4 ms·

Fair point, but in my mind for $500mm any wood should be at least 3" thick reclaimed teak or more expensive.

bmelton 11y ago
Javanese wooden houses are made of teak, which proved not to be terribly good in earthquakes. Plywood, despite its low-brow demeanor, is far more suited to flexing than hard teak wood. If we're talking boats, on the other hand, then teak is the clear winner.
- msandford 11y ago
  Show me 100 year old (or 200 year old!) reclaimed plywood and you'll have made me a convert. I'm not so worried about earthquake performance because as long as you way, way over engineer you should be fine. The 3" teak isn't for strength (that's what steel is for) it's just so that it looks very solid. For $500mm I would expect a safety factor in the high single digits. I know that's not what this house is about so I know it's not there, but I can't help but be an engineer.
  - dopamean 11y ago
    If you're just worried about looks then theres a lot that can be done around the plywood to make it looks better.
    - msandford 11y ago
      > Show me 100 year old (or 200 year old!) reclaimed plywood and you'll have made me a convert. You can buy 200 year old teak. There are plenty of wooden buildings around the world that are multiple hundreds of years old. When plywood is shown to last 500 years without breaking a sweat, then I'll believe it's a great building material full stop. For $500mm it should be built to last a millenia. I know it's not, but again, engineer brain.
      - CyberDildonics 11y ago
        > When plywood is shown to last 500 years without breaking a sweat, then I'll believe it's a great building material full stop. I think it's unlikely you'll need it to last that long.
  - dubyah 11y ago
    To be fair, the internal frame of the upper structure is steel. http://i.imgur.com/JLIlRf3.jpg http://i.imgur.com/JLIlRf3.jpg http://media.details.com/photos/5637e54e62b3b75f2bb3e531/master/w_806/2-la-mansion.jpg http://media.details.com/photos/5637e54e62b3b75f2bb3e531/mas... Isn't it a little strange to be comparing plywood with 3" teak? Can you even get sheets of teak that aren't a veneer? Wouldn't LVLs or glulams be a more apt comparison?

Javanese wooden houses are made of teak, which proved not to be terribly good in earthquakes. Plywood, despite its low-brow demeanor, is far more suited to flexing than hard teak wood. If we're talking boats, on the other hand, then teak is the clear winner.

msandford 11y ago
Show me 100 year old (or 200 year old!) reclaimed plywood and you'll have made me a convert. I'm not so worried about earthquake performance because as long as you way, way over engineer you should be fine. The 3" teak isn't for strength (that's what steel is for) it's just so that it looks very solid. For $500mm I would expect a safety factor in the high single digits. I know that's not what this house is about so I know it's not there, but I can't help but be an engineer.
- dopamean 11y ago
  If you're just worried about looks then theres a lot that can be done around the plywood to make it looks better.
  - msandford 11y ago
    > Show me 100 year old (or 200 year old!) reclaimed plywood and you'll have made me a convert. You can buy 200 year old teak. There are plenty of wooden buildings around the world that are multiple hundreds of years old. When plywood is shown to last 500 years without breaking a sweat, then I'll believe it's a great building material full stop. For $500mm it should be built to last a millenia. I know it's not, but again, engineer brain.
    - CyberDildonics 11y ago
      > When plywood is shown to last 500 years without breaking a sweat, then I'll believe it's a great building material full stop. I think it's unlikely you'll need it to last that long.
- dubyah 11y ago
  To be fair, the internal frame of the upper structure is steel. http://i.imgur.com/JLIlRf3.jpg http://i.imgur.com/JLIlRf3.jpg http://media.details.com/photos/5637e54e62b3b75f2bb3e531/master/w_806/2-la-mansion.jpg http://media.details.com/photos/5637e54e62b3b75f2bb3e531/mas... Isn't it a little strange to be comparing plywood with 3" teak? Can you even get sheets of teak that aren't a veneer? Wouldn't LVLs or glulams be a more apt comparison?