[Leica] Re: Wooden houses

[philippe.orlent at pandora.be (Philippe Orlent)]

Didn't know that. Thanks for the info.


Op 18-jun-06, om 20:39 heeft Lawrence Zeitlin het volgende geschreven:

>
> 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
>
>
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