thatcher

Just around the corner from us is a street lined with thatched-roof houses. We were quite pleased with the rare opportunity to witness a 'thatcher' at work, replacing a thatch roof. Graham informed us that a thatch roof is made from water reeds and a roof replacement such as the large house in the photo takes him about 6-8 months (full time). And he figures that the new roof should last about as long as the old one did: about 75 years. Last week Granddad and I discovered Graham at work and at the time, he hadn't yet finished thatching around the window in the foreground. Notice the right side is looking pretty tired, and there is a good patch of moss right below the window. Any guesses as to how much a project like this might cost? We hadn't the courage to ask...
P.S. We're away on holiday until the 20th (Czech Republic/Austria). We'll post soon after we return!