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England’s concrete crisis could extend to hospitals and courts, experts say
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 02 Sep 2023
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And timber frames are only manufacturer rated for 30 years. The Americans have been using them for decades, while in the uk we've only started to accept them recently.
My parisian building is timber framed (as many are in the city) and was built around 1860. We replaced the damaged wood this year, and it should be good for another 150 or 200 years.
It all depends how you build.
Damn socialist Frenchies with their... checks notebook timber framed buildings
You're aware Europe has the oldest timber framed buildings and the us took their building lead from old Europe.
You act like Europe decided stone was the better solution when that's just not true, Europe by in large deforested itself into leaving stone as the only affordable solution left and only then switched off timber framed homes.
The UK does import timber, though I imagine that greater distance adds cost.
https://www.eastcoastfencing.com/news/where-does-most-timber-in-the-uk-come-from
Says that Sweden is currently the largest single source.
Correct, they import timber now.
I'm surprised there's not more academic papers about the effect of shipbuilding on global forests. Farming is probably a bigger factor but shipbuilding is responsible for a weirdly huge amount of old growth.
Source for 30 year rating? I'm not aware of such in either Europe or North America. I found a few sites reporting that number but couldn't find an actual authority giving that rating.
Also, there's a difference between a wood (or stick) frame and a timber frame, at least if you're including North America in context. In our terminology, a timber frame has large timber beams and columns supporting the load, and dividing walls are put in between. A stick frame house uses smaller lumber studs, and most of the internal and external walls are supporting the floors or roof above.
American houses are stick frame, and with proper maintenance a stick frame house can last easily over 100 years. Wood doesn't rot if treated and maintained properly. Settling of the foundation is a bigger problem, and simply subject to ground conditions which would impact even a steel frame house.
Timber frame is becoming more popular again for large buildings though, since ~12"/30cm timber columns have pretty good fire ratings, can support 3-4 stories, and are good carbon sinks for more environmentally friendly construction versus concrete or steel. My city is putting up some 3 story timber apartment buildings that look pretty awesome.
Long story short, wood is a great, renewable construction material if you're smart about how you build with it and how you treat it.
30-45 years is what the frame manufacturers would give in guarantees, or expected life. Which is possibly why some mortgage providers class timber frame as non-standard construction.
In terms of actual age, the numbers I found suggest that properly maintained softwood frames can last in excess of 80 years.