As a child I didn't understand why there are scenes of people punching/slamming through a wall in so many movies, it's horribly unrealistic. I only learned later that no, homes in the US have walls out of cardboard. Interesting choice for a country plagued by tornadoes.
@fluffy @Amikke @Archivist @LouisIngenthron
Drywall is cheap and easy to replace/fix. Building homes with solid walls isn't cost efficient at the scale that is being built/repaired year-round.
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/steps-drywalling-99043.html
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-Materials-Drywall-Drywall-Sheets/
Drywall A to Z Tutorial
https://yewtu.be/watch?v=VQIMaR7hWtM
@lucifargundam @fluffy @Archivist @LouisIngenthron
Forgive me for not trusting american resources written by people directly benefiting from drywall's need for replacing, but last time I checked brick walls didn't require nearly as much building/repairing since they generally stay where they're built, being solid and all.
@Amikke @fluffy @Archivist @LouisIngenthron
Seasonal earthquakes, floods and tornadoes don't care if it's made out of brick or drywall.
Cheaper to transport and rebuild with drywall from across the country than tons of brick.
@lucifargundam @fluffy @Archivist @LouisIngenthron that's true, in regions where disasters of that scale happen and everything will get wrecked anyway you might as well build from the cheaper material. But that's not the entire US. Also when it comes to tornadoes and hurricanes, all but the biggest usually rip the roof off and leave the rest of the brick building mostly intact, unlike with cardboard homes which just entirely become a part of the weather.
@Amikke @lucifargundam @fluffy @Archivist Honestly, that material is almost never used for exterior walls in America. You try to punch an exterior wall, your hand will be broken. We only use the cheap stuff on the inside.
@LouisIngenthron @lucifargundam @fluffy @Archivist every time a major tornado happens I see a lot of footage with entire neighbourhoods of american homes disintegrating completely, with no brick walls in sight. Similarly with footage of out of control cars flying through multiple walls like they were nothing.
@Amikke @lucifargundam @fluffy @Archivist Right, but usually those are mobile homes, which of course are built to shitty standards.
@LouisIngenthron @lucifargundam @fluffy @Archivist oh, makes sense, I forgot these are pretty popular there.
@Amikke @LouisIngenthron @fluffy @Archivist
Mobile homes are a fraction of the cost of conventional homes. They're not meant to last through generations of living in-place, but most of the time are done so anyway.
@lucifargundam @Amikke @fluffy @Archivist That's what happens in a country with unaffordable housing and no public option. 🤷♂️
@LouisIngenthron @Amikke @fluffy @Archivist
Slightly off topic:::
@lucifargundam @LouisIngenthron @Amikke @fluffy @Archivist Everything to avoid building panel blocks/commieblocks, even when it'd be safer, cheaper and more practical, lol.
@Amikke @lucifargundam @fluffy @Archivist We use brick all the time for exterior walls; just not so much for interior. The benefit there is that it's much easier to add insulation between the layers, easier to run plumbing/electric behind drywall, and it's easier to drive nails in for hanging things.
My house, in hurricane country, is made primarily of cinder block exterior with wood-framed gypsum board interior.
layers of brick are used as a facade in stick houses. however, that brick is cosmetic.
Yeah, I regularly joke that American houses are entirely made out of matchsticks
@Amikke To be fair, we only started making them out of cardboard after we stopped making them with asbestos. Older buildings here still have the stronger cancery ones.
Y'all remember the "3 Little Pigs" story? EU homes made out of stone, US homes made out of sticks, Japan homes (earthquake capital o/t world) made out of straw (actually, paper).
@nattiegoogie I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the solid wooden frame of traditional Japanese houses made them sturdier than the US cardboard huts.
FWIW, I worked light construction (meaning houses) for several years in the US, and I now live in the EU, and the — apparently flimsy — materials notwithstanding, US style home construction is actually very durable, and also easier to add-and-modify things like electrical lines, plumbing, and insulation.
Yes, EU construction is more durable, but not a lot more, certainly not as much as you would think, just looking at the materials used.
@Amikke
> Interesting choice for a country plagued by tornadoes.
Makes them cheaper to rebuild once the tornado is gone 😂
