Of all the materials used to construct houses, wood is one of the most attractive and universal. Not only is wood generally more aesthetically appealing, it is also a more cost affordable alternative. If you are wondering why houses are usually made of wood, then read on as we discuss 12 reasons for its popularity.
Why are houses made of wood?
Most houses are made of wood for reasons like affordability, accessibility, and durability as well as the fact that wood homes are easier to build and repair than other types of construction. Here are some other reasons why people build wood homes.
1. Wooden houses are quicker to erect
As a building material, wood is lighter than bricks and mortar, or cement. It is also available in different sizes, some of which can be quite large. It takes longer to produce the same area of the wall with bricks and mortar than with wood. This means that wooden structures can be erected relatively quickly.
Some factories can pre-build the walls and a lot of the pieces of a house and then put them together on the building site to construct the whole house. Where it can take months to build a house from bricks, it can take only days to build a wooden house.
2. Wood is easily available and accessible
Wood is one of the most prolific materials that can be used for construction. There are large tracts of forest and other plantations all over the United States, which means that getting hold of wood for constructing a house is relatively easy.
The other thing about wood is that the sources can be re-grown. This has to be done in a way that balances the taking and replacing of wood, which most wood processors are aware of.
3. Wooden houses are more affordable
Because there is a lot of wood available over much of the United States, the construction materials for a wooden house are more easily available and thus also more affordable.
When a wooden frame is built in the factory or walls are constructed, this reduces the on-site costs, which makes the building more affordable in the longer run. There are also many options for ready-built wooden frame houses, which also reduces the amount of time and money spent on designing floor plans.
4. It is quite easy to manipulate wood
Wood can be cut into different sizes and thicknesses quite easily, which makes it a building material that can be manipulated more easily than other materials. Although bricks are relatively small, they are also rigid and it is not quite so easy to manipulate them into different parts of a design. Wood is far more versatile in this regard.
It’s also lighter than bricks and mortar, so it can be handled more easily. If there is any need to make some changes during the building process, it is relatively easy to take the wood apart and redo that section.
5. Wooden houses are safe in extreme weather
Wood is more flexible than bricks and mortar and will survive extreme conditions like an earth tremor, a quake of low intensity, or relatively extreme weather like a tornado with a light force.
However, wooden houses that are built in an area that often experiences this type of weather will usually have a brick basement, to give the house a strong foundation and somewhere for the family to retreat in the event of a tornado, or the like.
In freezing temperatures, the construction of a brick and mortar house often has to be put on hold, because of the effect of the temperature on the materials. Wood, on the other hand, can be used for construction at any temperatures.
6. Wood can be repaired fairly easily
Any damage to a wooden house is easier and cheaper to repair than houses constructed out of other materials. If a brick wall is damaged or cracked, repairing it can be quite complicated and may even mean some fundamental construction work.
Fixing a flaw in a wooden wall is quicker than in a brick wall because it is possible to remove smaller sections only. If there is substantial damage to a wooden wall, there is less likely to be a need to do major construction.
7. Wood has aesthetic appeal
Wooden houses have a particularly strong aesthetic appeal. They can look neat and efficient, or cute and cottage-like. Wood can also be combined with bricks and mortar to add an individual flair to a house. There is also nothing quite like a wooden wrap-around porch to finish off any house.
8. There is a sense of history about wooden houses
The first houses built by the original settlers to the United States were made of wood. This means that there is a strong sense of history bound up in these houses. The tradition and history live on in the quintessential wooden houses.
9. Wood has a strong link with nature
Up in the mountains, the link of wooden houses to nature is cemented by the woods right on your doorstep. The image of a log cabin, made of rough-hewn trunks, with smoke curling out of the chimney is the ultimate look and feel of nature brought into the home.
10. Wooden houses are relatively easy to build
Working with bricks and with plaster requires specific skills, but wood is mostly easier to work with. If you build with wood, it’s possible that you can do some of the work yourself. There are even some places where kits are available to put a house together.
11. Wood is a natural insulator
Wood acts as a natural insulator, so wooden houses stay warmer longer during cold weather, which means less energy is used. This makes wooden houses more energy-efficient than those made of other materials, especially steel, concrete, and glass.
Wood also insulates from sound, which makes it useful for interior as well as exterior walls.
12. Wood is environmentally friendly
Wood is more environmentally friendly than other building materials. This is because it is 100% natural. Building with wood means that your carbon footprint is lower and more sustainable than with most other materials.
