When I go outside, I find blue skies and a bright day. It’s my first chance to look properly at the exterior of the house and immediately I can see what is so special about this architecture. The roof is thatched, with the reed-like plants tied tightly together into bundles and then packed together. It’s almost a metre thick. The roof was designed to handle exactly the conditions it’s now facing – thick heavy snow in the middle of winter. The thatching is surprisingly strong.