5 ms·

Part of the reason everyone builds stick frame houses in the U.S. is because county building codes are restrictive and have not adapted to new ways of building

Part of the reason everyone builds stick frame houses in the U.S. is because county building codes are restrictive and have not adapted to new ways of building such as with cob. Even California is way behind in this regard. That and consumer demand towards stick frame houses.

swiley 5y ago
We really need to do something about our local building codes.
parhamn 5y ago
> new ways of building such as with cob Ha! Cob is like as old as history. Im sure there are other reasons. When you add sprinklers wood isn't a bad choice especially for making modifications later. Adding a wiring/outlets/making modifications is a lot easier to.
- chrisseaton 5y ago
  Do you not have a problem with noise when all your walls are just hollow wood frames?
  - lazide 5y ago
    If you share walls with neighbors? Sometimes though modern buildings no. Gaps and other engineered voids cut that out. I had more issues in Singapore with concrete construction and noise than with a modern townhome and shared walls.
  - nemo44x 5y ago
    Depends on the construction. Older holes used plaster and lath. Modern dry wall is pretty good at dead ending sound as well. If there’s an issue with sound then you can install dampening material in the wall or floor. You’re more likely to have noise travel through vents though. In some places with high humidity though you want the home to breath to prevent mold, etc. Otherwise it gets damp and stays damp.
hedora 5y ago
California is further behind on building codes than most neighboring states. For instance, the local university uses permeable pavement, but the local building code forces homeowners to use less sustainable options, and then spend exorbitant amounts of money on environmentally destructive drainage.
bronson 5y ago
Another part is how expensive it is to make masonry buildings safe in earthquakes.
- lostmsu 5y ago
  That's only brick though. Concrete does not have that problem AFAIK.
readflaggedcomm 5y ago
Most counties adopt a recent International Residential Code without modification, and the rest use it as the basis. Also, cob was approved and published in August, though it's not a very useful building method in wet places.

swiley 5y ago

We really need to do something about our local building codes.

parhamn 5y ago

> new ways of building such as with cob Ha! Cob is like as old as history. Im sure there are other reasons. When you add sprinklers wood isn't a bad choice especially for making modifications later. Adding a wiring/outlets/making modifications is a lot easier to.

chrisseaton 5y ago
Do you not have a problem with noise when all your walls are just hollow wood frames?
- lazide 5y ago
  If you share walls with neighbors? Sometimes though modern buildings no. Gaps and other engineered voids cut that out. I had more issues in Singapore with concrete construction and noise than with a modern townhome and shared walls.
- nemo44x 5y ago
  Depends on the construction. Older holes used plaster and lath. Modern dry wall is pretty good at dead ending sound as well. If there’s an issue with sound then you can install dampening material in the wall or floor. You’re more likely to have noise travel through vents though. In some places with high humidity though you want the home to breath to prevent mold, etc. Otherwise it gets damp and stays damp.

hedora 5y ago

California is further behind on building codes than most neighboring states. For instance, the local university uses permeable pavement, but the local building code forces homeowners to use less sustainable options, and then spend exorbitant amounts of money on environmentally destructive drainage.

bronson 5y ago

Another part is how expensive it is to make masonry buildings safe in earthquakes.

lostmsu 5y ago
That's only brick though. Concrete does not have that problem AFAIK.

readflaggedcomm 5y ago

Most counties adopt a recent International Residential Code without modification, and the rest use it as the basis. Also, cob was approved and published in August, though it's not a very useful building method in wet places.