4 ms·
Hmm, San Francisco obviously doesn't get as much rain as Seattle, but it has averaged about 24 inches a year for the past century, most of which falls in a few
by geebee 10y ago
Hmm, San Francisco obviously doesn't get as much rain as Seattle, but it has averaged about 24 inches a year for the past century, most of which falls in a few months. And over the summer, in many neighborhoods, it's foggy enough to be dripping. Also, many areas near SF, such as sonoma or santa cruz, also have old wood frame houses that get rainfall in the mid-thirties annually which is closer to Seattle level rains (though again, this is all in the winter, unlike Seattle).
Most of SF is wood framed housing, and much of this housing stock has been standing for a a century. It is redwood, which is unusually resistant to water damage, and you do have to be careful to keep your roof and exterior up.
Just want to be clear, I'm not advocating for wood framed SFHs, and SF doesn't as much rain as Seattle, but could this be more the result of poorly weatherized wood framed buildings than wood frame per se?
- walrus01 10y agoThe old wood houses in SF "breathe" a lot more than the modern wood buildings that suffered the famous "Leaky Condo" problem in Vancouver. The problem is once water gets inside the walls and is trapped and causes rot. Those old SF houses built 80 to 110 years ago have a lot of air flow through. The sort that is not so terrible in an SF climate but would be a nightmare for winter heating bills if they were located in Detroit or Montreal.
- geebee 10y agoOh, so it's not purely a rainfall issue, it's whether you can get away with a deliberately drafty house. That makes a lot of sense - SF may be cool, but it's rarely cold. SF heating bills, even in houses with a pretty ancient and inefficient system, are low. Yeah, no way you'd get away with that in those other cities you mentioned.