Utopia Talk - Politics - Why are US houses so flimsy?

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Utopia Talk / Politics / Why are US houses so flimsy?

williamthebastard
rank Mon May 18 07:11:45
I always wondered about articles about cars driving into homes in the USA. If you drive a car into a house in Europe, in most cases all thats going to happen is the car will get busted up. But its not uncommon to read about a car ending up in someones living room in US media. Then when I went to the USA, I saw close up that while homes look similar, they look flimsier, the walls look like theyre made of paper in comparison.

The reason is, they are. Theyre all built of flimsy wood in a country full of forest fires and hurricanes, unlike Europe where brick houses are brick houses, not wooden houses with a brick facade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9vhlvoWmA4

Sam Adams
rank Mon May 18 08:32:18
No one with an ounce of scientific skill thinks brick construction is stronger than wood. While the brick itself is decently strong, the brick-mortar interface is horribly weak and will fail in a pretty small earthquake or any decently sized hurricane or tornado. Then you have heavy bricks falling on you and you die.

Brick is the absolute last building material to use in earthquake country and near the bottom vs extreme wind.

The only time bricks win is verse fire... alas the places in the US that tend to get fires also tend to get quakes and quakes... Without warning... Are much scarier.

Now if you live in the northeast US or most of Europe... Places that don't really get threatened by storms or quakes... Then brick is ok.

TheChildren
rank Mon May 18 08:44:47
muricanesium

thats why. its sturdy..until termintes or fires wipe it out in 5 min

than da truth comes out. its basically made out of cheese. sturdy when cold. melts like butter when warm

williamthebastard
rank Mon May 18 08:48:18
Theyre actually called "disposable homes". US wood huts last for about 70 years, while european stone houses last about 700 years

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williamthebastard rank	Mon May 18 07:11:45 I always wondered about articles about cars driving into homes in the USA. If you drive a car into a house in Europe, in most cases all thats going to happen is the car will get busted up. But its not uncommon to read about a car ending up in someones living room in US media. Then when I went to the USA, I saw close up that while homes look similar, they look flimsier, the walls look like theyre made of paper in comparison. The reason is, they are. Theyre all built of flimsy wood in a country full of forest fires and hurricanes, unlike Europe where brick houses are brick houses, not wooden houses with a brick facade. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9vhlvoWmA4
Sam Adams rank	Mon May 18 08:32:18 No one with an ounce of scientific skill thinks brick construction is stronger than wood. While the brick itself is decently strong, the brick-mortar interface is horribly weak and will fail in a pretty small earthquake or any decently sized hurricane or tornado. Then you have heavy bricks falling on you and you die. Brick is the absolute last building material to use in earthquake country and near the bottom vs extreme wind. The only time bricks win is verse fire... alas the places in the US that tend to get fires also tend to get quakes and quakes... Without warning... Are much scarier. Now if you live in the northeast US or most of Europe... Places that don't really get threatened by storms or quakes... Then brick is ok.
TheChildren rank	Mon May 18 08:44:47 muricanesium thats why. its sturdy..until termintes or fires wipe it out in 5 min than da truth comes out. its basically made out of cheese. sturdy when cold. melts like butter when warm
williamthebastard rank	Mon May 18 08:48:18 Theyre actually called "disposable homes". US wood huts last for about 70 years, while european stone houses last about 700 years
	show deleted posts

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