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I suspect it is strongly down to culture and experience (i.e. "common wisdom" is wrong on both sides of the Atlantic). In North America, most everything is buil

I suspect it is strongly down to culture and experience (i.e. "common wisdom" is wrong on both sides of the Atlantic). In North America, most everything is built in wood. There are plenty of houses approaching 100 years that are just fine. Good insulation exists and is used. Infestations aren't generally a problem in European climates. There are plenty of techniques for dampening sound. The point is, in North America, everyone builds with wood so it is very difficult (expensive) to find someone who can build in brick. There is also the issue of material availability and familiarity of building inspectors. Building anything "non-standard" will be a big pain. I am sure the same applies in Germany, but swap wood for brick or concrete.

ghaff 5y ago
My wood frame house in New England is 200 years old. Of course, it's had maintenance work done over the years and probably has been expanded. There are old brick houses in the city but, as you say, it's far less common.
chrisseaton 5y ago
> plenty of houses approaching 100 years that are just fine This is such an incredibly low bar to be citing as an achievement! I think a lot of Americans can't comprehend that if you build from a permanent material like brick or stone the house will just sit there for a thousand years.
- goodcanadian 5y ago
  They can, but only if it is well built. Plenty of brick buildings will fall down in 100 years, too. There are wooden buildings that are hundreds of years old, also.
- rypskar 5y ago
  I wonder if there are more brick or wooden buildings that are around thousand years old. Concrete the Romans had 2000 years ago did last, but that technology was lost. Most buildings I know about that are between 500 and 1000 years are made of wood. Of course the wars we have had in Europe since then might have had something to do with how many old houses we have
  - reportingsjr 5y ago
    The whole "amazing roman concrete" speel is kind of ridiculous: https://ascconline.org/Portals/0/Technical-Article-Aug-2017_WebSC.pdf?ver=2017-08-16-144954-857 https://ascconline.org/Portals/0/Technical-Article-Aug-2017_... I wouldn't be surprised if many of those 500/1000 year old wooden houses are like the ship of Theseus. How much of those buildings has been replaced or repaired over that time period? Same thing with brick houses. When they are repointed every few decades, how many of the bricks are swapped out when they crack or crumble?
- WarOnPrivacy 5y ago
  > I think a lot of Americans can't comprehend that if you build from a permanent material like brick or stone the house will just sit there for a thousand years. That can depend on how stable the land is. My sister's US brick rental has many large gaps in the masonry. One side of her front door frame sags over 2 inches.

ghaff 5y ago

My wood frame house in New England is 200 years old. Of course, it's had maintenance work done over the years and probably has been expanded. There are old brick houses in the city but, as you say, it's far less common.

chrisseaton 5y ago

> plenty of houses approaching 100 years that are just fine This is such an incredibly low bar to be citing as an achievement! I think a lot of Americans can't comprehend that if you build from a permanent material like brick or stone the house will just sit there for a thousand years.

goodcanadian 5y ago
They can, but only if it is well built. Plenty of brick buildings will fall down in 100 years, too. There are wooden buildings that are hundreds of years old, also.
rypskar 5y ago
I wonder if there are more brick or wooden buildings that are around thousand years old. Concrete the Romans had 2000 years ago did last, but that technology was lost. Most buildings I know about that are between 500 and 1000 years are made of wood. Of course the wars we have had in Europe since then might have had something to do with how many old houses we have
- reportingsjr 5y ago
  The whole "amazing roman concrete" speel is kind of ridiculous: https://ascconline.org/Portals/0/Technical-Article-Aug-2017_WebSC.pdf?ver=2017-08-16-144954-857 https://ascconline.org/Portals/0/Technical-Article-Aug-2017_... I wouldn't be surprised if many of those 500/1000 year old wooden houses are like the ship of Theseus. How much of those buildings has been replaced or repaired over that time period? Same thing with brick houses. When they are repointed every few decades, how many of the bricks are swapped out when they crack or crumble?
WarOnPrivacy 5y ago
> I think a lot of Americans can't comprehend that if you build from a permanent material like brick or stone the house will just sit there for a thousand years. That can depend on how stable the land is. My sister's US brick rental has many large gaps in the masonry. One side of her front door frame sags over 2 inches.