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I have a certain dislike for wooden houses because a) they seem to have high maintenance requirements, since wood as an organic material is often attacked by fu

I have a certain dislike for wooden houses because a) they seem to have high maintenance requirements, since wood as an organic material is often attacked by fungi, mould, or insects b) the ones I've lived in were old buildings lacking insulation and draughty, thus freezing in winter. That could be fixed with insulation of course.

jotm 9y ago
Bricks (everywhere, internal walls and all) and concrete (for the floors) are the best - no stupid squeaking, nothing to rot, nothing to break, great soundproofing, good thermal insulation if done right, will last a long time provided no natural disasters. Not even expensive depending on the region. That said, I don't get the point of a wooden skyscraper. I'd guess it's earthquake resistant, and it's not actual natural wood but a mix of synthetic materials and wood.
- swampthinker 9y ago
  Bricks and concrete are absolutely not the best. They have terrible insulation properties, poor sound absorption, and cost more than wood structures. Wood is an overall superior construction material if you can use it, and I think you're misunderstanding the pressure treatment process. It's normal wood placed in a vacuum chamber so preservatives can seep into the lumber.
  - jotm 9y ago
    Really? I've seen and lived in a lot of houses. Full concrete + brick were much more enjoyable than the creaky (I really hate those noises heh) wood and plasterboard houses. Colder, definitely, but better soundproofed imo.
  - MertsA 9y ago
    Don't forget, brick and mortar also holds moisture and is porous. This can lead to spalling in cold weather and rotting whatever's behind it in warm weather. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1m5VShzxYs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1m5VShzxYs
- petre 9y ago
  Wood is a great construction material if it's treated against life feeding off it, rot and fire, especially when used in combination with other materials, such as building framing for hempcrete, half timbered buildings (fachwerk).
- ComputerGuru 9y ago
  Creaky wood is a problem long since solved, but development contractors prefer to cut costs and build-to-sell before the underlying causes become apparent. Use screws, not nails. Nail guns are convenient but they are for framing (playing to the strengths of nails’ awesome sheer strength) not layering (screws have far better tensile strength, poorer sheer strength). Add a zigzag of construction adhesive (insanely cheap stuff) to the joists before installing the subfloor. Leave 1/8th to 1/4th of an inch gap between each plywood sheet to leave room for swelling (in the Midwest that’s in the humid summers, on the coast it might be the other way around). Done. Screws and nails are fundamentally different and should never be considered interchangeable. The cost difference is minimal given the trade offs involved, but contractors are apt to choose nails any time they can get away with it.
- fpoling 9y ago
  In Norway in Bergen few buildings made from bricks during last 20 years got problems with fungus. Once it gets inside the wall, it is very difficult to get rid of it. Yet wooden houses built over 100 years ago are ok despite a lot of rain (up to 9 feet per year).
swampthinker 9y ago
It's actually less about insulation and more about air sealing. A hermetically sealed home with no insulation is generally warmer than a leaky home with walls stuffed with insulation. Also regarding wood, this isn't the kind of wood you're thinking of. It's called pressure treated lumber, and it's an order of magnitude stronger than normal wood. The lumber has preservatives injected specifically to prevent rot, insect damage, and fire resistance.
- Sharlin 9y ago
  > A hermetically sealed home with no insulation is generally warmer than a leaky home with walls stuffed with insulation. Warmer, maybe, but bad for people and good for fungi. Many contemporary buildings are built too airtight, lacking natural ventilation, which causes huge problems with interior air quality and traps moisture inside structures, creating places for mold to thrive.
  - swampthinker 9y ago
    Airtight buildings are perfectly fine with a proper Heat recovery ventilation system (HRV) that they should be using. HRV's are mandatory when building the PassiveHaus spec.
    - Sharlin 9y ago
      True. Unfortunately, at least around here a lot of buildings have been built in the past five or so decades that are fine insulation-wise but sorely lacking in ventilation, natural or otherwise, leading to widespread health issues. Many prefab concrete buildings from the 60s and 70s, even 80s, are practically ready for demolition.
- neonblack 9y ago
  What about slashing or bludgeoning damage?
- richjdsmith 9y ago
  I think the wood found in homes is pressure treated lumber which I don't believe is structurally any stronger than non-pt wood, but helps wood withstand the elements and wards off termites, microorganisms and fungal decay. The most common types of Pressure Treatments (at least that I am aware of in Canada) are Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) and Copper Azole (CA). However, the wood material usually used to build these mid-rise buildings is cross laminated timber, which does add significant strength to the wood materials. Really cool material actually! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-laminated_timber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-laminated_timber
alva 9y ago
Regarding a), it very much depends on how they are built. Little Moreton Hall has been standing since 1504, subsequent restorations required no changes to the timber structure. Isn't it beautiful? Although I suspect it is definitely subject to point b)! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Moreton_Hall#/media/File:LittleMoretonHall.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Moreton_Hall#/media/Fil...
emilfihlman 9y ago
Make no mistake here: the wood used in this will be chemically sealed and pretty much inert. It's actually hazardous waste.

jotm 9y ago

Bricks (everywhere, internal walls and all) and concrete (for the floors) are the best - no stupid squeaking, nothing to rot, nothing to break, great soundproofing, good thermal insulation if done right, will last a long time provided no natural disasters. Not even expensive depending on the region. That said, I don't get the point of a wooden skyscraper. I'd guess it's earthquake resistant, and it's not actual natural wood but a mix of synthetic materials and wood.

swampthinker 9y ago
Bricks and concrete are absolutely not the best. They have terrible insulation properties, poor sound absorption, and cost more than wood structures. Wood is an overall superior construction material if you can use it, and I think you're misunderstanding the pressure treatment process. It's normal wood placed in a vacuum chamber so preservatives can seep into the lumber.
- jotm 9y ago
  Really? I've seen and lived in a lot of houses. Full concrete + brick were much more enjoyable than the creaky (I really hate those noises heh) wood and plasterboard houses. Colder, definitely, but better soundproofed imo.
- MertsA 9y ago
  Don't forget, brick and mortar also holds moisture and is porous. This can lead to spalling in cold weather and rotting whatever's behind it in warm weather. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1m5VShzxYs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1m5VShzxYs
petre 9y ago
Wood is a great construction material if it's treated against life feeding off it, rot and fire, especially when used in combination with other materials, such as building framing for hempcrete, half timbered buildings (fachwerk).
ComputerGuru 9y ago
Creaky wood is a problem long since solved, but development contractors prefer to cut costs and build-to-sell before the underlying causes become apparent. Use screws, not nails. Nail guns are convenient but they are for framing (playing to the strengths of nails’ awesome sheer strength) not layering (screws have far better tensile strength, poorer sheer strength). Add a zigzag of construction adhesive (insanely cheap stuff) to the joists before installing the subfloor. Leave 1/8th to 1/4th of an inch gap between each plywood sheet to leave room for swelling (in the Midwest that’s in the humid summers, on the coast it might be the other way around). Done. Screws and nails are fundamentally different and should never be considered interchangeable. The cost difference is minimal given the trade offs involved, but contractors are apt to choose nails any time they can get away with it.
fpoling 9y ago
In Norway in Bergen few buildings made from bricks during last 20 years got problems with fungus. Once it gets inside the wall, it is very difficult to get rid of it. Yet wooden houses built over 100 years ago are ok despite a lot of rain (up to 9 feet per year).

swampthinker 9y ago

It's actually less about insulation and more about air sealing. A hermetically sealed home with no insulation is generally warmer than a leaky home with walls stuffed with insulation. Also regarding wood, this isn't the kind of wood you're thinking of. It's called pressure treated lumber, and it's an order of magnitude stronger than normal wood. The lumber has preservatives injected specifically to prevent rot, insect damage, and fire resistance.

Sharlin 9y ago
> A hermetically sealed home with no insulation is generally warmer than a leaky home with walls stuffed with insulation. Warmer, maybe, but bad for people and good for fungi. Many contemporary buildings are built too airtight, lacking natural ventilation, which causes huge problems with interior air quality and traps moisture inside structures, creating places for mold to thrive.
- swampthinker 9y ago
  Airtight buildings are perfectly fine with a proper Heat recovery ventilation system (HRV) that they should be using. HRV's are mandatory when building the PassiveHaus spec.
  - Sharlin 9y ago
    True. Unfortunately, at least around here a lot of buildings have been built in the past five or so decades that are fine insulation-wise but sorely lacking in ventilation, natural or otherwise, leading to widespread health issues. Many prefab concrete buildings from the 60s and 70s, even 80s, are practically ready for demolition.
neonblack 9y ago
What about slashing or bludgeoning damage?
richjdsmith 9y ago
I think the wood found in homes is pressure treated lumber which I don't believe is structurally any stronger than non-pt wood, but helps wood withstand the elements and wards off termites, microorganisms and fungal decay. The most common types of Pressure Treatments (at least that I am aware of in Canada) are Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ) and Copper Azole (CA). However, the wood material usually used to build these mid-rise buildings is cross laminated timber, which does add significant strength to the wood materials. Really cool material actually! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-laminated_timber https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-laminated_timber

alva 9y ago

Regarding a), it very much depends on how they are built. Little Moreton Hall has been standing since 1504, subsequent restorations required no changes to the timber structure. Isn't it beautiful? Although I suspect it is definitely subject to point b)! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Moreton_Hall#/media/File:LittleMoretonHall.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Moreton_Hall#/media/Fil...

emilfihlman 9y ago

Make no mistake here: the wood used in this will be chemically sealed and pretty much inert. It's actually hazardous waste.