[Leica] Re: Wooden houses

[lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

On Jun 18, 2006, at 1:53 PM, Phillipe wrote:

> Such a pity to destroy this heritage.
> They should promote renovating a bit more over there.
> On the other hand I understand that there is a tradition of building
> wooden houses.
> Which doesn't seem ideal for building long lasting houses.

This point was raised over and over when I lived in Europe. Most 
Europeans are unfamiliar with the temperature extremes found in some 
portions of the USA. In the Midwest, for example, a winter to summer 
temperature swing of 110 degrees F is normal. It was 90 degrees F in 
Minneapolis recently and as low as -30 in the winter. Stone and masonry 
construction doesn't last long under these conditions. Water penetrates 
the joints, freezes and small splits appear in the structure, leading 
to more water penetration, etc. Wood tends to expand and contract under 
these conditions. The house may creak but it won't fall down. Many 
Norwegian stave churches, existing under similar conditions, are 
hundreds of years old. Second, and probably more important, wood is 
relatively cheap in the US, compared to labor, and stick built houses 
can be constructed in a relatively short time with a small number of 
workers.

Finally, most communities are in such flux that longevity isn't the 
most desirable characteristic of housing. Office buildings in most 
urban centers tend to get torn down at 30 to 40 year intervals. It is 
true that they can last much longer but it is more economical to 
demolish the older structure and build anew. The increased rentals more 
than pay for the replacement.

Of course I live in a log cabin in the woods (true).

Larry Z