4 ms·

There are many old wood houses around Boston built in the 1900s. When maintained (The roof and siding are renewed to prevent water damage and termite prevention

by kghose 12y ago

There are many old wood houses around Boston built in the 1900s. When maintained (The roof and siding are renewed to prevent water damage and termite prevention) their frames seem to hold up well. Is your 50 years a guesstimate or do you have a source for that? It is interesting why brick or concrete - preferred materials in other parts of the world, are not so common for residences in the US. To me wooden houses have a charm that concrete or brick construction does not. Also, I feel that I can fix/update things in a wooden house more easily than in a brick or concrete house because of the drywall construction.

Someone1234 12y ago
Just want to be clear, a good quality natural wood home can last hundreds of years. But I am talking about "log cabin"-style homes built out of natural cuts of strong woods (typically with few joins or sections). The stuff that goes into most US homes is not wood in that vein, it is the "leftover" wood chips crushed back into wood-like substance and used as walls. As to your source, there are some here: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-average-lifespan-of-a-US-house-made-of-drywall-and-wood https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-average-lifespan-of-a-US-h... But you won't in general find many homes built like that beyond 50 years. In places around military bases where at one point in home most houses were built in that style, you notice that most of them aren't around now and the few that are are in really bad shape. Contrast that with much of Europe where in many places your average house is over 100 years old and are still in great shape. But again brick constructed homes last.
- refurb 12y ago
  But you won't in general find many homes built like that beyond 50 years. That's not true at all. There are thousands of homes in San Francisco that are over 100 years old (built after the earthquake). Go to the East Coast and these "crap" homes are even older. I'm hoping your just on a hyperbole kick because your statements don't really line up with reality.

by kghose 12y ago

Someone1234 12y ago

Just want to be clear, a good quality natural wood home can last hundreds of years. But I am talking about "log cabin"-style homes built out of natural cuts of strong woods (typically with few joins or sections). The stuff that goes into most US homes is not wood in that vein, it is the "leftover" wood chips crushed back into wood-like substance and used as walls. As to your source, there are some here: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-average-lifespan-of-a-US-house-made-of-drywall-and-wood https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-average-lifespan-of-a-US-h... But you won't in general find many homes built like that beyond 50 years. In places around military bases where at one point in home most houses were built in that style, you notice that most of them aren't around now and the few that are are in really bad shape. Contrast that with much of Europe where in many places your average house is over 100 years old and are still in great shape. But again brick constructed homes last.

refurb 12y ago
But you won't in general find many homes built like that beyond 50 years. That's not true at all. There are thousands of homes in San Francisco that are over 100 years old (built after the earthquake). Go to the East Coast and these "crap" homes are even older. I'm hoping your just on a hyperbole kick because your statements don't really line up with reality.