Us wood made houses

[favorit]

Now and then on THS laundry forum some people have trouble when they have a frontloader installed on the 2nd floor.

I assume these houses are made with wood. Why ? Other than a better insulation, can't see any further advantage.

Methinks in those places where hurricanes are common brick/concrete made buildings have better chances to survive.

So what am i missing ?

Here in Europe - in alpine regions - we have too typical wooden houses. Usually the ground storey and floor are stone made, while upper storeys are wood made. Depending of the place they are called rascards, stadeln, baite or masi.

 

[mielabor]

I think that wooden houses are easier to build and probably cheaper as well. They are also much lighter in weight. Here in the Netherlands wooden houses are frequently found in places with swampy soils that cannot sustain the weight of stone buildings. Of course one can use piles to carry the building but that is more expensive.

 

[mielabor]

Based on the traditional design, new buildings are designed. But these are not constructed of wood. They are much larger than the traditional homes.

 

[mielabor]

When you travel by train from Amsterdam to the North, you pass this newly built hotel...

 

[rapunzel]

In the US, Canada, Austalia and New Zealand, most houses are constructed using timber frames. They are either erected on a concrete slab or built on top of a basement, that is usually of double brick or cinder block construction.

The timber frame is erected first and covered with weather-proof particle board (?). The inside walls are lined with pre-cut plaster board. The wiring, plumbing and insulation fills the wall cavities. The particle board, covering the outside of the timber frame, is wrapped in some kind of plastic membrane to further weather-proof the building, before it is dressed with some decorative external material. This can be brick veneer, vynil or aluminum cladding, cement rendering etc.. Solid timber construction, as in log homes or using real timber for external cladding is very expensive and requires a lot more maintenance.

What types of external materials are used, how well the frame is nailed together (whether it needs to withstand hurricane force winds or heavy snow loads), roof materials, insulation gradings and so on, is determined by the various regional building codes.

The second floor usually consists of particle board that is nailed to the timber frame. That can then be covered with all kinds of flooring materials. Unlike Europe, where most homes are built of double brick, gassed concrete blocks or other solid constuction materials and where the second floor is often erected on a concrete slab. Anyway, placing a washer on a wooden floor, that is fixed to a timber frame, requires reinforcement to better absorb the vibration from the washer. It is not a major problem, but requires a little extra work.

Solid timber houses can last centuries, if they are well maintained. In terms of wind resistance, there are ways of storm proofing a timber frame construction, so that it can withstand hurricane-strength winds. The most effective way to do this is to make sure that the roof is anchored to the foundations. Most houses that sustain significant wind damage during a hurricane, usually fail, because the roof wasn't anchored down properly.

Tornadoes are something else altogether and the average European home wouldn't stand a chance in an F4 or F5.

Most modern homes are not cosntructed to last centuries anyway. They are designed to meet the current needs and trends in urban development.

People in places like the US tend to sell up and move more frequently than they do in Europe. Zoning regulations in many urban areas change all the time in response to demographic changes. It isn't unusual to find that property developers will buy up entire low density estates, that are only a few decades old, to knock them down and erect medium and high density housing.

Here in Australia subdivisions are getting smaller all the time. Many suburbs with traditional quarter acre blocks are being re-developed. The original homes are being knocked down, the blocks are sub-divided into smaller parcels and re-sold by developers as brand-new land and home packages.

The type of home construction that is common in different parts of the world has much to do with available materials, culture and affordability. Timber is a rare commodity around the Mediterranean where earhquakes are common as well. If you go north to Scandinavia you will find most homes are made of wood. In many parts of Europe insurance premiums and very stringent building regulations limit the use of many materials in residential housing construction.

Hope this explains things for your. If I've missed something someone else may add to or correct what I've written.

Cheers

rapunzel

 

[alr2903]

Rapunzel, almost all is correct, except in hurricane areas,"Hide from the wind, Run from the water", in the very worse situations, intact or not, a house is a deathtrap. alr2903

 

[dj-gabriele]

THANKS A LOT FOR THE EXPLANATION!

I always had the same question on my mind and never dared to ask it... you never know if somebody might get upset

But I'm sure that if I were to move in such a house I'd have to pay way more attention to what I do right now as my house suffers small floods something like once a week as a flatmate or the other forgets to fix the shower to the wall and leaves it running while waiting for the tub to fill (why they don't use the fill tap I don't know) or leaving a pan to fill under the sink, etc... if it wasn't concrete and marble I'm sure we'd spend a million in woodworks every year! :S

 

[petek]

There's absolutely no reason a woodframe constructed house as are 99% of Canadian/US built should not last hundreds of years. Tens and tens of thousands of them are already past the 100 year old mark and in as good condition as when they were originally built. Other than major storm damage you never hear of a house failing because of its wood frame construction.
It's more likely some failure with the concrete or cement block foundation. Leaking, cracking, settling.

 

[petek]

maybe termites if you live in one of those areas but then that's something you have to be vigilant about just as you would repairing exterior brickwork and drainage around the house.

 

[rapunzel]

'Hide from the wind, Run from the water'

Very true. If one lives close to the ocean or in a flood plain, water is the thing to fear during a hurricane. It is my understanding that most fatalities and significant structural damage is caused by water during these storms.

In high winds flying debris is turned into deadly missiles that can smash through walls, roofs and windows. Trees smash into houses so on and so forth. As soon as there is a breach, the entire structure becomes compromised.

Though, many timber buildings do survive even the most severe hurricanes.

I used to live in the tropics and there are plenty of old timber houses, more than 50 years old, that have survived the most vicious cyclones (hurricanes).

A lot of modern tropical houses are built of cinder blocks that are reinforced with steel rods, or rendered brick veneer over a steel or timber frame. Steel roofing is the norm, but ceramic tiles can be found as well. There are also new homes that are completely built of corrugated iron.

Anyway, I've provided a link to traditional Queensland houses. This building style was once very common throughout the tropics and is still much sought after. Traditional Queenslanders were elevated on stilts to allow cooling breezes to flow under the house and to prevent them from being flooded. They are timber frame constructions that were traditionally timber sided as well. Nowadays they use synthetic or concrete based cladding as a more affordable and less maintenance intensive alternative to wood.

rapunzel

Traditional Queenslanders – Garth Chapman Traditional Queenslanders

www.traditionalqueenslanders.com.au

 

[spankomatic]

~~~~~~ E A R T H Q U A K E ~~~~~~

Earth Quakes might be another factor. Look at all those cement and cider block houses that just crumbled apart in Haiti. Wood is a little more flexible.

 

[rapunzel]

Small floods in bathrooms are not a problem.

Here in Australia all bathrooms have floor drains and the flooring materials are water resistant. Showers have fibreglass pans and water resistant drywall installed before anything gets tiled. Anyone who installs their wasing machine on the second floor is advised to put a plumbed drain pan underneath the machine to prevent flood damage.

rapunzel

 

[rapunzel]

Extensive earthquake damage in Haiti

Is largely due to the lack of enforced building standards. Haiti is a poor country and people haven't the money to build to high safety standards.

Properly reinforced concrete is quite flexible and shouldn't collaps like a house of cards in an earthquake.

In Greece, which is prone to frequent earthquakes, most homes are made of brick and steel reinforced concrete. Houses are constructed from their concrete slab up. They stick steel rods tied with wire into the foundations that extend right up to the roof. Concrete columns are poured around the steel, which hold up the second floor and roof slabs. Everything is steel reinforced and the walls are built up last. It is pretty rare nowadays for buildings to collaps int a heap during a strong earthquake.

Wealthy countries can afford to implement systems that minimize earthquake damage. New Zealand's south island, where timber frame construction is the norm, gets lots of earthquakes, but one never hears of significant structural damage. Japan is the same.

 

[mielabor]

Yes, wood can last for centuries. This house in Amsterdam was built around 1420. At that time most houses were of wood construction. Because a concentration of wooden houses such as in a city was a major risk of big fires the regulations were adapted: first side walls were prohibited, later front and back gables were forbidden. This house has stone side walls. Front gable and skeleton are of wood construction. This is the only house left with a wooden front gable. There are, however, several houses still existing with a wooden skeleton.

 

[panthera]

It used to be

that every time a severe tornado afflicted some poor town in the US, German TV would report it snidely, adding the comment "Of course, given their flimsy wooden building style, this was to have been expected. Our solid steel and cement buildings are tornado proof".
Thanks to global warming, the last few years we have had the first series of severe tornadoes in Germany since the middle ages. Those wonderful cement and steel buildings disintegrated, just like the American ones do when confronting an F3+ tornado.

Properly maintained, a wooden building can be solid and very ecologically friendly for centuries. I teach in a wooden framed building in Ingolstadt very often, it was originally set up in the 14th century and much of the original oak is still in structural use. I'm typing this right now in an oak and cedar framed house built in 1903...passed inspection to current code in 2009.

Vibration and water damage are problems which can be solved by reinforcement and drains. Heaven knows, noise pollution can be just as bad in concrete slab floored buildings in Europe as in a wooden building...

The first time I was in Rome, I learned that the Colosseum was built of cement...recently, I read that restoration teams had discovered parts were built of reinforced concrete!

Each country finds the cheapest material with which to build which meets their local needs. If they choose poorly (Haiti) Mother Nature, always red of tooth and claw, always right and never forgiving, teaches them the error of their ways.

 

[mysteryclock]

Terminology

I would like to correct at least one bit of terminology: here in the US (or at least in the south where I live) "timber frame" usually means big heavy post-and-beam construction that would be more typical in "old world" construction and is both beautiful and expensive. "Stick built" is the term we use for the much more typical 2x4 / 2x6 framed walls with plywood or particle board sheathing and gypsum drywall interiors.

The comment about German tornadoes is particularly interesting, btw. I hate to see anyone go through that but it is helpful that they are getting some first-hand perspective on how destructive they really are. I've been chased by tornadoes in a car, seen them pass right outside my office building and had one pass right over my house once. They are no fun. If I had the money I'd build an all-concrete house with impact-resistent (Florida-rated) windows... and I'd still have a safe room. That's the mindset you get growing up on the edge of tornado alley.

 

[hydralique]

Wood Doesn't Mean Weak!

I’m a little mystified as to why someone would have a problem with a domestic washer of any type installed in a properly built wood structure – the washer doesn’t weigh a lot and vibrations shouldn’t be a problem. Remember that many American homes are constructed over a raised foundation with a crawl space underneath and a conventional wood structure for the first floor consisting of wood sheathing over floor joists. Baths and laundry rooms generally don’t need any special reinforcing. Likewise for the second floor, although the structural engineer might double up some joists if a big bathtub is placed over a large room such as a living room where the joist span is long.

Wood framed buildings can be exceptionally strong. Wood is by nature elastic and thus will bend before it breaks, while masonry is by nature brittle and will fracture if overloaded. This is why masonry buildings require a lot of steel reinforcing to be strong; without the steel a masonry structure is super weak and will crumble if presented with a lateral load such as that in an earthquake. There are some old non-reinforced buildings here in California that date from pre-WWII days, and most of these have had to be “earthquaked”. This entails installing small steel reinforcing plates throughout the building to tie the floor and roof structures to the walls to prevent a total collapse in a quake. It won’t save the building, but is intended only to allow it to collapse slowly enough to prevent occupants from being trapped or killed inside as happened in Haiti.

Quite a lot of reinforced concrete block is used California for industrial buildings, but it’s not good for most residential buildingsbecause all the block cavities are filled with grout and steel so there is no insulation value whatsoever. This can be made to work in the desert if the thermal mass of the masonry is used to mitigate daily temperature swings, but you still end out with a structure that’s not amendable to later modification and is very heavy, which can increase foundation costs. Running electrical and plumbing lines and air conditioning ducts in a masonry building is also difficult.

Properly engineered wood buildings are as strong as the engineer decides to make them. This strength comes from the combination of the wood framing and the floor and roof diaphragm panels and shear panels on the walls. These panels are not of particle board, but made of engineered plywood or OSB (oriented strand board) which is specified by the engineer. The engineer also specifies the nails and nailing pattern to accommodate the design load. As an architect, I’ve designed enough buildings that I have a good feel for what an engineer will ask for in the way of shear panels, so I’ll make sure I have some wall areas that are suitable in length and location. Once the structural engineering package is done the engineer will have marked the length, material, nailing pattern, and design load for each shear panel. If there are large clear spans in the building with insufficient wall area for shear panels he may have to use steel moment frames. These are steel assemblies, usually made of wide flange steel beams welded together, which resist lateral loads in a manner like shear panels.

It should be noted that here in California all the structure, including foundation, shear panels and diaphragms, and welds on moment frames must be inspected by both the design engineer and local building officials before they are covered up with finish materials.

The photo below was taken in a house I designed. Because there wasn’t enough shear panel area on the first floor at this locstion you can see a large grey steel moment frame with a horizontal beam and vertical post. That steel post goes into the foundation, which in this case sits on reinforced concrete piles that go deep into the ground, as specified in the soils and geology report. On the second floor you can see that the upper wall is sheathed with OSB; this is because that particular wall is a shear wall. If a wall isn’t a shear wall then there will be no OSB, just drywall. In an earthquake the roof will shake, but this load will be resisted by the shear panels on the second floor, which will then transfer the load to the moment frame on the first floor, which will then transfer the load to the foundation and thus to the soil and rock below. The shaking is therefore mitigated and the house won’t fall down - the same thing would happpen with high winds.

 

[hydralique]

This is the finished house once all the structure was covered up with drywall - the large open spans are why the moment frame was needed. In a cheaper house I would have had to modify the design to add some shear wall space on the first floor and eliminate the moment frame, but the final structure would perform the same way in an earthquake.

 

[favorit]

Thank you !

I really didn't consider that timber flexibility is a big value in case of storm/earthquake.

Another question about those vintage houses. In case of restoration are there stringent codes to save the original design ?

E.g. those stadeln in my pic are about 200 years old. Restorations can be done only with the very same timber and stone. The room/building layout can't be modified (thanks Heaven ...)