Would Like To Know

[abide]

..why are most houses in the USA not made of stone and reinforced concrete and steel. It seems that sheet rock is mostly used. I have seen the devastation that tornadoes cause and when you look at the roofs, they are all thrown down like matchsticks. I know I know that the winds from the tornadoes are really high.

I have seen churches which look sturdy and built out of concrete. Is the price of concrete so prohibitive that people have to resort to sheet rock and other materials. When I read about the high mortgages people pay for houses I would think that they should be built of more sturdier materials.

I have lived in England and the houses are made of stone. Also in Europe houses are made of sturdy materials. Here in the Caribbean, most houses are built out of stone. With the hurricane force winds that prevail here, roofs have to sturdy to withstand the winds.

I am not being critical, I am just curious.

 

[WIP]

That is a good question and I suspect cost and ease of use are a couple factors.

 

[Danus]

Lot of reasons. Cost is one, depending on how elaborate where talking about, but also efficiency as well as safety. These are probably the main reasons.

While you could build a house to withstand some high winds, many tornadoes will easily take down a concrete structure. Most would not do much better in a category 5. Flying chucks of concrete or re-barb aren't any safer. Also, earthquakes do not discriminate on the destruction they do. It's better to have lighter weight materials.

When houses are hit hard here by tornadoes, usually is there is any structure left it's worthless and removed for rebuilding.

Most of our homes are built as wooden frames. on the exteriors we have a layer of weather insulating type material, then brick or siding. Siding can be wood or aluminum, or stucco type. Then on the interior side you'll find thick insulation batting or sprayed foam, then drywall. this layered sandwich structure is very energy efficient and it varies by region. Houses of concrete blocks only are not as energy efficient.

There are areas of the US where you might get away with building a concrete type home, and I have seen some modern designs that are heavy on concrete, but those are usually not typical for cost.

I live in the southern US. It's very HOT in the summer and we get tornadoes in the spring and fall. I have an all brick home, with spray foam insulation on all outside walls and 4 inside walls for sound in one particular room. right now my house is extremely efficient and I need it to be. I have two large units to cool it because of the footage and ceiling height. Last month I paid $532 to cool my house,:bigfrown and my upstairs AC is about to go out. ...I'm praying I can limp through the summer and I'll replace it in the winter so my cost will be cheaper. I keep the setting only 5 to 7 deg cooler than the outside temp and it's about 98 where I am today.

As for tornadoes, I have a room down stairs for that. Most stud frames are about 16 inches apart, but I have a reenforced laundry room on 8 inch stud centers with steal T-bands top and bottom on each stud. This room is centrally located within the house. If it's bad weather we get in there. It would be the last room to go in heavy winds.

 

[reba]

Abide,
Couple of the reasons could be habit and availability ..... houses on the prairie were made of sod. My dad lived in one some of it was cut in a hill side like a cave and the other part was sod... sod is what they had 100+ years ago....sod leaked in the heavy rains.... other areas may have had plenty of trees for lumber.... Some of the southwest and up into California we find some adobe... Adobe keeps the home cool in the hot weather....

Lumber is fairly cheep and easy to repair... our home is about 120 years old and made of wood...

 

[westtexas]

I keep the setting only 5 to 7 deg cooler than the outside temp and it's about 98 where I am today.

Why do you even turn it on? Just find a big ol shade tree!

 

[Danus]

Why do you even turn it on? Just find a big ol shade tree!

Well I have all the ceiling fans on and 3 oscillating fans, so it's not too bad and i can get it a few deg. cooler running it.

I need a new coil, and when I figure the cost of that, $1500 and the fact that the EPA now requires a new type of coolant, I'm better off replacing the whole darn thing. Last quote $3700, but $2900 if I do it in February when work is the slowest for these AC guys., so 1400 extra I get a new coil, compressor and the works. Also going to have some duct work redone so I have a better flow. It's not all that bad up there, but man we sure are spoiled. I keep the house at 73, and not that long ago people did not have AC

 

[jasoncran]

..why are most houses in the USA not made of stone and reinforced concrete and steel. It seems that sheet rock is mostly used. I have seen the devastation that tornadoes cause and when you look at the roofs, they are all thrown down like matchsticks. I know I know that the winds from the tornadoes are really high.

I have seen churches which look sturdy and built out of concrete. Is the price of concrete so prohibitive that people have to resort to sheet rock and other materials. When I read about the high mortgages people pay for houses I would think that they should be built of more sturdier materials.

I have lived in England and the houses are made of stone. Also in Europe houses are made of sturdy materials. Here in the Caribbean, most houses are built out of stone. With the hurricane force winds that prevail here, roofs have to sturdy to withstand the winds.

I am not being critical, I am just curious.

cost and my house is made out concrete block and it has steel go bolts in it. the houses that survive the canes the best are the 100 yeard old wooden houses that have petrified. today with my mom i looked at all the old wooden houses that go back that far. all of them took the 4 hurricanes(two of which the eye passed directly over the old homes.) yet they took minimal damage.