Why do Americans build their houses out of wood and other cheap materials?

Question

I cannot undrestand that the worlds no. 1 industrial, and civilized nation is building houses out of such cheap materials that cannot resist the weakest winds not talking about Catrina!!!

Please don't forget that I am not trying to be offensive by no means! It's realy just a question in my mind watching TV. reports about Katrina, and other tornados!

...yeah ..yeah .. yeah.. I do admitt that Iranian, Afghani,and Pakistanies shouldn't build their houses out of bricks.."becoz of the earthquicks"!!!!!! and please excuse me for misspelling Katrina...

Answer 1

Being cheap, they don't cost so much to replace when things like Katrina, Ivan, flooding, tornados, eathquakes, ice storms, etc. happen. Which unfortunately happens too often for my taste.

Answer 2

Countries all over the world build with the same materials as the US. I don't think it is possible to design and build an affordable home that must make it through 300mph winds and gusts.

I lived in Japan and they are starting to build with 2x4 lumber. That is a direct copy of what is done in the US. It isn't so much the materials, as the quality of the work. I own a home that was built in 1899. It is structurally fine and has made it through floods and storms. But take a home built within the last 15 yrs and you have completely different design and technology.

Homes in most of the US are being built too quickly and with no thought of making the home last. Homes used to be built to hand down to the family. Not any more. I have a friends who works for a builder and he refuses to buy a new home in a development.

Answer 3

Sorry, you are getting answers from us Americans, who are mad at Iran - not at you. It is nothing personal.

Back to your question - why wood? Well, strength is one reason for sure. But, it has more to do with insulation. The properties of wood to keep the cold out and warm in during winter months and also to keep the cool in and warm out during summer months make them ideal for home construction. The wood fiber is also easy to work with. However, tall buildings such as the ones you see in all major cities are constructed of steel, concrete and glass.

Wood is also plentiful in supply. We in America are blessed with plenty of natural resources - therefore, wood is an ideal choice.

Plus, it is made of one particular dimension, usually 2' x 4" or 2 x 6" and all other materials that go into a house construction is also made to exact specficiation and standard dimensions. At these dimensions, they also use fiberglass or cellulose insulation material for additional insulation. They are all dictated by the national building code. This way, across the nation homes can be built without having to use many different sizes.

Hope this answers your question.

Answer 4

Actually that is a valid question, the price of wood and other materials has gone up a lot over the years and more homes are being constructed out of metal and cement, with new building techniques and time a lot of houses of the future will be constructed out of newer supplies, like plastic and other composite materials. The homes being rebuilt in the Katrina zone are constructed the same mainly because of the insurance company's demanding that they are re-constructed from the same material and on the same foundations.

Answer 5

Wood has traditionally been a fine home building product.
We have millions of acres of forests in the US.
Wood is easy to cut and fashion.
Wood presents a finish, feel, and sound that is hard to beat.
Many houses constructed today will be standing in 150 years.
Wood is lightweight.
Wood framing done right is impeccably strong.
Wood is easy to cut and fashion.
There is a wide experience base for wood homes.

Electrical costs are lowest in wood frame buildings.
This may be true also for plumbing, heating, cooling, insulation, drywall, siding, trim, and cabinetry.
There are more people that can hammer than can weld, or sling cement.

I guess you want us to use concrete? Concrete block?
Steel? Cement production accounts for a lot of energy use.

Apply that same energy to wood and you get more product.
A product which is in many ways better.

Answer 6

Houses are expensive. Building them out of more expensive materials would make them even more so.

A wood house if properly cared for will last over 100 years.

Everywhere in the world housing is built from the cheapest available resource that will do the job.

Answer 7

I kinda agree with you. Where I live they are building houses left and right. They go up very fast, look nice and are VERY expensive. But whenever it rains (rare) just about all the houses gets leaks. You hang up a picture and end up putting a huge hole in the wall. The quality sucks big time. BUT the real estate business around here is booming. If you build they will buy. They make LOTS of money using cheap materials to build just to turn around and sell it for triple what its worth.

Answer 8

First wood is not cheap.Second not all houses are made of wood.The problem with Katrina was the flooding which would require a brick,stone or cement house to be gutted anyway(or tare down) due to mold.Those houses in the 9th ward were probably over 100 years old anyway(there wasn't much brick back then).Another thing even a brick house won't stand up to a tornado however my cypress (near N.O.)house has

Answer 9

Because in case of any disaster, a person can be saved a lot quicker and with less harm. People that live in houses made out of rock or cement don't usually make it through a disaster. Not only that but some material is better for climate changes.

Answer 10

You must not be a homeowner. Get out from in front of the TV and spend some time with a builder or better yet go to the lumber yard and get some prices.Nothing is cheap today.And most houses are built to withstand high winds,mine has, but not many can take wind and water like Katrina dealt out.

Answer 11

No offense taken. But, where you come from, what do they use? Or are you just one of us and do not understand Building Materials? Why do you target "Americans?" What about the people living in huts? P.S. Wood is not a cheap product!