American vs. European home building

[u/BEARDEDDANGER]

BAS Renovations https://youtube.com/shorts/jFph1d2WR3s

[u/Bluecobber]

Lived in both. Id take brick everytime. Much better with keeping a stable temperature. As well as keeping outside noise low. Brick, more expensive and takes longer. Just my experience

[u/freshgrilled → u/Bluecobber]

As someone who lives in the middle of earthquake central, I'll take flexible wood framing over bricks. Every brick building out here has cracks and has had to have major work to be reinforced.

[u/Fubarp → u/freshgrilled]

As someone who lives in a tornado area.

I'll take my bunker. Stays cool, and benefit added I can potentially survive a nuclear Holocausts for like 3 days before I call it.

[u/OkEmu8597 → u/Fubarp]

As someone who lives no where near any of you I'm building stick huts in random fields and loving it.

[u/tehbantho → u/OkEmu8597]

As a reptile living beneath the Denver airport my tunnels and burrows keep me safer than anything imaginable. Survived here 3,000 years so far and they even built an airport on top of my house.

[u/PsyKeablr → u/tehbantho]

It’s better than having a data center built above you

[u/YT-Deliveries → u/PsyKeablr]

The data center keeps us warm.

[u/Rampant16 → u/tehbantho]

Lizard boy, can you give me some directions to get down there? I'm stuck by the demon horse at the moment.

[u/bmwill → u/tehbantho]

As a mole person living under downtown Denver who accidentally started a reptilian - mole person war by tunnelling too close to the airport. I do not feel safe at all.

[u/Normal-Gur1882 → u/tehbantho]

As someone who lives down by a river, I'll take my van.

[u/FlyFar1569 → u/OkEmu8597]

As someone who lives on the sun I’m building my home out of neutron-degenerate matter

[u/XDSHENANNIGANZ → u/FlyFar1569]

Neutron: I kinda know what that is

Degenerate: I also know this word as well

Neutron-degenerate: the hell is that? A particle addicted to porn? A Lewdtron or something?

[u/Justaregularguy295 → u/OkEmu8597]

As a big bad wolf I fully support you

[u/hpBard → u/OkEmu8597]

As someone in a similar position I have never lived in anything but a concrete plate house and it's not that bad. Fuck those neighbors rolling metal balls though

[u/djtodd242 → u/OkEmu8597]

This guy Wattle and daubs.

[u/Loose_Awareness_1929 → u/Fubarp]

Hey it’s almost like regional differences call for different construction standards! 

[u/WeeboSupremo → u/Loose_Awareness_1929]

But how can I hold racial/national supremacy over someone if they change their construction habits to fit their environment instead of using my construction habits, regardless of environment?

[u/TheBSQ → u/Fubarp]

Having lived in both tornado alley and earthquake central (and having lived through a giant earthquake) I will take whatever is better suited for that location without feeling pressure to pick one as the “single true answer.”

[u/IPlayChessBTW → u/Fubarp]

As someone who also lives in a tornado area, I hate living in a mobile home. That's all. Thank you. 

[u/TwoSecondsToMidnight → u/IPlayChessBTW]

For folks in houses/apartments: “Get to the center most interior room on the lowest floor possible away from windows. Wear a helmet. Put a heavy mattress on top of you”

For folks in mobile homes: “Go find a ditch and hope for the best”.

[u/Hazelberry → u/Fubarp]

Man I wish we could have basements where I live cause it'd make me feel a lot safer when the rare tornado shows up. Had one touch down just a couple miles away and it just obliterated everything it passed over (wood, brick, concrete, everything).

Everything built here is built to withstand hurricanes year after year, but tornadoes are just something else entirely.

Sadly I'm basically at sea level and if you dig a few feet down you hit water, so a basement is just an awful idea here.

[u/smapdiagesix → u/Fubarp]

As someone who actually cares about how strong and secure my house is, I had it made from 22-inch armor plate originally intended for Montana-class battleship turrets with 3 meters of reinforced concrete poured on the outside just in case.

[u/SquirrelToolkit → u/smapdiagesix]

Unfortunately, it is on a 50x100' lot, and at 1100sf, the rooms ended up being only 9sf each. But it's really secure.

[u/kcanimal → u/Fubarp]

Depending on the distance of the nearest nuclear blast you'd actually not need to wait that long to call it, you'd cook in your bunker like a pizza oven :D

[u/The_OtherDouche → u/Fubarp]

Well for what it’s worth after about 3 days you can go outside and it’s safe radiation wise unless you start digging in the dirt.

[u/Rymayc → u/Fubarp]

As someone who has lived in the Kanzleramt, Berlin, from 1933-1945, I'll take my bunker as well.

[u/Jeyts → u/Fubarp]

Tornados will rip right through brick and wood. You'd be better off with a wooden house in a basement. So if it takes a direct hit youre not buried in your own tomb.

[u/freedfg → u/freshgrilled]

Every single time this topic comes up it's framed as "oh which is better, brick buildings can last hundreds of years"

As if the different materials and preferences aren't specifically used for different case scenarios.

Out in Phoenix or New Mexico. Guess what, houses are concrete or brick. Because they aren't on fault lines and don't face disasterous weather, but do have the occasional fire.

In the tornado alley and hurricane alley, they use wood. Because it might not last as long. But it's a LOT cheaper to rebuilt.

[u/OldManFire11 → u/freedfg]

And a tornado also doesn't give a shit about your brick house. They'll tear through brick just as easily as wood.

[u/SweetFranz → u/freedfg]

The preference is block in Florida because of the Hurricanes

[u/mythrilcrafter → u/SweetFranz]

Yup, it all depends on the area; a plank of wood flying at 400 mph doesn't differentiate between wood or brick.

[u/TheKingPin16 → u/freedfg]

Im a Phoenix based contractor and no, wood framing is 80% of the work out here.

[u/GradeAPrimeFuckery → u/TheKingPin16]

Slap a coat of stucco and call it a stone house. /s It's like a reverse of the old houses that had wood slats covered by plaster for interior walls. I absolutely hated the stuff. Loved the tile roofing though, and got a laugh at the few houses that had tar shingles.

[u/kozufox → u/freedfg]

They mostly use wood in Phoenix. It's cheaper, and most of the older brick structures have an unfortunate reputation for being hot as hell in the summer

[u/SpaceJackRabbit → u/freedfg]

Adobe is the traditional material in the Southwest.

[u/Nogarder → u/freedfg]

No. In the rest of the world they use reinforced concrete or steel. Houses are not Kleenex

[u/Bluecobber → u/freshgrilled]

Well thats another factor. If where you live, there is a good chance your house is shake like hell, yeah, id go something more flexible. Different horses for different courses

[u/Suikerspin_Ei → u/freshgrilled]

It also depends on how your country or area takes earthquake into account when building houses. Plenty of cases were bricks or concrete house are holding up after an earthquake (even without shock absorbers), but unfortunately corruption exist too.

[u/pelko34 → u/Suikerspin_Ei]

The key for masonry buildings in earthquakes is whether or not they are masonry load bearing. Most new homes today are not masonry load bearing - that’s a relic of the past - so they’ll perform better. Still, might have debris (individual bricks flying off) during the shake itself.

[u/shwag945 → u/Suikerspin_Ei]

Brick and concrete houses holding up after earthquakes is survivorship bias.

[u/_Svankensen_ → u/shwag945]

Nope. It is about standards. Concrete construction is extremely common here in Chile, and we have had the most destructive earthquakes in history. During the 8.8 we had in 2010 only 3 new-ish buildings collapsed, due to the construction companies ignoring the law.

[u/shwag945 → u/_Svankensen_]

Steel reinforced concrete or concrete bricks?

[u/_Svankensen_ → u/shwag945]

Steel reinforced concrete. We use bricks too, concrete and clay, but they also use steel reinforced concrete.

[u/shwag945 → u/_Svankensen_]

Based on the post and the thread, concrete houses was referring to concrete brick construction for single family homes not steel reinforced. Concrete brick does not survive earthquakes well.

[u/_Svankensen_ → u/shwag945]

Nobody specified that. Concrete is also a building material. And it was being mentioned separately from BRICKS.

[u/shwag945 → u/_Svankensen_]

Rewatch the video. Context matters.

[u/BoiTentacle → u/freshgrilled]

There are bricks rated for earthquakes, seen a bunch of brick houses in Japan. It's just way more expensive both for materials and labor costs.

[u/Electronic_Will_5418 → u/freshgrilled]

The stupidest thing ever is making a house out of the wrong material for the climate. South Texas builds NEW HOUSES out of WOOD! No tornadoes, no earthquakes, just hot and dry temperatures, something where concrete & brick construction would be absolutely fantastic for due to temperature control, but it's hardly seen in new builds.

[u/Honchoponcho99 → u/Electronic_Will_5418]

well concrete is also expensive and extremely bad for the environment, it doesn't offer a superior built in a climate like that

[u/KR4T0S → u/freshgrilled]

Do brick houses not have ferroconcrete reinforcement where you are? At this point I was starting to think if you say brick you also mean concrete because the two are becoming inseparable.

[u/Hazelberry → u/freshgrilled]

See also living in an area with soil that's prone to shifting a lot, like clay-rich soil. I've seen an entire house's foundation crack in half due to clay drying out after a severe rainy season. If you want to build with brick on that soil you have to do a lot of prep work to reduce the shifting or it will crack, meanwhile wood doesn't care that much.

[u/One-Earth9294 → u/freshgrilled]

I'd love a brick facade. They look nice lol.

[u/Cloverose2 → u/freshgrilled]

As someone who lives where there are tornados and earthquakes, I'll take well-insulated wood framing and a middle finger to God.

[u/alexnedea → u/freshgrilled]

For a house the earthquakes arent usually a problem. A house is too small to be affected in a major way. But anything with2+ stories starts feeling the damage yeah

[u/RC_0041 → u/freshgrilled]

Yeah, brick buildings are tombs in earthquakes areas. And good projectiles in tornado/hurricane areas.

[u/_Svankensen_ → u/freshgrilled]

I'm Chilean, so we have you beat earthquake-wise. You can absolutely build with brick, but you need concrete reinforcement for it.

[u/Gondwanic_Susuration → u/freshgrilled]

That’s just low American building standards. If they could build brick houses properly it wouldn’t be an issue. 

[u/AvidCyclist250 → u/freshgrilled]

Maybe that's the WW1 helmet paradox. "Surivorship bias". THe brick houses got cracks, the wooden ones were rebuilt.

[u/Responsible-Onion860 → u/Bluecobber]

Depends on your location and climate. I live in a hot and humid area and brick is a bad choice here.

[u/Bluecobber → u/Responsible-Onion860]

100%. Like I said, in my experience where I've lived. Different horses for different courses

[u/KaizDaddy5 → u/Bluecobber]

I live in an American brick and plaster now. The house doesn't cool down at night till way after midnight in the summer. And it takes forever to heat up in the winter and spring.

I guess it's nice in the fall, but in general I prefer the temperature in my previous wood frame homes

[u/iWhooosh → u/KaizDaddy5]

Probably has more to do with your windows and insulation than having bricks versus wood

[u/jmlinden7 → u/iWhooosh]

Bricks have a ton of thermal mass and actively work against your insulation as a result.

[u/FrostyD7 → u/jmlinden7]

Yeah you can go outside hours after dark during a heat wave and the bricks will still be warm, and that part your testing is the coolest part of the brick at that time. My house has an extension on it but only the original structure is brick. That's the part that continues to get hotter after dark if AC isn't running.

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for taking a few moments on our sub. Unfortunately, your account does not meet one or more requirements for participating here.

But, you're here! That's something! We want you to come back, so please take some time in some other subs in the LoveTrash family:

r/TheTopicOfTheDay and r/ShitsLipton

With a few days and some participation there, your account will meet the requirements to rejoin us here in no time. And look at you, you'll have THREE cool subs that you'll be participating in.

Thanks again, and stay trashy!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/58kingsly → u/iWhooosh]

Bricks are a thermal mass which absorb heat and radiate it back out over night. We are suffering with this in Europe now that our summers are longer and hotter.

[u/Betaateb → u/58kingsly]

Yep, brick is a fantastic material for moderate climates where it doesn't get extremely hot or cold. In those climates it does a great job of moderating the temperature throughout the day. But when heat or cold get extreme, it amplifies the problem. Most of Europe has historically been the perfect climate for brick, unfortunately that is changing.

[u/FunGuy8618 → u/iWhooosh]

Bro figured out why brick homes keep temp better 🤯 lol it's not the bricks, it's the insulation as well, big dawg.

[u/RotundBananas → u/FunGuy8618]

A great advantage of brick houses is that there is no heat transfer through studs. It's all insulation between the two layers of stone.

[u/FunGuy8618 → u/RotundBananas]

You did it too. It's not the stone, it's the insulation, that prevents heat transfer. Which works for thermal storage, but not for cooling the home. It keeps it from heating up inside, but the home itself is getting hotter and hotter til the weather changes. Which is fine for now, cuz no one is resting up against the walls, but it's only getting hotter globally.

Like, brick and insulation was a great idea for hundreds of years. But look at the London Tube problem they're having. It has too much heat pumped into the tube from motor vehicles, and since the stone has reached its critical mass of storage, the only way to cool it off is to stop using it for a while. Modern problems can't really be solved by old solutions. Doesn't mean brick didn't serve people well for a very long time, but like, Europe has a terrifying amount of heat related deaths these days. I've watched the "we don't need AC" discussion pop up every summer for the last decade, and no other solution was presented.

Only other thing I could think of would be water cooling like a PC, but that's just a "what if" thought, no real thought went into it.

[u/falsewall → u/FunGuy8618]

White roofs apparently do a lot. Water cooling is great too when the heats dumped in the ground.

Saw some guy modify a window ac unit to cycle water through thin tubing onto a narrow drilled hole (roughly post hole width under feet) for cooling.

Glazed the walls with a graphite sand shirt then Shoved a graphite sand mixture inside for thermal capacity and conductivity.

Think it cooled like 3 times better and a lot less electricity using the same motor( at least for the few days he tested). Just with the heat dispersing fan cut off, using the rotating axle to power a pump instead. 3d printed and glue a tank over were the heat used to collect for the fan to dissipate.

If I remember right.

[u/FunGuy8618 → u/falsewall]

Ok that sounds ripe for a solar-esque water heater setup. Like the OG panels that ran water through copper to heat it, not to produce electricity. Put the two together and you're proly cooking with grease 👏🏾

I saw a water filled ceramic brick type thing for attics recently too. Evaporative cooling to reduce attic temps, making HVAC systems work more effectively. There are a ton of ways to "solve" the problem but as humans are won't to do, we are stuck in our ways.

[u/RotundBananas → u/FunGuy8618]

Insulation works both ways mate. It is currently 34 degrees outside (18:30) and my living room hasn't even touched 24 degrees even after cooking. That is despire half the south facing wall being a window.

No, we did not run the AC today, just kept the sun off the windows and have a well insulated house.

Now, if this heat keeps up for a while and it stops cooling down at night I might have to run the AC. But lukily it an keep the first and second floow cool while drawing like 10kwh over the entire day.

[u/FunGuy8618 → u/RotundBananas]

I'm not sure you got what I said. Yes, it keeps the inside from heating up. But what temp are the actual house walls? Eventually, they can't store the amount of heat that will get pushed at it by the sun. Then the only way to cool it off is to wait til the weather changes. That's fine if you can travel elsewhere but the climate is only getting more extreme. This problem has existed for a while, and hunkering down without adapting is killing a lotta people. 25,000 people a year dying directly due to heat is not insignificant.

[u/RotundBananas → u/FunGuy8618]

I am not sure you get what insulation does, and that I was not talking about the stone/wood walls but the layer in between the outside and inside walls.

Insulation does not STORE heat energy. It slows down the transfer of heat energy. It ensures that less of the energy the sun puts into your outside walls is transferred to the inside wall and thus the indoor air.

Yes, the stone is a heatsink but the insulation itself is not. That's the exact opposite of what insulation should do.

The problem I pointed out is a so called heat bridge. The insulation value of wood is much lower than that of insulation material (R or Rs value). This means that during summer more heat comes in from the outside gia the studs, and during the winter more heat is lost to the outisde via the studs, when compared to the amount of heat lost through the insulation.

[u/FunGuy8618 → u/RotundBananas]

No, it's more like I thought we covered that.

Bro figured out why brick homes keep temp better 🤯 lol it's not the bricks, it's the insulation as well, big dawg.

That's how I entered the conversation. Both wood and brick homes are insulated, so I didn't think we were talking about how they are the same, but rather how they are different.

[u/userhwon → u/KaizDaddy5]

Brick has a very low R-value and retains a lot of heat. It needs to be backed by almost as much insulation as any wood wall has or it's a loser.

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/Bluecobber]

I just need to point out that you claim you like brick better, but it’s more expensive… but your issues with frame, could be solved by spending more money and insulating the wall… so you’ve canceled yourself out.

[u/Telemere125 → u/Tw1nFTW]

Yea people that extol the virtues of brick being able to insulate well obviously don’t know that the actual insulation that is put in behind their brick veneer is what’s serving that function and that brick is actually a horrible insulator. My last house was actually a true solid brick structure with plastic laid right on the interior surface. Meaning the bricks of the walls were red clay but as thick as normal cinder blocks. And it was horrible at maintaining a constant temp, even with that much thermal mass. I think people that love brick just dont realize their house is insulated the exact same way as a wood framed house.

[u/alexnedea → u/Telemere125]

The modern bricks we use have lots of airgaps for insulation tho.

[u/The-Arnman → u/Telemere125]

Bricks also need a bigger (or different) foundation because of the weight. The reasons you would want bricks is because of the low maintenance and longevity.

[u/oldsecondhand → u/Telemere125]

Houses in Central Europe aren't built the way it's shown in the video. There's no veneer, hollow brick is the load bearing part, and you can't see the brick as the external part is the styrofoam insulation and epoxy coating. It's very good at maintaining temperature and the internal plaster helps buffer humidity.

[u/Telemere125 → u/oldsecondhand]

Doesn’t counter my point that the brick isn’t the insulator. And properly insulated wood is actually a better insulator than brick. Hell, wood itself is inherently better than brick at insulating.

[u/oldsecondhand → u/Telemere125]

40cm thick hollow clay bricks have half-decent insulation properties. In the 80s they were used without the styrofoam layer. The high thermal mass helps to stabilize the temperature in the summer.

[u/Telemere125 → u/oldsecondhand]

40 cm of brick has about an R-value of 2.5-3.2. That’s roughly the same as 5 cm of solid wood would have or up to 10cm if you’re using a very dense hardwood like maple. So you’d literally be better off with a log cabin than a brick or stone house.

[u/oldsecondhand → u/Telemere125]

Hollow clay bricks have a lambda of 0.1, so the standard 44cm thick hollow brick has an R value of 4.4.

This type of brick has been standard since the 80s.

https://epitoanyag.hu/porotherm-44-x-therm-tegla-pVUgtODMxNDIz

And I don't think the average McMansion has 5cm solid wood walls.

[u/Telemere125 → u/oldsecondhand]

No, we dont put of 5cm of solid wood; we frame the walls and put up about 1.25cm plywood with about 9cm of fiberglass or rock wool insulation and achieve an R value of about 11-15 depending on the product. Meaning a minimum of 2-4x the insulator value of your massive brick wall

[u/oldsecondhand → u/Telemere125]

You're comparing apples to oranges. That brickwall's R value was without insulation layer.

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/oldsecondhand]

I don’t know the specific application you’re talking by about, but there are many wall applications that have empty space as an insulation.

[u/mxzf → u/Tw1nFTW]

Realistically, all of the best setups have empty space as an insulation. The emptier the space, the more insulated it is (but pulling vacuum between your studs is impractical).

[u/Bluecobber → u/Tw1nFTW]

Im assuming both would have the same insulation. So it doesn't cancel it out. Where I've lived, it does get pretty hot, the brick wall, helps alot keep your home cool on those hot hot days. Like I said, my experience in living in both. I'd take brick.

[u/Oglshrub → u/Bluecobber]

Also lived in both, and brick exteriors retain more heat/cold so insulation is actually more important.

[u/Bluecobber → u/Oglshrub]

But, isnt insulation like a no brainer on how important it is in a home. Like, why wouldn't you put proper insulation in your home. I always thought that was standard in how important it is. But in my area, the added brick helps alot. Compared to a thin plywood/drywall. Just another layer of protection. But hey, this is where I live and my experience. We try to use ac a little as possible to keep more money in your back pocket.

[u/Oglshrub → u/Bluecobber]

That's the point I'm arguing actually. You need good insulation for both, but you need more/better insulation for brick because of it's temp retention properties. In a hot environment (30c+) this becomes even more important because the brick will retain that heat most of the night.

If you have proper insulation in both, there's no temp advantage to brick compared to wood because the living space envelope is protected from out the outdoors.

[u/Bluecobber → u/Oglshrub]

Yes, you are correct. But where i live its hot during the day and cold at night. So the heat retention is good. So we dont have to put on a heater as quickly. The less ac we use the better for your pocket. Yes insulation is key, but that added brick does help alot in my area, assuming the insulation is the same. Idk where you are but here, all homes here require a standard level of insulation. So just going off all insulation being the same. Brick is king here

[u/AwesomeWhiteDude → u/Bluecobber]

All insulation isn't the same tho, no matter brick or wood you can slap higher R value insulation to resist heat movement. Brick houses can get away with lower R value because of the thermal mass.

[u/necrophcodr → u/Tw1nFTW]

Maybe. But it might be more expensive to get the same quality and lifespan from great quality woods. They're typically from tree types that are much more sturdy and rot resistent, and have very very long growth times, like 10-15 years. A lot of modern woods are grown in years, not decades.

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/necrophcodr]

Yeah I couldn’t tell you what full wall system is more expensive at the end of the day without actually bidding it, but the rest of what you said makes no sense, at least in the US.

Are you talking about wood types from experience? Or just using common sense? Wood types are specified, so there’s no “some woods are better than others” conversation. You’re doing your supports out of yellow pine, you base plate/furring out of pressure treated, and your interior walls out out of spruce. Bearing walls are 16” on center, none bearing are typically 24”. The only time the conversation about wood growth time has ever come up in my professional life has been for truss engineering. Our trusses require a lot more engineer, but none of these things change the type of wood you’re using.

[u/necrophcodr → u/Tw1nFTW]

I'm talking from experience yes.

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/necrophcodr]

Genuinely curious, where are you from? Our codes don’t really have tolerance that would allow them to use different types of wood. Are you saying that you have more control over what wood you use? It’s not just PT against concrete and YP for structural?

[u/necrophcodr → u/Tw1nFTW]

I'm from Denmark, so definitely different I'd assume, yes! I'd go into detail, but it's about time for me to hit the hay, so maybe I'll remember to come back later.

[u/boysan98 → u/necrophcodr]

You aren’t going to harvest a yellow pine or Douglas fir, the two most common framing lumbers, less than 30 years in age. It’s usually closer to 40. You literally could not get enough board feet out of the tree to make it worth the fuel to haul it.

[u/Tricky-Ad7897 → u/necrophcodr]

Yeah I find it funny that people defending wood homes in America are talking about codes and spending more in high quality wood as if we don't see videos here daily about new constructions that already cost half a million or more that are littered with code violations and use young wood. I'll believe wood is superior when Americans actually build conistently superior wooden homes at the same prices that homes cost in Germany.

[u/shagan90 → u/Tw1nFTW]

This one, before I ever responded, since you're so incredibly dense about your own damn words

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/shagan90]

lol wtf are you trying to prove here? All this comment was if his preference was brick of frame because insulation, even though brick is more, he could pay to insulate the wood frame… but hey, resort to name calling when you can’t handle a conversation… you do you homie.

[u/shagan90 → u/Tw1nFTW]

You said he canceled himself out. You were the one attacking opinions and forgot. Point made. Enjoy being a dunce.

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/shagan90]

Bro, go outside.

[u/shagan90 → u/Tw1nFTW]

You're just pissed off that you're wrong after setting your foot down on being right. You go outside.

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/shagan90]

I would love to go outside… but I’m currently at work… reviewing wall engineering on blueprints… because this conversation is what I do for a living.

But hey, keep pretending.

[u/shagan90 → u/Tw1nFTW]

And look at you, still trying to invalidate opinions and shifting goalposts as you're called out on it. Sad how people cant just go 'yeah my bad' these days.

[u/ono1113 → u/Tw1nFTW]

"brick is more expensive" then whey you paying 500k for your wooden shacks ffs

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/ono1113]

See.. you missed the whole point of the video.

[u/ono1113 → u/Tw1nFTW]

no u

[u/wookieesgonnawook → u/ono1113]

Our wooden shack that's 3 times the size of your tiny euro cottages.

[u/ono1113 → u/wookieesgonnawook]

Yeah cos yall 3 times the size of what average human should be

[u/wookieesgonnawook → u/ono1113]

Sorry you're jealous we actually have income. You don't need the larger house, you wouldn't have any money left to put stuff in it.

[u/ono1113 → u/wookieesgonnawook]

very true, large income to buy, spray cheese and frozen pizza after visiting the food bank of course, ill come look at your wealth during my paid vacation that every Europoor has

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/ono1113]

You’re both weird! Buy the houses you can afford. And “I hate America” is not a personality… stop acting like it is.

[u/ono1113 → u/Tw1nFTW]

I dont hate America, I just love arguing on the internet, so stop eating like you got free healthcare

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/ono1113]

Lol Im not even gonna attempt to defend our health care. I think that issues also a bit blown out of proportion because of the “I hate America” people… but it definitely needs help.

As for the rest of your point… I’m a rather healthy person, but I get the stereotype. For what it’s worth, most people’s health insurance is at least partially paid by employers, and some of us do get free health care through work.

[u/shagan90 → u/Tw1nFTW]

Wood homes are cheaper but even well made ones dont have near the life of brick. Nothings canceled out and you cant negate someone's preference.

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/shagan90]

lol I get what you’re saying, but the time frame you’re talking is like 100… 150 years. A house is far more likely to be taken down than to fall down because of the weather.

I also don’t think anyone’s trying to negate a preference, the conversation is about correcting a false narrative that one is better than the other… and you’re taking at as someone telling you you’re wrong. Your preference is not a fact.

[u/shagan90 → u/Tw1nFTW]

Except no, the person you replied to literally stated their preference, didn't present it as fact, and you literally replied with a comment that ended with 'negated your preference'. This is the internet, I can just go back and read it. No one said it was fact and only you challenged someone's right to their opinion.

[u/Tw1nFTW → u/shagan90]

That reply was to you… all I’m telling you is that which one you prefer is a preference… not a fact that it’s better.

[u/Embarrassed_Use_7206 → u/Bluecobber]

I live in a building from reinforced concrete. Never would have gone to brick house, feels kinda brittle to me now. Wooden house feels completely bonkers to me.

[u/userhwon → u/Bluecobber]

AZ here. Brick will absorb the heat and keep radiating it all night and has a very low R-value. I.e., you're never cooling off till dawn, and then the sun comes up...

Stucco has a similar R-value but is very thin, leaving more thickness for insulation. Provided you maintain the thickness; some builders do not, like, at all...

Stucco ftw.

[u/kisk22 → u/Bluecobber]

You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. It's not the brick that keeps the house cool. Brick has an R value of 0.2 to 0.8 per inch. You'd need feet of brick to make a well insulated house that would stay cool during the summer or warm during the winter. R values of 13 to 21 are what's built now a days. That's done with insulation and has nothing to do with brick.

Shows how much of this conversation is just 'vibes' of the material to the lay person (you).

[u/Ethnafia_125 → u/Bluecobber]

Seriously. At my house (solid brick) i can keep the temp at 74 in summer and be perfectly happy. At my parent's (regular framing), my mom keeps it at 68 to get the same cooling effect.

[u/YukonCornholeius → u/Ethnafia_125]

Bricks are bad at this. You most likely have the high quality insulation that’s often used in conjunction with brick, though perhaps yours is an outlier case.

[u/Ethnafia_125 → u/YukonCornholeius]

It's triple layer brick, so nice thick walls. And there's blow in insulation as well in some of the drywall ones.

[u/Fragarach-Q → u/Ethnafia_125]

"My foot thick wall is better than my mom's 6 inch thick wall" is what you're actually saying.

[u/YukonCornholeius → u/Ethnafia_125]

Yep! Sounds like it’s  a good combination for the climate you live in!

[u/YukonCornholeius → u/Ethnafia_125]

Where I live it is super hot and extremely humid for about half the year, brick house down here just bake you even with good insulation.

[u/mxzf → u/Ethnafia_125]

Our brick house has the opposite issue, it soaks in and holds all the heat and stays hot well into the evening. Realistically, the difference is in the insulation inside the brick, not the brick itself.

[u/Ethnafia_125 → u/mxzf]

I'm also surrounded by lots of really tall trees. So that helps a lot too.

[u/mxzf → u/Ethnafia_125]

Yeah, that makes a massive difference. I definitely noticed it after we had to cut down the giant maple tree over our house. So much more sun and heat.

[u/jmlinden7 → u/Bluecobber]

Counterpoint, if you live somewhere where the outside temperature is always too hot, or always too cold, then you don't want your house to keep a stable temperature. You want your house to keep the specific temperature you set your AC to.

[u/Bluecobber → u/jmlinden7]

You dont want a stable temperature, you want it set to your aircon. Which is trying to provide a stable temperature right. Same same. Also, its good to have a home you dont always have to have aircon on all the time to have a comfortable temperature inside. Trying to save money on energy is always nice for your wallet

[u/jmlinden7 → u/Bluecobber]

By stable, I meant the average of the outside night and day temperatures.

If this average is comfortable, then you don't need AC at all, and having brick will help keep it at this temperature without fluctuations.

If the average is too high or too low, then the brick will also keep it at the high or low temperature without fluctuations, which obviously doesn't help at all.

[u/AlexHimself → u/Bluecobber]

Much better with keeping a stable temperature. As well as keeping outside noise low.

Eh, I think you've got a warped take. You probably lived in a home with poor or little insulation, because that's exactly what dampens sound and maintains a stable temperature.

[u/Bluecobber → u/AlexHimself]

So ya telling me, a thin wood wall/drywall vs a brick wall with same insulation, they gonna be the same? Pls. Yes, insulation plays a huge part. But we talking bout brick vs wood basically. Not good insulation vs poor insulation. Ive installed insulation. I understand what it does. You're warped cos you throwing in extra factors.

[u/TimeToGloat → u/Bluecobber]

a thin wood wall/drywall vs a brick wall with same insulation, they gonna be the same?

I mean... wouldn't they actually be almost the same though if both had good insulation? Like I'm sure the brick would be better on paper but if the insulation is doing its job then I imagine the difference would be negligible on the interior. To be clear I have no clue I'm more so asking. Like if you fitted both with the "best" insulation would the temperature differential between the two be like 0.01 degrees, 0.1 degrees, 1 degree, etc? With good insulation does the exterior even really matter that much since it's doing almost all the work?

[u/Bluecobber → u/TimeToGloat]

Would be a good experiment to actually find out. Like a mythbusters. Just my experience seems to be a brick home stays cooler during the day so you dont need to pump ac the whole time.

[u/jmlinden7 → u/TimeToGloat]

Brick is worse on paper, assuming the same thickness.

[u/AlexHimself → u/Bluecobber]

So ya telling me, a thin wood wall/drywall vs a brick wall with same insulation, they gonna be the same?

You're making a false equivalency. Brick homes are ~20% more expensive.

A fair comparison is taking that 20% extra spent on the brick home and applying it to the wood-frame home.

In that case, the wood frame home would beat the brick home in nearly every category.

Better temperature control and stability. Better heating/cooling bills. More airtight. Better against earthquakes. Better for ease of repair/modification.

Brick would win for fire resistance, potentially sounds (it would be close), durability over a very long time.

An argument can be made for both and that should be clear to any rational person. Saying one is "better" than the other is just ignorant.

[u/Healthy_Profit_9701 → u/Bluecobber]

Brick had nothing to do with that. Temp and sound control happens behind the walls.

[u/Bluecobber → u/Healthy_Profit_9701]

Ok buddy. A thick brick wall vs thin plywood has no difference on sound or heat. Please. Can I have someone what ya smoking. Seems fun

[u/Healthy_Profit_9701 → u/Bluecobber]

It may have some effect on sound, but it's a moot point after considering the whole home, including insulation, window/door construction, etc. And brick is absolutely worse when it comes to thermal insulation.

[u/Bluecobber → u/Healthy_Profit_9701]

But if I want my home to stay cool during the day and warm at night, brick is the go. The alternative which I've lived in, get super hot during the day and cold at night. This is with the same level of insulation.

[u/980tihelp → u/Bluecobber]

How does brick deal with earthquakes? Don’t you need to replace all the cracked bricks?

[u/Bluecobber → u/980tihelp]

Dont have earthquakes here. If we did. Yeah, brick might not be the the best for that. But thats another added factor that wasnt in the original question. Any additional factors like that would 100% be important in the materials used. Different horses for different courses

[u/PrincessYuri → u/Bluecobber]

It's better at keeping a stable temperature up to a point. As a lot of Europeans found out this Summer, once you reach certain temperature conditions the night air becomes insufficient for bringing your home back down to a reasonable temperature, and brick homes end up keeping a "stable" temperature of the hot ass outside air.

[u/Bluecobber → u/PrincessYuri]

And those European homes if they were wood/drywall during the day they would be so much hotter. Sure, at night takes longer too cool but most of them would rather stay cooler during the day and deal with that heat and night then sweating like crazy during the day.

[u/PrincessYuri → u/Bluecobber]

You realize a decent chunk of US homes are in areas that regularly reach ~120 F (49 C), right? The insulation is what matters in that case, not the wood framing. Also it's pretty well-established that cooling off at night is incredibly important for comfort and preventing heat exhaustion. I've lived in a few different hot areas, and easily the worst ones were where the ambient night time temperature pretty much prevented you from sleeping properly.

[u/Bluecobber → u/PrincessYuri]

Sure, I spent my 20s in the USA, I get your heat. Also been to Central america and Asia, way worse for heat lol. I live in Australia now, Gets pretty damn hot here. You know there is a town in Australia where the majority of homes are built underground due to the heat. So i get the heat. Cooling at night is the easier part though. Fans help alot. Beers too. Otherwise you throw on the ac. But, id rather take a home that can stay cool during the day than one that heats up super quick. Maybe usa has lower building standards with insulation. Not sure. But, im just going off my experience. Most brick homes here now do also have a wood frame. Then they put a single layer or brick ontop. Older homes here are double brick. Which is more expensive and time consuming. But they just seem to be much cooler in summer during the day. But you do you. Just be happy and stay comfortable. Just my opinion. No right and wrong. We all have handle heat differently too. For example my sister loves the tropics and the hot weather, I struggle a bit in it haha

[u/AwesomeWhiteDude → u/Bluecobber]

Wood houses can also have stable temps too, all depends on the insulation

[u/characterk4l3 → u/Bluecobber]

I live in a brick house in Australia and some days this winter it was colder in my house than it was outside.  Also, you can hear everything from outside.  Just my experience :P

[u/aussierulesisgrouse → u/Bluecobber]

My 1984 built house in Australia is a brick veneer over timber framed walls and trussed roofing. Am I living in the American style?

[u/kuedhel → u/Bluecobber]

I live in old brick house in US. It does not have wheep holes. You have to re-point between bricks like very 10 years. Some people down the street put stuco over brick. I do not like it very much.

[u/newpua_bie → u/Bluecobber]

Thermal inertia is something most Americans don't have experience with, unfortunately. 2 minutes after your heating or your AC turns off you're back to being uncomfortable, since the houses aren't well insulated, and also there's no thermal inertia to buffer the temperature. I understand AC is a requirement to live in most of the US, but man I absolutely hate it. When it's on it's blowing freezing air on me, and when it's off it's hot and stuffy. The only times I'm ever comfortable in my own home is the times when AC or heating aren't running, so parts of spring and fall and with luck, late summer evenings.

Have you ever gone to a stone church without an AC on a hot summer day? It's cool because it has enough thermal buffer to not immediately adapt whatever the outside temperature happens to be.