Why in America houses are built of drywall and sold for millions of dollars
'08.07.2020'
Source: Moydomovoy
The American way of life causes different associations. For example, I have - Hollywood, McDonalds, Indians, baseball, the Statue of Liberty, skyscrapers ... The list can be continued for a long time, but it is unlikely that someday low-rise houses built from drywall will appear in it, the author of the project writes Moydomovoy.com.
Not surprisingly, when they first arrived in the United States, Russians are amazed at the fragility of most American homes. I, too, was no exception when, as a guest in the states, I received an explanation from the locals that behind the exterior monumentality of the house was a frame made of wooden beams, plywood and insulation material. And there are reasons for choosing such a construction technology. I want to tell you about this.
How much is housing in America
Slightly spoiled by the Soviet past, in which each family sooner or later acquired its own apartment or house, we are not too approving of rented housing.
More than 80% of Russian residents have their own apartments and houses. In America, this proportion is much lower - a little more than 60%. Buying a home for an American is an event for which they have been preparing for a long time, weighing the pros and cons. The runaway housing prices in the United States are impressive. The cost is influenced by many factors: city, region, type of construction, proximity of the ocean.
It’s worth a look at real estate sites to see this. For example, on the international real estate portal Arkadia, housing prices in the small California town of San Juan Capistrano range from forty million rubles (558 thousand dollars) to half a billion (7 million dollars).
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Materials and construction technologies
Classic American house - frame construction with a basement and a built-in garage. This type of building is not only common in the southern and central states, it is also quite common in the north. True, in cold regions much more attention is paid to warming.
The construction of the house begins only after summing up all communications to the construction area. The foundation Americans prefer monolithic, solid. It becomes the basis for the marking and construction of a wooden frame. Wood elements can be assembled on site or delivered by modules. Mineral wool and other more modern materials are used for insulation. The inner walls are sheathed with drywall, the outside is stitched with a water-repellent film. After the sheathing is done with polystyrene panels.
The decorative layer and additional insulation becomes the outer layer of half a brick, erected with the preservation of the air gap. Such a multilayer increases the thermal insulation of a house many times. The roof is standardly covered with flexible roofing materials, for example, roofing tiles. Surprisingly, when creating the exterior design of a house, residents of the United States have to adhere to the rules established in the built-up area: a single style in the color and material of the roof and facade. A democratic country of equal opportunity places esthetics above individuality and expression.
I want to note some features of houses in different regions. For example, in warm California there is often a veranda, the basement is not so common, and despite the increased seismicity of the state, the wall thickness due to the warm climate is less than in the central and northern regions. But in the north they prefer full-deep basements, in which there may even be living rooms if there is a full-fledged window.
Reasons for choosing such technologies
Frame houses in America appeared a very long time ago, but they became a real hit only in the XNUMXth century. It was then that the growth of small cities and suburban areas of megacities began. Americans love space, the possibility of redevelopment in the house, changing the interior. The relative cheapness of frame houses provides them with such an opportunity. The ability to retain heat when using high-quality heaters they have no less than that of stone counterparts. A significant role is played by the speed of construction.
Calibrated wood material, lighter than concrete and stones, allows you to detail and significantly accelerate the process of building a building. A two-story family house is usually built in 2-6 months. They also say that Americans often move. Buying a house, they do not plan to spend all their life in it. Children appear - a new one is bought, more. The children parted, and the couple again relocates to a more budgetary option.
The reason for the move may be a promotion that guarantees a different income, the search for a prestigious school for children, etc.
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Why can't they build “normal” houses
Colonial-type mansions in the south, solid stone houses in the north - all this is now. However, Americans are a practical people.
Why spend a lot of money on construction if the cost of real estate is more related to the prestige of the area, the high cost of land, proximity to infrastructure, and only then the decoration of the house, materials. A wind of change will blow, and you can easily say goodbye to a house to which you have not yet had time to stick to your heart.
I think we are able to do it more difficult. Although ... Surprisingly, just recently, the family of a nephew, who moved to the United States and even bought a house in one of the small southern cities, easily moved to another state when they offered a good job. Are American habits contagious?
Original column on the site Moydomovoy.com.
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