Flimsy new builds?

[Anonymous]

I’ve never understood why we just accept these cheap, flimsy construction in this country. It’s not just houses, our first apartment in this country was in King Farm, and I could not believe how badly those units were put together. Zero soundproofing between units, no concrete between floors or walks. Just cheap plywood. We could hear everything the neighbors upstairs were doing. If you go to supposedly poorer countries in Europe, they are still building solid houses using bricks. The houses might not be as big, but they are solid. Don’t get me started on cheap roofing materials either. It seems like we are the only country that has an entire industry for replacing shingles on roofs every 10 years. Just put roofing tiles on once and they are good, forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very very few homes built today are well built. The vast majority just barely meet the current building code.

What are areas where you would pay for construction that exceeds code?

We just built a custom home and I also watched & learned from my parents building a home almost 30 years ago. I think there are a lot of misconceptions here about 'building to code'. Its being misapplied, I think, to mean 'inferior'. But "code' is a broad term that covers everything from carbon monoxide & fire detection systems, to wind truss bracing for.your roof. So let's take the roof example: how much load (wind, snow, seismic forces) your roof needs to be able to withstand is calculated by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and that's what referenced for your local code standards. So home plans have to meet that code, and those standards have changed over time as we do better science (ie, local conditions change and are measured, new materials become available, etc). So building to code is a good thing.

What people I think are confusing here is WORKMANSHIP as weil as building performance. You can have crappy workmanship or great workmanship--but that is not limited to some magical time period. I assure you, there was bad workmanship on 1950's homes too. Its just been ignored or corrected over the years. They are also mixing taste or aesthetics. You may think brick looks nicer than vinyl siding. Me too! **Spoiler, neither are great insulators. That is a design choice based on cost and availability and maybe changing aesthetics. Its not really a code issue. People see brick on modern houses and don't realize its brick veneer. Yes, someone mortered the brick, but behind it is still tyvek sheathing, for example. True brick had to have something else--you will find all sorts of stuff when you open up 1950's or 60's homes-horsehair plaster, asbestos. If brick and plaster was done well on YOUR 1950's home, congratulations. But they weren't all that way.

So back to your question. Our house was built to code. But there were certain areas where we valued additional performance. "Code" was perfectly safe, and when it comes to energy efficiency, 'code' was far superior to 'code' for my parents house. But we prioritized the following, and went further;
1. Energy efficiency -- we did 2x6 framing instead of 2x4. This gave us wider spacing for more insulation, and R-20 rather than r-15 (house stays cooler in summer, warmer in winter) and reduces load on our HVAC.
2. HVAC - we did a 5 stage heat pump system, rather than a 2 stage or old school systems that either on or off. Think of this like a dimmer switch for your system. Again, you don't have to do this. You'll be comfortable in a modern build--but we did the numbers since we don't plan to move anytime soon and the payback for lower utility bills was worth it.
3. Foundation--we waterproofed it, rather than damp proofing. Not strictly necessary because of where we live, but with a basement it was extra insurance against water issues.

I could go on (and on), but you get the idea.

Appreciate your long post but sorry to break it you - heap pumps are trash. If your parents did not have natural gas, then they should have used a propane tank. Also, best hvac practice is separate ductwork and hvac for each zone or level (depending size of home). The multiple zoning, multi system hvac is a gimmick promoted by low grade production builders and the hvac industry .As for brick veneer vs solid masonry, there is an ongoing debate particularly with today’s tighter homes and brick veneer being a superior practice for moisture management. Also, brick veneer is far superior to any exterior cladding in terms of energy efficiency (thermal mass) low maintenance, noise reduction, etc c. Signed - custom builder.

I hate to break it to you, but "thermal mass" is pseudo-science.

[Anonymous]

2x6 rather than 2x4 is better than code. It adds strength to the structure, in addition to allowing for more insulation.

Waterproofing rather than damp proofing also is better than code requires.

Brick is also better than code requires. Siding often is damaged in very high winds, even if installed perfectly. Brick will not be.

Spacing joists more closely than code requires also is better than code. This greatly increases the strength of the structure and eliminates floor squeaks.

"Workmanship" is the quality of the installation labor. It is not designing and engineering the structure to be better than the (bare minimum) required by code. Code is minimum quality, not good quality.

[Anonymous]

"The beam didn't turn to brisket because of poor framing; bulk water infiltration caused by shoddy exterior flashing and finish work did that (and sometimes poor design exacerbates it)."

Following this line of thought, the beam didn't rot because it wasn't strong enough, or because the material it was built from was weak or the wrong choice, or because it was undersized. By all accounts it was installed properly. There was nothing wrong with the beam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"The beam didn't turn to brisket because of poor framing; bulk water infiltration caused by shoddy exterior flashing and finish work did that (and sometimes poor design exacerbates it)."

Following this line of thought, the beam didn't rot because it wasn't strong enough, or because the material it was built from was weak or the wrong choice, or because it was undersized. By all accounts it was installed properly. There was nothing wrong with the beam.

A steel beam will rust in that situation, but it would take many decades to lose its structural integrity, rather than a few years with a wood beam.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"The beam didn't turn to brisket because of poor framing; bulk water infiltration caused by shoddy exterior flashing and finish work did that (and sometimes poor design exacerbates it)."

Following this line of thought, the beam didn't rot because it wasn't strong enough, or because the material it was built from was weak or the wrong choice, or because it was undersized. By all accounts it was installed properly. There was nothing wrong with the beam.

A steel beam will rust in that situation, but it would take many decades to lose its structural integrity, rather than a few years with a wood beam.

Or you could, you know, install the flashing properly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"The beam didn't turn to brisket because of poor framing; bulk water infiltration caused by shoddy exterior flashing and finish work did that (and sometimes poor design exacerbates it)."

Following this line of thought, the beam didn't rot because it wasn't strong enough, or because the material it was built from was weak or the wrong choice, or because it was undersized. By all accounts it was installed properly. There was nothing wrong with the beam.

A steel beam will rust in that situation, but it would take many decades to lose its structural integrity, rather than a few years with a wood beam.

There is nothing inherently better with steel than LVLs. They each have their place and each have their drawbacks (steel costs a lot more!). Neither will perform longterm if the exterior cladding is improper. Right now at a local DC university, there is an expensive project going on to replace a steel column and beam connection for a walkway because the water management was done poorly and for 20 years water was infiltrating and the steel column (holding a pedestrian walkway!) disintegrated. It lasted longer than wood, but also not of infinite duration. LVLs have a lot of advantages for residential construction (strength to weight, stability in seasonal changes, site assembly without major equipment, etc).

[Anonymous]

Termites do not eat steel or brick or concrete. Carpenter ants do not nest in them either.

Yes, they cost more. Quality often costs more in many fields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Termites do not eat steel or brick or concrete. Carpenter ants do not nest in them either.

Yes, they cost more. Quality often costs more in many fields.

Doing would increase the cost of the house substantially without increasing the value by one penny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Termites do not eat steel or brick or concrete. Carpenter ants do not nest in them either.

Yes, they cost more. Quality often costs more in many fields.

Doing would increase the cost of the house substantially without increasing the value by one penny.

We understand that the house flipper's focus is his/her short term profit and not quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Termites do not eat steel or brick or concrete. Carpenter ants do not nest in them either.

Yes, they cost more. Quality often costs more in many fields.

Doing would increase the cost of the house substantially without increasing the value by one penny.

We understand that the house flipper's focus is his/her short term profit and not quality.

You could live in the house for 30 years and the new buyers wouldn't care one whit about your steel and brick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Termites do not eat steel or brick or concrete. Carpenter ants do not nest in them either.

Yes, they cost more. Quality often costs more in many fields.

Doing would increase the cost of the house substantially without increasing the value by one penny.

We understand that the house flipper's focus is his/her short term profit and not quality.

You could live in the house for 30 years and the new buyers wouldn't care one whit about your steel and brick.

Not our actual experience selling a house, where buyers did pay a premium, but you do you.