@ retired US Navy aviation structural Mechanic 20+ i figured out that if you start learning everything you can across all trades things start all looking familiar and similar. I also make handmade boots/shoes and love welding love electronics, maintain my iwn diesel car and truck, etc. Time and being over whelmed is my issue.
Thank you for your service! With a skill set like that, Have you considering narrowing down and focusing on one to achieve mastery or start a business with just one or two things? A saying i live by is "You can do ANYTHING, but you cant do EVERY thing". I think mastery requires saying no to a lot of otherwise good opportunities
Sneaky - didn't realize I was watching a 12 minute ad. I tend to agree though that new houses suck and have first hand experience with a new home from Eastwood. Six months after moving in, I had a leak around the front door that nobody could figure out how it was coming in. The builder just threw their hands up in the air said nothing. I later sold the house and moved on. Current house I am in was handbuilt in the 1972 and is structrally sound. I can deal with that.
@@ncironhorse8367 I agree with the ad part. He’s a shill for concrete saying wood homes never last is confusing but I can see why. He’s trying to sell concrete. However I agree. New construction is crappy.
I do not believ the American dream was ever to own a home, it was to own land. How far we've fallen from the truth as the ones controlling the economy have converted this dream into a nightmare.
I'm a Home inspector in Philadelphia Pa, your right! Most of the new homes built in this area are much larger than previous homes, 2500sq ft +, and the price reflects the increase in size, yet the quality and design is the same....no improvements, just bigger, same low grade materials....builders brag....I built it according to code....$700,000 home with OSB floors and roof, no sheathing on the walls, plastic switch plate covers, chrome plated plastic faucets, boring and borderline unsafe stairway railings, crappy finished floors ...vinyl or plastic laminate...hollow doors, no details in moldings
Thankfully I opted not to buy the house I'm renting now. It's 2 years old, and none of the doors close properly, the doors don't close properly, the lights flicker, the breaker pops every time I turn on the oven (there's no gas), the drain has a vent under the sink that creates so much humidity when I run the dishwasher that water pools, there are cracks in the ceilings where you can see seems, I've had to reattach almost all of the towel racks that came pre-installed because they didn't use anchors in the drywall and I've had to re-hang two doors because they fell off because they only used two screws and they open too wide so they pulled the hinges out of the wall. Probably the most annoying thing, because I live in Texas, is that the AC/ Heater only works on the upstairs and doesn't push air to the bottom floor because they didn't use any baffles in the ducts and there's only one thermostat that's downstairs, so if you set the heat to 70, it heats the second floor to 90 while still being 68 down stairs. During the summer it's less extreme (thermodynamics I guess) but still about a 10 degree difference. The AC runs constantly during the summer because the unit isn't powerful enough to cool the house and can only kind of maintain the temperature, so hopefully it cools off enough at night so the AC can keep it below 80 during the day. My family is the first people to live in this house, so we didn't notice how cheap everything was at first, but after a while it's starting to really show. They have a huge soaker tup in the master bathroom, but I don't use it because I don't trust the floor to hold the weight and there is textured drywall on the walls surrounding the tub. The seperate shower is really small and then I realized it was perfectly 2 tiles wide x 2 tiles wide x 2 tiles wide. OK last thing, I remembered this as I saw it while writing this comment. They must have put the baseboards in before the flooring because there is baseboard and then there is another piece of quarter round moulding that's covering where the floor meets the baseboard and the windowsills are just a cut piece of board that isn't even sanded on the end. I think it might be the same board they used for the half wall that goes partway up the stairs. OK, OK, one last thing. I went into the attic to check the ducts when we first moved in and noticed that they just left their trash up there. Like empty water bottles and cutoff pieces and some of the stringers aren't attached to anything, but you can't tell because the insulation covers it (and the trash). I don't think they were aiming for 20 years with this house. I think they gave it a 1 year warranty because that's all the faith they had in it. Our two year lease is ending in about a month and we can't wait to move.
Great video! I'm an electrical/RF engineer, been studying construction via videos etc. The issue I've seen with concrete including foundations is the steel rebar, which rusts so fast the concrete won't last more than approx 50 to 100 years. Is why big high rises get torn down and replaced after less than 100 years. What's your opinion on this and the use of alternatives to steel rebar such as the FRP or similar fiberglass-based rebar?
I think they’re great products They will better withstand corrosion, however they may allow greater deflection in a structure than steel , It’s likely be better suited for commercial and industrial jobs, not quite cost effective for residential I believe the longevity of steel rebar n concrete can be prolonged by protecting the concrete from water, ICF does this well, with the concrete being protected by closed cell foam, a waterproofing layer, dimple mat, and a capillary break at the footer drastically reducing the amount of water that gets to the concrete, thereby reducing corrosion
I don't think that case exclusive to US only. That happen everywhere. In response to 10:54, that's only applied to customs build home with willing owner. Here in Indonesia, newer home also built with lower quality then the older ones. Most of new homes tend to use light bricks (made from AAC, which is much weaker than red brick and concrete), hollow bricks (without fill the hollow gap with mortar), and non-standardized red bricks, maybe some still use standardize stronger and high quality red bricks, but it only used in customs home for those who can afford it, and willing spend more to use it. Even the people (the end customer) don't even care, and expect the building only last for 30-50 years max. Ordinary peoples will find those who care about making much stronger and long-lasting building but cost much more is weird and a waste of money, maybe it's not weird for wealthy peoples, but for ordinary people even those in upper class will find it weird.
Concrete buildings often resist storms better than wood houses, but that doesn't mean they will automatically last longer. Modern concrete (as opposed to Roman concrete) is, on the average, one of the most short lived building materials, though its longevity varies a lot depending on the quality of local materials and local conditions. That apartment block outside Miami was only 40 years old when it collapsed a few years ago and a number of nearby buildings, all affected by the same salty air, were flagged for similar structural problems. In contrast, wood construction, while more vulnerable to fire, is much easier to repair if any structural problems arise. I suspect that most of today's cheapest, ugliest vinyl-sided boxes will last as long as people value their configurations and locations, though nearly all will need new siding fairly early and some will probably have de-lamination problems with the assemblies that are held together with glue. Sure, some modern building shortcuts will eventually be scorned, but I'm old enough to remember plastic bathroom tiles, un-reinforced masonry foundations, peeling plaster, aluminum wiring, steel piping, and heating pipes embedded in concrete with no liner. Most of the houses built with those shortcuts were fixed and are still standing, so I wouldn't count today's crackerboxes out just yet.
@@pcno2832 good point. I agree saying concrete would automatically last longer is false. Sometimes in seismic areas concrete can fail. You wouldn’t know if there’s damage to the structure until it’s too late because it likely would collapse in on you.
One big problem is that care and intelligent design are required to increase efficiency without increasing rot. It's much easier to add insulation without accounting for potential condensation. You save a few bucks a year in utilities, but 20 years down the road you own a pile of rotted wood.
Correct , ICF avoids this problem, with multiple control layers and continuous insulation However, it can be achieved with wood too, with enough exterior insulation on a wood house, the dew point moves outside. where, with proper ventilation, the condensation can dry out and avoid creating mold and rotten framing
@@Artemeco there’s also vapor barriers that prevent moisture problems however I agree just insulating is not enough you need seal up as much cracks as possible and have good dehumidification.
Self building a small 1000sqft home here. Time came to buy the entry door. Wanted a good commercial quality door. But commercial doors are not approved for use in residential construction. So I was forded to buy a door made from cardboard and sawdust. Yes, literally. All the doors approved for residential use new construction are made from cardboard and plywood. It is not legal here in canada to install a good quality door.
6:38 to be fair a lot of buyers don't care either. A lot of people would rather buy bigger homes that look flashy then smaller well build homes. They know they will not stay in the house for for that long amdnthen it will be someone else's problem.
You’re right, but what a tragedy We should stop doing that In my experience, buyers that understand true value and want luxury will want the better quality,
Finally someone who says the quiet part out loud lol. The builders are selling the home only to the first buyer who will on average only live there for 7 years. That buyer wants the “fanciest” house their money can buy and they either don’t know enough to realize the house is low quality or they know but don’t care because almost everything will last long enough that it will be the next person’s problem. Also it should be added that I believe (at least in my area) that new houses are built leaps and bounds better than what they did in the 1980s and 1990s. Nowadays they use sealant around all the bottom plates in the walls and use waterproofing that can’t even be compared to the almost utter lack of waterproofing in the 80s, 90s. I call houses built in the 80s Raegan era construction and it seems his policies of de regulation seeped into the home builder industry as well.
9:01 I know house fires are rare, but I've heard that homes with TJIs can collapse pretty quick. Two FF's died here 17 years ago while fighting a modern construction fire. Apparently occupants of new homes now have only 6-8 minutes to escape before it's fully involved.
%100 right, Some call them Firefighter killers in my area. It’s tricky because TJIs are perfectly straight up like dimensional lumber and can span large distances, dimensional lumber will have some added strength / fire resistance, but may have defects imperfections being a natural wood product, Composite steel joists are likely the best option, but add cost, so it will depend on the individual customer’s desires and budgets
Ummm... the key point is 17 years ago. Do you think we've learned nothing? Insulating those cavities and/or drywalling to form a fire barrier reduces the risk.
Quality of lumber has went down as the earlier settler's used up most of the good Heartwood. Most lumber today is new growth which is why it's full of knots, bowed, or cupped. Quality of craftsmanship went down bc the GC prioritize meeting deadlines by any means necessary. Concrete built homes can be a disaster too if there is any cracking or too much settling. Any electrical or plumbing issues will cost much more in repairs as well due to having to cut out the concrete and patch it back. Everything in life has it's risks there are no guarantees. Just do your due diligence and make the choice that you think is best for you
Valid points With ICF, we run the electrical and plumbing through chases in the foam or frame in 2x4 walls for service channels in certain spots, we don’t typically run utilities through the concrete itself And yes the foundation does require some extra attention. We perform a subsurface exploration (soil test) with a lab analysis by a geotechnical engineer and we use a compacted angular stone rather than pea gravel under footers, combined with a heftier footing To minimize settling and keep it uniform
It really is all about speed and money. And the recession from 2006 thru 2010 really screwed us over. I have been working in construction since the early 90's. And so many good folks walked off to other jobs or retired during that time. So we lost a vast amount of knowledge and integrity. In 2018 i joined a new firm and instead of just doing the wood parts of a house, ie framing and trim and cabinetry, i now assist with hvac, electrical and plumbing. The boss and the other guy have a much better idea on how to do those specific parts of the job, but none of us has specific traing for them. It really isn't that hard or that much more expensive to build a decent stick built house. Keep water and critters out and conditioned air in. Make sure all of your load points are properly supported all the way to the foundation. But i guess every extra hour, nail, 2 x 4 and piece of flashing eats into a profit margin. I have taken to watching a few home inspector chanels on you tube and i am horrified by some of what i see. There is absolutely no reason for homes to be built that poorly. And couple this with how short on homes we are overall as a nation, we have a disaster on our hands.
I couldn’t agree with you more Most builders today are businessmen, not craftsmen Even if new houses cost more to be built right , I believe they would still sell,
I’m currently tearing down a house I built in 1985 so I can use the materials in a new project. Some of the structural materials required planning because the dimensions were different from the wood in the eighties. Also am using 2x4 s from a house I salvaged from the late fifties. Where it was kept dry,it’s good as new,and a lot stronger than the new lumber. I’m not in a hurry,I use screws instead of nails. The carpenters use 12 and 10 common nails in those days so they look like rebar compared to the gun nails in current use. There’s some justification for planned obsolescence. Nobody wants to buy the reasonable houses from the sixties and seventies. They want a facade to impress from the street. I’ve built some ICF and like its strength but in residential people are constantly remodeling so the cardboard houses are easier to work with.
Wow super interesting! You’re right about ICF being tricker to remodel too, not impossible, but sawing through walls with a cut and break saw can be intimidating and likely requires and engineers approval I did design one home that had a doorway in the ICF that was specifically designed planning for an addition later on. Out first idea was to leave out reinforcement and run linters over the door and fill the opening with concrete, then we moved the plan around and out the patio door there, now the owner can simply dowel into the existing foundation, change the door to an interior door, and build the addition when they’re ready
My home is 60 years old basic ranch built good going no where for 50 more .if these house are just built well and stick to plywood and 2by10 or 12s dont max out the floor spans and don t drop loads in the middle of floors . i think they should last over 100 years .
In theory yes, However the quality of lumber is much worse than in decades past. It’s low quality studs, OSB, TJIs and often poor workmanship. I think it’s time for better quality, materials, and standards .
Be careful to not fall for survivorship bias. The old houses that survived did so because they were best of their time. However you don't see a lot of houses from that time period for a reason. For example tenement housing was cheap terrible and fire prone. I think a more worthwhile question when studying the remaining old houses is why they lasted that long. Not to assume all houses built then we're better
@@aknorth1053 I agree. Also it’s hard to generalize all new construction too and say it’ll rot because of the insulation strategy. Which houses rot and fall apart obviously don’t have good moisture management and were doomed anyway. Same goes for old homes.
One must remember that the square footage of the home has greatly increased since '60. At that time homes were about 996 square feet. Homes have gotten worse due to the quality of the material and short cuts taken by the contractors. DR Horton is considered one of the worst. Do not buy.
You’re %100 right, after the 1960s/1970s the trend became “as much square footage, as cheap as possible” which has continued up until today In order to keep homes affordable, I would like to see homes get smaller, but go up in quality
My house was built in 1984 by a scumbag named Sawyer in Milton VT. It should have been torn down but I needed a place to live. I’ve basically replaced everything section by section. It should last much longer this time but unfortunately it’s not the type of house you’d want to grow old in. Too many stairs being a split level.
Wow, I’m sorry to hear that It’s a good thing you have the knowledge and skills to repair it. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the split level, but I have to remind myself it’s about giving the customer what they want, not what I think they should have 😅
I point out that the Gold Bond product you refer to as a quality material, contains asbestos. It actually is a very sturdy product and weathers well. Many folks wouldn't want the asbestos, however.
For the time, it was considered high tech! Asbestos fiber shingles were highly durable, however we now know that when the products become friable they pose a health hazard
The generic name for the product was asbestos cement board. Some folks might remember the best known brand, Transite. In most cases they remain intact on an exterior wall. You would have to take precautions if you (let’s say) cut in a new window opening.
@@Artemeco I've seen fires that spread from house to house in old vinyl sided neighborhoods, but stopped at the house that still had asbestos shingles under its vinyl. The closest thing to those shingles today is fiber cement, though in some places stucco and brick veneer, which should also block a fire, are still common.
Until new construction in 2024 starts getting defects fixed and builders get held accountable, we won’t see many of them lasting long at all. There’s also survivorship bias with old houses meaning the ones that didn’t last were all torn down. But poor quality homes is a problem amongst many developed nations and it honestly makes me upset because new construction houses used to be more well-built not too long ago and have lasted 40+ years at this point. We’re just asking them to build correctly to the minimum standards or even exceed them but they can’t even do that. Good video. However not all hope is lost. Some builders are good and the more we discuss this problem the more these issues will be addressed slowly but surely.
The fiat banking cartel has for decades depreciated the currency at the rate of ap.50% every 17 years as your housing price graph showed. Quality suffers under this situation and I expect that the US construction practices will get about like Japan where quality is very low and only made to last for 40 years.
Building pier and beam buildings for millennials that will last 50 years minimum, 80 to 100 grand 600 to 800 Sq ft with removable end wall for addition, buy intelligently.
Is this a cement industry propaganda piece? Much of what you say is true. But I stop you at the 12:ish mark. Wood construction is fine and can last a century if built well.
As a builder that specializes in concrete houses, yes, we are a bit biased. Although, I would not call wood construction "fine" and I don't see many modern homes surviving 100 years or more. Modern lumber is projected to have a shorter life span than old growth lumber. Furthermore, With all of the added benefits of concrete (ICF) it is a massive amount of value added for only a small initial investment, in most cases it makes no sense to continue building wood houses.
@@Artemeco The concrete industry accounts for about 8% of GHGs. Building with wood is a carbon sink that reduces GHGs. Think about your kids. When you look them in the eye on your deathbed, will they agree with you?
I'm so glad you brought this up, The last resort of the wood frame defenders. "Think of the environment". Producing lumber is not Carbon neutral. We have to use gas powered equipment to grow, harvest, plane, manufacture, and transport the lumber. Deforesting the earth is not good for the environment either. Furthermore, You must consider the longevity of a building. If a concrete house lasts 300 years and a wood house lasts 75 and has to be rebuilt 4 times in the same time span, which had a greater environmental impact? You are correct in your observance of Concrete impact on the environment, I believe the next step is to use Eco-Friendly concrete. There are a few being developed which solves the carbon issue, the longevity issue, and with a product like ICF we are also solving the energy usage issue by building highly efficient homes that use less energy.
Its not only the quality of new houses its largely impossible to find honest good contractors, mechanics, etc. Everything has gone to shit.
Yes, it can be frustrating at times, but don’t lose hope they’re out there!
@@Artemeco i do all my own work
What trade do you specialize in?
@ retired US Navy aviation structural
Mechanic 20+ i figured out that if you start learning everything you can across all trades things start all looking familiar and similar. I also make handmade boots/shoes and love welding love electronics, maintain my iwn diesel car and truck, etc. Time and being over whelmed is my issue.
Thank you for your service!
With a skill set like that, Have you considering narrowing down and focusing on one to achieve mastery or start a business with just one or two things?
A saying i live by is "You can do ANYTHING, but you cant do EVERY thing". I think mastery requires saying no to a lot of otherwise good opportunities
It’s not the use of unskilled labor to keep the costs down, it’s to keep the profits up.
Sneaky - didn't realize I was watching a 12 minute ad. I tend to agree though that new houses suck and have first hand experience with a new home from Eastwood. Six months after moving in, I had a leak around the front door that nobody could figure out how it was coming in. The builder just threw their hands up in the air said nothing. I later sold the house and moved on. Current house I am in was handbuilt in the 1972 and is structrally sound. I can deal with that.
@@ncironhorse8367 I agree with the ad part. He’s a shill for concrete saying wood homes never last is confusing but I can see why. He’s trying to sell concrete. However I agree. New construction is crappy.
I do not believ the American dream was ever to own a home, it was to own land. How far we've fallen from the truth as the ones controlling the economy have converted this dream into a nightmare.
I'm a Home inspector in Philadelphia Pa, your right! Most of the new homes built in this area are much larger than previous homes, 2500sq ft +, and the price reflects the increase in size, yet the quality and design is the same....no improvements, just bigger, same low grade materials....builders brag....I built it according to code....$700,000 home with OSB floors and roof, no sheathing on the walls, plastic switch plate covers, chrome plated plastic faucets, boring and borderline unsafe stairway railings, crappy finished floors ...vinyl or plastic laminate...hollow doors, no details in moldings
Thankfully I opted not to buy the house I'm renting now. It's 2 years old, and none of the doors close properly, the doors don't close properly, the lights flicker, the breaker pops every time I turn on the oven (there's no gas), the drain has a vent under the sink that creates so much humidity when I run the dishwasher that water pools, there are cracks in the ceilings where you can see seems, I've had to reattach almost all of the towel racks that came pre-installed because they didn't use anchors in the drywall and I've had to re-hang two doors because they fell off because they only used two screws and they open too wide so they pulled the hinges out of the wall.
Probably the most annoying thing, because I live in Texas, is that the AC/ Heater only works on the upstairs and doesn't push air to the bottom floor because they didn't use any baffles in the ducts and there's only one thermostat that's downstairs, so if you set the heat to 70, it heats the second floor to 90 while still being 68 down stairs. During the summer it's less extreme (thermodynamics I guess) but still about a 10 degree difference. The AC runs constantly during the summer because the unit isn't powerful enough to cool the house and can only kind of maintain the temperature, so hopefully it cools off enough at night so the AC can keep it below 80 during the day.
My family is the first people to live in this house, so we didn't notice how cheap everything was at first, but after a while it's starting to really show. They have a huge soaker tup in the master bathroom, but I don't use it because I don't trust the floor to hold the weight and there is textured drywall on the walls surrounding the tub. The seperate shower is really small and then I realized it was perfectly 2 tiles wide x 2 tiles wide x 2 tiles wide.
OK last thing, I remembered this as I saw it while writing this comment. They must have put the baseboards in before the flooring because there is baseboard and then there is another piece of quarter round moulding that's covering where the floor meets the baseboard and the windowsills are just a cut piece of board that isn't even sanded on the end. I think it might be the same board they used for the half wall that goes partway up the stairs.
OK, OK, one last thing. I went into the attic to check the ducts when we first moved in and noticed that they just left their trash up there. Like empty water bottles and cutoff pieces and some of the stringers aren't attached to anything, but you can't tell because the insulation covers it (and the trash).
I don't think they were aiming for 20 years with this house. I think they gave it a 1 year warranty because that's all the faith they had in it. Our two year lease is ending in about a month and we can't wait to move.
Wow,
That’s so bad it should be a crime tense 😬
Good thing you didn’t get stuck with it!
I'm living in double wide built in 1988 with cardboard sheathing , the house has a few issues but nothing major and I couldn't be happier
I’m watching this from my 124 year old structural brick home… been here 124 years, currently doing repairs so it’ll be here for another 124.
Interesting!
Where do you live that has solid masonry construction? Not super common here in the US
@ House was built in 1900, I’m in Western Maryland -
Great video! I'm an electrical/RF engineer, been studying construction via videos etc. The issue I've seen with concrete including foundations is the steel rebar, which rusts so fast the concrete won't last more than approx 50 to 100 years. Is why big high rises get torn down and replaced after less than 100 years. What's your opinion on this and the use of alternatives to steel rebar such as the FRP or similar fiberglass-based rebar?
I think they’re great products
They will better withstand corrosion, however they may allow greater deflection in a structure than steel , It’s likely be better suited for commercial and industrial jobs, not quite cost effective for residential
I believe the longevity of steel rebar n concrete can be prolonged by protecting the concrete from water, ICF does this well, with the concrete being protected by closed cell foam, a waterproofing layer, dimple mat, and a capillary break at the footer drastically reducing the amount of water that gets to the concrete, thereby reducing corrosion
I don't think that case exclusive to US only. That happen everywhere.
In response to 10:54, that's only applied to customs build home with willing owner. Here in Indonesia, newer home also built with lower quality then the older ones.
Most of new homes tend to use light bricks (made from AAC, which is much weaker than red brick and concrete), hollow bricks (without fill the hollow gap with mortar), and non-standardized red bricks, maybe some still use standardize stronger and high quality red bricks, but it only used in customs home for those who can afford it, and willing spend more to use it. Even the people (the end customer) don't even care, and expect the building only last for 30-50 years max.
Ordinary peoples will find those who care about making much stronger and long-lasting building but cost much more is weird and a waste of money, maybe it's not weird for wealthy peoples, but for ordinary people even those in upper class will find it weird.
Concrete buildings often resist storms better than wood houses, but that doesn't mean they will automatically last longer. Modern concrete (as opposed to Roman concrete) is, on the average, one of the most short lived building materials, though its longevity varies a lot depending on the quality of local materials and local conditions. That apartment block outside Miami was only 40 years old when it collapsed a few years ago and a number of nearby buildings, all affected by the same salty air, were flagged for similar structural problems. In contrast, wood construction, while more vulnerable to fire, is much easier to repair if any structural problems arise. I suspect that most of today's cheapest, ugliest vinyl-sided boxes will last as long as people value their configurations and locations, though nearly all will need new siding fairly early and some will probably have de-lamination problems with the assemblies that are held together with glue. Sure, some modern building shortcuts will eventually be scorned, but I'm old enough to remember plastic bathroom tiles, un-reinforced masonry foundations, peeling plaster, aluminum wiring, steel piping, and heating pipes embedded in concrete with no liner. Most of the houses built with those shortcuts were fixed and are still standing, so I wouldn't count today's crackerboxes out just yet.
@@pcno2832 good point. I agree saying concrete would automatically last longer is false. Sometimes in seismic areas concrete can fail. You wouldn’t know if there’s damage to the structure until it’s too late because it likely would collapse in on you.
One big problem is that care and intelligent design are required to increase efficiency without increasing rot. It's much easier to add insulation without accounting for potential condensation. You save a few bucks a year in utilities, but 20 years down the road you own a pile of rotted wood.
Correct ,
ICF avoids this problem, with multiple control layers and continuous insulation
However, it can be achieved with wood too, with enough exterior insulation on a wood house, the dew point moves outside. where, with proper ventilation, the condensation can dry out and avoid creating mold and rotten framing
@@Artemeco there’s also vapor barriers that prevent moisture problems however I agree just insulating is not enough you need seal up as much cracks as possible and have good dehumidification.
Self building a small 1000sqft home here. Time came to buy the entry door. Wanted a good commercial quality door. But commercial doors are not approved for use in residential construction. So I was forded to buy a door made from cardboard and sawdust. Yes, literally. All the doors approved for residential use new construction are made from cardboard and plywood. It is not legal here in canada to install a good quality door.
6:38 to be fair a lot of buyers don't care either. A lot of people would rather buy bigger homes that look flashy then smaller well build homes. They know they will not stay in the house for for that long amdnthen it will be someone else's problem.
You’re right, but what a tragedy
We should stop doing that
In my experience, buyers that understand true value and want luxury will want the better quality,
Finally someone who says the quiet part out loud lol. The builders are selling the home only to the first buyer who will on average only live there for 7 years. That buyer wants the “fanciest” house their money can buy and they either don’t know enough to realize the house is low quality or they know but don’t care because almost everything will last long enough that it will be the next person’s problem. Also it should be added that I believe (at least in my area) that new houses are built leaps and bounds better than what they did in the 1980s and 1990s. Nowadays they use sealant around all the bottom plates in the walls and use waterproofing that can’t even be compared to the almost utter lack of waterproofing in the 80s, 90s. I call houses built in the 80s Raegan era construction and it seems his policies of de regulation seeped into the home builder industry as well.
9:01 I know house fires are rare, but I've heard that homes with TJIs can collapse pretty quick. Two FF's died here 17 years ago while fighting a modern construction fire. Apparently occupants of new homes now have only 6-8 minutes to escape before it's fully involved.
%100 right,
Some call them Firefighter killers in my area.
It’s tricky because TJIs are perfectly straight up like dimensional lumber and can span large distances, dimensional lumber will have some added strength / fire resistance, but may have defects imperfections being a natural wood product,
Composite steel joists are likely the best option, but add cost, so it will depend on the individual customer’s desires and budgets
Ummm... the key point is 17 years ago. Do you think we've learned nothing? Insulating those cavities and/or drywalling to form a fire barrier reduces the risk.
Quality of lumber has went down as the earlier settler's used up most of the good Heartwood. Most lumber today is new growth which is why it's full of knots, bowed, or cupped. Quality of craftsmanship went down bc the GC prioritize meeting deadlines by any means necessary. Concrete built homes can be a disaster too if there is any cracking or too much settling. Any electrical or plumbing issues will cost much more in repairs as well due to having to cut out the concrete and patch it back. Everything in life has it's risks there are no guarantees. Just do your due diligence and make the choice that you think is best for you
Valid points
With ICF, we run the electrical and plumbing through chases in the foam or frame in 2x4 walls for service channels in certain spots, we don’t typically run utilities through the concrete itself
And yes the foundation does require some extra attention. We perform a subsurface exploration (soil test) with a lab analysis by a geotechnical engineer and we use a compacted angular stone rather than pea gravel under footers, combined with a heftier footing
To minimize settling and keep it uniform
It really is all about speed and money. And the recession from 2006 thru 2010 really screwed us over. I have been working in construction since the early 90's. And so many good folks walked off to other jobs or retired during that time. So we lost a vast amount of knowledge and integrity. In 2018 i joined a new firm and instead of just doing the wood parts of a house, ie framing and trim and cabinetry, i now assist with hvac, electrical and plumbing. The boss and the other guy have a much better idea on how to do those specific parts of the job, but none of us has specific traing for them.
It really isn't that hard or that much more expensive to build a decent stick built house. Keep water and critters out and conditioned air in. Make sure all of your load points are properly supported all the way to the foundation. But i guess every extra hour, nail, 2 x 4 and piece of flashing eats into a profit margin.
I have taken to watching a few home inspector chanels on you tube and i am horrified by some of what i see. There is absolutely no reason for homes to be built that poorly. And couple this with how short on homes we are overall as a nation, we have a disaster on our hands.
I couldn’t agree with you more
Most builders today are businessmen, not craftsmen
Even if new houses cost more to be built right , I believe they would still sell,
I’m currently tearing down a house I built in 1985 so I can use the materials in a new project. Some of the structural materials required planning because the dimensions were different from the wood in the eighties. Also am using 2x4 s from a house I salvaged from the late fifties. Where it was kept dry,it’s good as new,and a lot stronger than the new lumber. I’m not in a hurry,I use screws instead of nails. The carpenters use 12 and 10 common nails in those days so they look like rebar compared to the gun nails in current use.
There’s some justification for planned obsolescence. Nobody wants to buy the reasonable houses from the sixties and seventies. They want a facade to impress from the street.
I’ve built some ICF and like its strength but in residential people are constantly remodeling so the cardboard houses are easier to work with.
Wow super interesting!
You’re right about ICF being tricker to remodel too, not impossible, but sawing through walls with a cut and break saw can be intimidating and likely requires and engineers approval
I did design one home that had a doorway in the ICF that was specifically designed planning for an addition later on. Out first idea was to leave out reinforcement and run linters over the door and fill the opening with concrete, then we moved the plan around and out the patio door there, now the owner can simply dowel into the existing foundation, change the door to an interior door, and build the addition when they’re ready
My home is 60 years old basic ranch built good going no where for 50 more .if these house are just built well and stick to plywood and 2by10 or 12s dont max out the floor spans and don t drop loads in the middle of floors . i think they should last over 100 years .
In theory yes,
However the quality of lumber is much worse than in decades past.
It’s low quality studs, OSB, TJIs and often poor workmanship.
I think it’s time for better quality, materials, and standards .
Be careful to not fall for survivorship bias. The old houses that survived did so because they were best of their time. However you don't see a lot of houses from that time period for a reason. For example tenement housing was cheap terrible and fire prone. I think a more worthwhile question when studying the remaining old houses is why they lasted that long. Not to assume all houses built then we're better
@@aknorth1053 I agree. Also it’s hard to generalize all new construction too and say it’ll rot because of the insulation strategy. Which houses rot and fall apart obviously don’t have good moisture management and were doomed anyway. Same goes for old homes.
Dutch Boy 90% lead paint. LOL I imagine a painter in the 50s relaxing at the end of the day with a cold Duff beer and a Laramie high tar cigarette.
One must remember that the square footage of the home has greatly increased since '60. At that time homes were about 996 square feet. Homes have gotten worse due to the quality of the material and short cuts taken by the contractors. DR Horton is considered one of the worst. Do not buy.
You’re %100 right, after the 1960s/1970s the trend became “as much square footage, as cheap as possible” which has continued up until today
In order to keep homes affordable, I would like to see homes get smaller, but go up in quality
My house was built in 1984 by a scumbag named Sawyer in Milton VT. It should have been torn down but I needed a place to live. I’ve basically replaced everything section by section. It should last much longer this time but unfortunately it’s not the type of house you’d want to grow old in. Too many stairs being a split level.
Wow, I’m sorry to hear that
It’s a good thing you have the knowledge and skills to repair it.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the split level, but I have to remind myself it’s about giving the customer what they want, not what I think they should have 😅
I point out that the Gold Bond product you refer to as a quality material, contains asbestos. It actually is a very sturdy product and weathers well. Many folks wouldn't want the asbestos, however.
For the time, it was considered high tech!
Asbestos fiber shingles were highly durable, however we now know that when the products become friable they pose a health hazard
The generic name for the product was asbestos cement board. Some folks might remember the best known brand, Transite. In most cases they remain intact on an exterior wall. You would have to take precautions if you (let’s say) cut in a new window opening.
There’s a lot of buildings which still have asbestos products, so long as they are properly sealed and not disturbed they are okay to remain
@@Artemeco I've seen fires that spread from house to house in old vinyl sided neighborhoods, but stopped at the house that still had asbestos shingles under its vinyl. The closest thing to those shingles today is fiber cement, though in some places stucco and brick veneer, which should also block a fire, are still common.
@@Artemeco I agree. Whether lenders and regulators agree will be something we will hear about in the future.
Until new construction in 2024 starts getting defects fixed and builders get held accountable, we won’t see many of them lasting long at all. There’s also survivorship bias with old houses meaning the ones that didn’t last were all torn down. But poor quality homes is a problem amongst many developed nations and it honestly makes me upset because new construction houses used to be more well-built not too long ago and have lasted 40+ years at this point. We’re just asking them to build correctly to the minimum standards or even exceed them but they can’t even do that. Good video. However not all hope is lost. Some builders are good and the more we discuss this problem the more these issues will be addressed slowly but surely.
well said!
The fiat banking cartel has for decades depreciated the currency at the rate of ap.50% every 17 years as your housing price graph showed. Quality suffers under this situation and I expect that the US construction practices will get about like Japan where quality is very low and only made to last for 40 years.
I find good channels before they become famous, you are a good channel.
Thank you! 🙏 😊
Watched a 750k home being built next-door what junk. My homes all ICF. There's tape and plastic.
We need 3-D printed homes.
Typical salesman B/S . A bank would write a 30 year note on a house designed to last 20 years
The problem with you is...... you are in IL. Come down here to Tennessee.
What is the solution ? Build at a cost of one million ?
Building pier and beam buildings for millennials that will last 50 years minimum, 80 to 100 grand 600 to 800 Sq ft with removable end wall for addition, buy intelligently.
The answer to all of your questions is: capitalism.
Is this a cement industry propaganda piece? Much of what you say is true. But I stop you at the 12:ish mark. Wood construction is fine and can last a century if built well.
As a builder that specializes in concrete houses, yes, we are a bit biased.
Although, I would not call wood construction "fine" and I don't see many modern homes surviving 100 years or more. Modern lumber is projected to have a shorter life span than old growth lumber.
Furthermore, With all of the added benefits of concrete (ICF) it is a massive amount of value added for only a small initial investment, in most cases it makes no sense to continue building wood houses.
@@Artemeco The concrete industry accounts for about 8% of GHGs. Building with wood is a carbon sink that reduces GHGs. Think about your kids. When you look them in the eye on your deathbed, will they agree with you?
I'm so glad you brought this up,
The last resort of the wood frame defenders. "Think of the environment". Producing lumber is not Carbon neutral. We have to use gas powered equipment to grow, harvest, plane, manufacture, and transport the lumber. Deforesting the earth is not good for the environment either.
Furthermore, You must consider the longevity of a building. If a concrete house lasts 300 years and a wood house lasts 75 and has to be rebuilt 4 times in the same time span, which had a greater environmental impact?
You are correct in your observance of Concrete impact on the environment, I believe the next step is to use Eco-Friendly concrete. There are a few being developed which solves the carbon issue, the longevity issue, and with a product like ICF we are also solving the energy usage issue by building highly efficient homes that use less energy.
100%
%110 💪🏠
5:30 extremely irritating to watch you scroll thru computer screens that we cant read.