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If it is even half-ass maintained a wooden house will survive far longer than that. If your roof isn't leaking and your siding is either painted or not wood, th

If it is even half-ass maintained a wooden house will survive far longer than that. If your roof isn't leaking and your siding is either painted or not wood, there is very little that will do actual structural damage to the house. Dry wood can last hundreds of years if it has any sort of protection from the sun and rain. Also, wood houses can be built to much higher quality than what people are building new to sell on the open market. Square footage has a much higher profit margin than thicker and more insulating walls or better wood or more careful and accurate framing. Even putting in something highly visibly like way better windows and doors isn't going to get you jack shit of a return if you are building to sell rather than ever paying for heating and cooling costs or what not.

crispyambulance 7y ago
> If it is even half-ass maintained a wooden house will survive far longer than that. I mostly agree with the other points you make but not this. Modern wood-frame and plywood construction with vapor barriers, Air-conditioning and impermeable facades are very sensitive to moisture. Once water enters, it has nowhere to go and this has to be addressed quickly and thoroughly or else there's a serious and relatively quick structural deterioration, mold issues and a downward-spiral of problems. Mcmansion owners who want to keep their house in excellent condition better be on top of this stuff, or else they or the suckahs they sell to are going to be paying a hefty price. Avoiding this requires decidedly more than half-assed maintenance.
- loeg 7y ago
  Any suggestions for preventive maintanence / monitoring? Do you put moisture sensors in the walls? Low-power dehumidifiers on infrequent cycle?
  - crispyambulance 7y ago
    I think it's enough to stay on top of what's going on in the house and deal with problems as they appear or even before. Old drafty houses are a bit more resilient because they can dry out relatively quickly. New houses with stuff like OSB (chipboard) will just soak up moisture and "tell you" in a variety of ways that something is wrong. Like mold. If it appears, you got a moisture source that needs to be discovered and dealt with. Crawlspaces need to be encapsulated and have negative pressure. It's amazing how simple stuff like water leaking from a gutter can find it's way into a house with even the smallest gap at a window interface or if the drainage is bad where the house meets the ground.

crispyambulance 7y ago

> If it is even half-ass maintained a wooden house will survive far longer than that. I mostly agree with the other points you make but not this. Modern wood-frame and plywood construction with vapor barriers, Air-conditioning and impermeable facades are very sensitive to moisture. Once water enters, it has nowhere to go and this has to be addressed quickly and thoroughly or else there's a serious and relatively quick structural deterioration, mold issues and a downward-spiral of problems. Mcmansion owners who want to keep their house in excellent condition better be on top of this stuff, or else they or the suckahs they sell to are going to be paying a hefty price. Avoiding this requires decidedly more than half-assed maintenance.

loeg 7y ago
Any suggestions for preventive maintanence / monitoring? Do you put moisture sensors in the walls? Low-power dehumidifiers on infrequent cycle?
- crispyambulance 7y ago
  I think it's enough to stay on top of what's going on in the house and deal with problems as they appear or even before. Old drafty houses are a bit more resilient because they can dry out relatively quickly. New houses with stuff like OSB (chipboard) will just soak up moisture and "tell you" in a variety of ways that something is wrong. Like mold. If it appears, you got a moisture source that needs to be discovered and dealt with. Crawlspaces need to be encapsulated and have negative pressure. It's amazing how simple stuff like water leaking from a gutter can find it's way into a house with even the smallest gap at a window interface or if the drainage is bad where the house meets the ground.