Originally posted by Fatum:
I still cannot get over the fact that most houses in north america's built of wood ....
I was wondering about that when I first moved here... and subsequently discovered that there were a number of practical considerations to go with wood construction in residential structures:
1. Lumber is a readily-available raw material in the North American continent and is obtainable in a wide selection of grades to suit various construction applications (e.g., hardwoods for structural framing, softer woods for interior trim).
2. It is significantly more expensive and time-consuming to frame a residential structure out of concrete (though concrete is often used in the foundation of the structure).
3. Wood is lighter and less expensive to transport. Major structural components can be assembed off-site and then transported piecemeal to the construction site.
4. The interior portions of the North American continent experience wide temperature swings during the year, and concrete has significantly poorer insulation properties
vis-a-vis wood.