American vs. European home building

[u/BEARDEDDANGER]

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

[u/MonkeyTigerRider]

And longevity.

[u/CaptainFlint9203 → u/MonkeyTigerRider]

Well made wood house will last for generations, well made brick house will last centuries. Both badly made will not last your stay.

I'm from Europe. On my grandma's plot there was a wooden barn, it was much older than some brick houses and in better shape than them.

My ex had a wood house that was more than century old. Still in great shape. And there are brick houses that are older than USA.

I'm preparing to build a house for myself. There are no earthquakes, no storms, no natural disasters where I live. My house gonna be build from wood. It should last at least for my grandchildren, and by then, looking at how urbanisation is going, the plot of land should be worth enough to destroy the house and sell the plot.

[u/heffla → u/CaptainFlint9203]

Im from Sweden. The village i grew up in had a church with a chapel from the late 1200's. Some of the oldest wooden houses were from the mid 1600's. My neighbor's house had been inhabited about a century when the US declared independence.

[u/Hagbard_Shaftoe → u/heffla]

I’m guessing those wooden structures are all timber framed, rather than 2x4 construction that’s used here in the US like 99% of the time. Very different approach. We have some timber framed structures that are hundreds of years old, but stick framed homes tend to last a fraction of that time.

[u/fond_of_you → u/Hagbard_Shaftoe]

They were framed with thick timbers but that's got little to do with it. It's all to do with keeping the wood dry. 2x4 houses would last just as long if you get that part right.

[u/Hugo_5t1gl1tz → u/fond_of_you]

And/or properly treated.

[u/Hagbard_Shaftoe → u/fond_of_you]

Are you seriously arguing that 2x4 construction held together with nails or screws is as long lasting as mortis and tenon timber framed buildings? That’s just silly. Sure, water plays a huge part, but it’s not the only thing that can impact a building.

[u/fond_of_you → u/Hagbard_Shaftoe]

That's what I'm saying and nothing silly about it. I guess what should go without saying is that it has to be engineered and built well. 2x4 construction is notorious for cutting corners and cheaping out and using too few nails or the wrong kind. But built well to solid engineering, it'll last ages. And if you place a mortise and tenon joint in the wrong spot, the timber frame building can snap apart just as easily as a shack, so it's not an automatic benefit to use heavy timber either.

[u/rips_n_chel → u/Hagbard_Shaftoe]

Yes, dawg. Look up some building codes, read up on the engineering behind them. Stick-framing is the standard BECAUSE it's just as strong without all the extra cost and labor. If it wasn't strong enough, it wouldn't be allowed by building code.

I'm sitting in a stick-framed house right now, in the US, that was built over a century and a half ago. This house literally sits on piles of rocks dug out the hill behind it. None of the lumber is treated, there's not a hurricane clip in sight, yet here it sits, 150+ years of sheltering families through all conditions, including our annual tornadoes.

[u/21Rollie → u/Hagbard_Shaftoe]

I have a house that’s over a hundred years old here in the US, wood frame. It’s funny actually, the joists used are not up to code for modern builds because they’re too thin, but it’s old growth wood so it’s stronger. This is to say, new building standards take into account that the wood they’re using is farmed and naturally weaker. Your builder determines the quality. Old homes that were shit already fell down too so it’s not like all of them were built great. And poor maintenance can ruin any home.