Materials like stone in some of the US (I’m specifically thinking places with very little airflow like in parts of the deep swampy south) would be deadly without constant, properly-running mechanical ventilation, for one. In a power outage in the south, people would die without it as stone buildings spend all day getting heat and radiating it back out. That type of house suits some cold climates fine, but is very bad in 35 degrees with 80% humidity. Likewise, in high-humidity environments, mold becomes a real issue without that mechanical ventilation (opening windows does nothing when outside is that humid and particularly when there is no wind).
In earthquake zones, you WANT flexibility; stone and brick are deadly as mortar joints fail and the structure collapses.
I think you underestimate how strong properly-built wooden-construction homes can be. There are also materials and cost issues to building with other things. Finally, as I started with, home construction should be appropriate to the climate in which the house is built with consideration for the local materials and safety.
Here in Japan, we have wood and steel-reinforced concrete. Rarely, you’ll find reinforced block, but I think that was a fad that passed. Anything brick-and-motor now has all kinds of steel bracing added for earthquake protection. The house I’m in is not far from Fukushima and survived the 2011-03-11 earthquake and tsunami with only a minor thing to be fixed (and some cosmetic damage to wallpaper). It’s made of wood.
Edit: fixed an “a lot of the US” that was left from a previous wording and further clarified what I had in mind. A lot of the US was indeed wrong and not what I meant to post.
Materials like stone in a lot of the US would be deadly without constant, properly-running mechanical ventilation, for one. In a power outage in the south, people would die without it as stone buildings spend all day getting heat and radiating it back out. That type of house suits some cold climates fine, but is very bad in 35 degrees with 80% humidity.
What nonsense is this? I grew up in concrete houses on the equator.
I re-arranged some of my post and did not proofread properly. I was specifically thinking about some areas that are stagnant around bayous and swamps in parts of the US south. I definitely didn’t mean to say ‘most of the US’. If a place gets enough wind and airflow naturally, it’s fine.
That’s BS. In the Mediterranean we are used to be at nearly 40°C and 90% and houses are made of bricks and concrete. Even the cheaper ones. And no need for mechanical ventilation if the house is built the right way.
Depends on the area of the US. In the south, the water table is high enough that it’s usually not worth all the trouble trying to keep it dry. Same for most of Japan here.
Yep, whether or not houses typically have basements is very region-specific. Could be due to the water table, could also be due to how deep (or not) the bedrock is. Most houses in the Northeast US do have basements.
As an example, I once lived in a brick house in the southwest. A true brick house, built in the 1930’s so EVERY wall was 3 or 4 courses of brick - 18".
The west-facing wall would bake all afternoon and then radiate that heat all night long. During the summer months that wall never cooled off, it was always warm (80°+).
Winter it was nice, but summer it was a bitch cooling that place at all.
Materials like stone in some of the US (I’m specifically thinking places with very little airflow like in parts of the deep swampy south) would be deadly without constant, properly-running mechanical ventilation, for one. In a power outage in the south, people would die without it as stone buildings spend all day getting heat and radiating it back out. That type of house suits some cold climates fine, but is very bad in 35 degrees with 80% humidity. Likewise, in high-humidity environments, mold becomes a real issue without that mechanical ventilation (opening windows does nothing when outside is that humid and particularly when there is no wind).
In earthquake zones, you WANT flexibility; stone and brick are deadly as mortar joints fail and the structure collapses.
I think you underestimate how strong properly-built wooden-construction homes can be. There are also materials and cost issues to building with other things. Finally, as I started with, home construction should be appropriate to the climate in which the house is built with consideration for the local materials and safety.
Here in Japan, we have wood and steel-reinforced concrete. Rarely, you’ll find reinforced block, but I think that was a fad that passed. Anything brick-and-motor now has all kinds of steel bracing added for earthquake protection. The house I’m in is not far from Fukushima and survived the 2011-03-11 earthquake and tsunami with only a minor thing to be fixed (and some cosmetic damage to wallpaper). It’s made of wood.
Edit: fixed an “a lot of the US” that was left from a previous wording and further clarified what I had in mind. A lot of the US was indeed wrong and not what I meant to post.
What nonsense is this? I grew up in concrete houses on the equator.
I re-arranged some of my post and did not proofread properly. I was specifically thinking about some areas that are stagnant around bayous and swamps in parts of the US south. I definitely didn’t mean to say ‘most of the US’. If a place gets enough wind and airflow naturally, it’s fine.
That’s BS. In the Mediterranean we are used to be at nearly 40°C and 90% and houses are made of bricks and concrete. Even the cheaper ones. And no need for mechanical ventilation if the house is built the right way.
“the right way” is like “a basement”, right? Because that seems to be something too many American houses lack.
Depends on the area of the US. In the south, the water table is high enough that it’s usually not worth all the trouble trying to keep it dry. Same for most of Japan here.
Yep, whether or not houses typically have basements is very region-specific. Could be due to the water table, could also be due to how deep (or not) the bedrock is. Most houses in the Northeast US do have basements.
Double wall with insulation in the middle.
Bricks breathe. Not sure about concrete.
As an example, I once lived in a brick house in the southwest. A true brick house, built in the 1930’s so EVERY wall was 3 or 4 courses of brick - 18".
The west-facing wall would bake all afternoon and then radiate that heat all night long. During the summer months that wall never cooled off, it was always warm (80°+).
Winter it was nice, but summer it was a bitch cooling that place at all.
Does wood still catch fire? I’m fine if I never have another house fire.
Thus, concrete and steel for me.