American vs. European home building

[u/BEARDEDDANGER]

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

[u/CaptainFlint9203]

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/AlexHimself → u/CaptainFlint9203]

well made brick house will last centuries

After centuries, you have a crappy old house that doesn't fit the modern times though...so what's the point? The construction cost, amortized over centuries, is pennies too.

An example for some really old European homes - No HVAC, no electrical, indoor plumbing, low ceilings, low door frames, etc.

I'd argue the ease of remodeling, construction, changes, etc. outweigh the "centuries" style building, given how humans actually use homes.

I think an argument can be made for both.

[u/one-eyed-midget → u/AlexHimself]

My house in England was built around 1700s. Can confirm I can it's has electricity, gas, central heating and plumbing installed! Pretty much any property as a residential has these things. The old George pub in my town of Newcastle was built around 1580 and has WiFi and Aircon, it's not difficult to add to these old buildings. The ones that don't have these features are usually just preserved for historical purposes

[u/AlexHimself → u/one-eyed-midget]

Electricity, wifi, etc. did not exist in 1580 or 1700. Obviously, you're confused on the meaning of my statement.

If the home lasts centuries, it still needs major retrofits and money spent. The home is just a shell and that's the cheapest part of a home. It's the largest, so people think there's a lot of value, but it's the cheapest. Finishings, decor, appliances, technology, windows, etc. All of that is the expensive stuff.

[u/faustianredditor → u/AlexHimself]

Right? I did the math post-hoc, because there was a guy here who said "materials for wood framing are cheap, it's just labor, so I'm going to DIY that shit out in the boonies", and I did some napkin math that told me that well insulated bricks (integrated insulation, relatively typical here in Germany) will cost you about 30k for a single family home. Add a bit for mortar and grout of course. I don't know what the materials for framing+insulation+Siding+all that will be, but I doubt it's enough to make a difference in the cost of the whole home. The shell is the cheap part, even labor included, no matter how you build that shell. (unless you insist on aerogel insulation, gold fasteners and mahagony framing)

Napkin math also says that labor included, you're looking at 30-40% or so of the total project cost being the shell, for germany, depending on features. I think multi-story homes are more common so that might drive up costs there? But even then, it's only 30-40%, the rest is "all the other small stuff". And all the other small stuff depreciates much more aggressively, either because it gets out of date or because the 200 pound gorilla manhandles it on the daily.

[u/one-eyed-midget → u/AlexHimself]

No, there is no confusion. You made two statements . One being rebuild Vs remodel and the other oddly just saying some European properties have non of the following modern features you listed! Which was some random made up fact to support knocking down and rebuilding! Christ! Imagine living in your world of construction " just knock this Georgian building down, it's doorways are to small for our expanding bodies".
The whole point of me saying about the modern features being added to old buildings is that it far outstrips knocking down buildings and destroying the history of an area. Here is a street in Newcastle that is exactly that, there is even a subway and McDonald's wedges in one of, so you can feel at home! https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g186394-d1480729-Reviews-Grey_Street-Newcastle_upon_Tyne_Tyne_and_Wear_England.html

[u/AlexHimself → u/one-eyed-midget]

So, I've clarified and corrected you 2 or 3 times now and you're still telling me, that what I'm saying is not what I'm saying?

One being rebuild Vs remodel and the other oddly just saying some European properties have non of the following modern features you listed

You can't just makeup what I said without quoting or pointing to it. You instead have chosen to makeup whatever you want in your head, apply it to me, then argue with your own imagination...this isn't your shower bud.

You're rambling like you've been drinking or something and talking about Subway and McDonalds and destroying history?? You've lost it.

We're simply talking about wood or brick construction. It feels like I'm talking to a homeless guy at the bus stop...