Follow-Ups to Answer from Expert Richard Taylor, AIA

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thebuildersassistant wrote at 2008-07-02 06:06:26
...to add, just this wkend, I noticed new custom sf construction in No.VA. The home is framed on its interior and cinderblocked on the exterior.  When I asked the GC why, I was told that the homeowner chose "real" stucco on the entire exterior. I found this to be out of the ordinarily of interest...which lead me to this page. Thank you.

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Ken Hillman wrote at 2009-04-20 17:46:42
I would suggest building with thermomass or icf's  You will build a strong house and multiple times in energy efficiency. block construction and wood framing still have to deal with mold and moisture. ICF or my favorite thermomass surplas all these problems. IF you want to provide your family with the absolute safest, energy efficient and healthy home. look into a concrete house.

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amishrobots wrote at 2009-06-09 05:41:30
as for the metal roof; it depends i believe on what sort of metal you use. My own (tin?) roof has in fact leaked quite a bit, thereby rotting out and ruining the wooden construction, and i have had to patch it. It also rusts of course. Then again, my house /is/ over 100 years old. No idea when the roof was installed, but i'm pretty sure it has not been there, or at least not in its present state since the house was built, as the roof covers over a chimney for the old fireplaces (which are obviously no longer in use) I have heard that copper is a nice choice for roofing, there is a copper roof down the street, but i couldn't say from experience, and it is quite expensive. As for wood vs. cinderblock: you will have to insulate your home here in cincy, and while I am inclined to build everything out of stone and concrete where possible, I would say wood will probably be cheaper, since with cinderblock i imagine you would have to build a whole separate inner framework anyway, just to make a place for your insulation. I knew a girl who lived in a cinderblock constructed house, damn cold in the winter.

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A.C. Koln wrote at 2010-10-07 02:03:33
Well Frank Lloyd Wright did it in Ohio...check out the "Lois Penfield" house registered with the U.S. Gov't as a historic site...and it's a 2 story.  So if Frank can do it I'm sure you can too.

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juanpablomp84 wrote at 2011-05-08 13:57:41
For me, I'm still thinking that cinderblock is the best, the problems I see with wood, are termite problem, if you have a fire and you don't get the firefighters department soon your house is long gone, if your got hit for a tornado you will find you house block and half away where were use to be, after a while when the shingles get bad, sure enough you will have a leak, no if you have more than one storage... however that's my own point,  I found for me the best is cinderblocks homes

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