wood houses, why?

roofs are often strapped down, but sheer weight has always been the traditional anti-weather system. when roofs got light we had to start stopping them from flying off, usually with straps.
 
i should add that climate as much as regional style play as much a part in the form and construction of buildings across the world. the reaosn why luis' house is a solid masonry construction is the same as why those forms of house are found in other hot, relatively dry climates. some of it is material availability but much is down to how heavy masonry responds to heat and temperature and the creation of cool areas within buildings for comfort.
 
Q, It was the decomissioned 50s base housing suburbia sprawl that was turned over for private ownership all outside of Homestead AFB. I was only speaking in terms of the area swallowed up by Andrew. 90%+ of anything built past the 60s is fairly solid.
 
Well I read your post about 10 times. I got the distinct impression you were trying to say all the houses in Florida are built that way. I also highly doubt they would have used poured concrete walls. They would be impractical and expensive. More likely they were block.
 
Poured 'crete will stop a 2x4 cold. Block won't. Seems like a good enough reason to pour for me. But I'm a fan of the "safe room" idea. A concrete walkin pantry in the middle of the house. Twister, hurricane, nuke, rabid mod? Head there and sit it out.
 
Professur said:
Poured 'crete will stop a 2x4 cold. Block won't. Seems like a good enough reason to pour for me. But I'm a fan of the "safe room" idea. A concrete walkin pantry in the middle of the house. Twister, hurricane, nuke, rabid mod? Head there and sit it out.
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A guy down the street made one of those. Its in the basement under his front porch, about the size of a large walk-in closet or laundry room. 3" thick steel door. It was rebar-ed into the cement for the porch, thus tied to its roof.

Ahhh the joys of being one of the first in the neighborhood. You get to see what you should have done. :headbang:

I also helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity down here. There was a cement block (filled) safe room on the first floor (house was for a wheelchair-bound person). I don't remember what they used under it though....it was over an open basement, and they had to use some kind of support, but I dont remember what they used.
 
Professur said:
I imagine in Kansas, tornado protection isn't an option.
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They are still building homes w/o basements and w/o saferooms. About 10-15 years ago they introduced regulations for tornado shelters for trailer parks after one was wiped out. It's just insane.....I could never, never live in a trailer nor could I live in a house without a basement. It's just a death wish.
 
We don't have basements... but then again, we don't often have tornados... although that seems to be slowly changing...
 
no basements here either, some have them but it is usually used to store wine and other alcoholic stuff

<- doesn't know the name of that room in english.
 
anyone know anything about wood basement foundations? i've heard radio commercials promoting them as an alternative of poured or block foundations, but it seems ridiculous to me, i'd think a wood foundation would rot before it made it in the ground.
 
I wouldn't think a wood foundation would be a very good idea. Of course they are figuring out some good ways to treat wood, but still...

About the only alternative I've seen lately is a styrofoam, they come in blocks but you still pour concrete in them, but the insulation value is supposed to be enormous.
 
I would like to have a house made from that impervious heavy plastic polymer that they construct park benches out of these days. You can't hurt that stuff.
 
unclehobart said:
impervious heavy plastic polymer
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Hmm, I wonder how it would react to napalm... or any hot burning substance for that matter... maybe a raging forest fire... I was just wondring what the retardant properties of styrofoam are as well ... I'm not an arsonist... honest. :D
 
We don't have basements... but then again, we don't often have tornados... although that seems to be slowly changing...
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Simple physics, add more energy to a closed system, get more energy out.

Hmm, I wonder how it would react to napalm...
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So, let me see if I understand. Unc builds a house, then Aunty blows it to smithereens? Just want to make sure I'm clear on that when the investigation starts.

(Why no, officer, I don't know any of these people. In fact, i was pretty sure I was imagining the whole thing.):explode:
 
Oh.. sure... the stuff will burn allright.. but, jeez.. I don't think wood frame houses fair much better. I'd truly like a house made from Scottish flagstone ... but that gets rather $$$ rather fast.
 
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