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In those conditions even plain, untreated wood lasts a long time. Many of those structures still have wood beams in pretty good condition. ie, the durability o
by breischl 3y ago
In those conditions even plain, untreated wood lasts a long time. Many of those structures still have wood beams in pretty good condition.
ie, the durability of those structures is more due to where they are, than what they are made of.
- ghaff 3y agoAlthough (at least the right) stone is almost certainly a pretty good answer in general. There are plenty of historical examples and I'm skeptical that anything else exposed to the elements would do better. And if not exposed to the elements that feels like cheating.
- breischl 3y agoFair, but the sandstone and clay in that area is generally pretty awful. TBH most of the ancestral Puebloan structure are crumbling apart despite being protected by overhanging rock "roofs".
- ghaff 3y agoYou're right about the pueblos specifically. They're still extant mostly because the climate is so dry there. Something like granite would be a much more long-lived structural material in wetter climates. Indeed that's the primary stone used in, say, Machu Picchu.
- Spooky23 3y agoIt depends on whether they are occupied or not. I worked on an upstate New York farm with a barn that was post and beam, with a stone foundation. It was ~350 years old but had a good roof for that entire time.