Building materials are responsible for the design, quality, and providing comfort to its inmates. Hence, choosing the right materials for building your home is very important. While there is no shortage of different types of building materials, houses build with bricks and concrete are the most common worldwide.
Although Europeans prefer to build their houses with bricks, Americans build their houses using wood. But why do Americans not build houses with brick? The short answer could be the abundance of wood available in this region. Besides, wood shorten the period needed to build the house. Let’s dig deeper to find out why Americans don’t build their homes with brick and concrete.
Why Americans don’t use brick and concrete to build homes?
Building wooden houses is an age-old trend that is being carried from one generation to another soon after Europeans discovered America. Back then, the US had forests with trees in abundance. Hence, the process of building homes with timber was a lot easier compared with bricks.
Because deforestation is a major concern these days, apartments are more common in urban settlements and crowded regions such as Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and so on. Besides, buildings are built with bricks and concrete in the last century.
But the scenario in the countryside is different, where houses are still built with wood. Here are some reasons why American people prefer wood more than other building materials like bricks and concrete.
1. Availability of wood in abundance
To begin with, the US has a population density of 36 people per square kilometer as of 2020. Now, this is a lot less compared to countries like India and China. Moreover, most of the land in the US comprises farms, deserts, and woods. Therefore, wood is found in abundance.
Apart from that, building houses with timber has been going on for generations. And, it is an important part of the American identity. Even in some states, several logging companies tend to harvest a planet of lumber. However, the recent pandemic has caused a significant amount of lumber shortage.
But it is a matter of debate whether or not the pandemic has an impact on wood designated to be used for building homes. Because of the harvesting and processing of lumber in greater amounts in the US, it is normal to have buildings built with wood.
2. Easy expansions and renovations
The best part about houses built with wood is that they are easy to renovate compared to houses built with bricks and concrete. It is an easy affair to renovate a wooden house simply by replacing and applying the necessary components. Whereas, houses built with concrete and bricks require a considerable amount of effort.
Moreover, renovating these types of houses often ruins the finishing and takes away the visual appeal. Hence, to make sure that the finish stays as it was earlier, the whole area needs proper treatment. Also, if you are thinking about expanding your wooden house, the process is quite straightforward.
Because wood is lighter compared to bricks and concrete, the house doesn’t need a strong foundation. In general, wooden houses are based on frames and not on the foundation. But brick and concrete houses need a strong foundation so that they can carry the whole weight.
3. Wooden houses take less time to build compared to bricks and concrete
Houses made with bricks and concrete need a strong foundation along with a steel frame and several structural objects. Besides, you have to wait for a specific timeframe until a phase completes. That way, it takes plenty of time to build a brick and concrete house.
On the other hand, most builders and construction companies in the US are using wood to build houses faster. One good reason is that people are used to living in the current system for generations. And, modular building methods and prefabrication are becoming popular.
These kinds of homes have different parts constructed in a factory and they are transported to the customer site where it gets installed. All these things are possible because of wood. It is impossible to transport a house built with bricks and concrete to move from one place to another.
4. People like the style and feel of wood
Because Americans are familiar with wood, they like the feeling that it provides. Also, they are deeply attached to the style that these types of houses provide. As you know, the current method to build wooden houses is ancient.
And, people have been doing that for more than a hundred years. Typically, if you are used to something, it is hard to start adapting to new things. Very few people try something different in their life.
Why should consider building houses with bricks and concrete
Sometimes there are reasons why people should adopt other building materials other than wood to build their houses. Here are they explained in brief.
1. Wood is not always available
In general, it takes around 44 mature trees to build a wooden house with 2600 square feet of area.
2. Wood is getting expensive
With some of the latest supply issues going around with wood, it is clear that many people are drifting away from building houses with wood. Besides, deforestation is another issue that needs to be addressed. So, people should focus more on building homes with brick and concrete.
3. Brick and concrete are more durable
Wooden houses can barely resist extreme harsh weather conditions such as tornados or cyclones. They cause significant damage to wooden houses. Although wooden houses come with weather shields, they can guarantee against light weather conditions. However, bricks and concrete houses get damaged in extreme conditions. But the damages are less compared to wooden houses.
