Of course, we do not see these houses only in America. These detached houses, which exist all over the world, are extra identified with America with the influence of Hollywood movies.
But we encounter a contradiction in this regard, hurricanes. Hurricanes are one of the first things that come to mind when we think of America. The wooden/prefab house and the hurricane don’t seem like a logical pairing. But there is a logical explanation for this in itself, but before that, let’s understand the reason for choosing these houses.
The need for shelter, which arose after the first immigrations to America, is at the heart of the event.
Europeans who came to America in the early 17th century needed a place to stay as quickly as possible and they met this need by building wooden houses. Because they did not have much time and financial means to spend with cement or brick. This situation, born out of necessity, later permeated the culture of the country and became a concept identified with them.
The abundance of raw materials allows them to move freely.
Americans, who do not worry as much about the problems that may arise in the future while using raw materials, procure the materials needed for the wooden house from their forests. We can say that the advantage of having a large surface area and the fact that they have plenty of forest areas push them to use wooden materials.
An American can change home an average of 11.7 times in their lifetime.
It is an indisputable fact that American people live life fast. Looking at the available data, we see that an American citizen moves 11-12 times in his lifetime on average. In particular, the number of young people moving is much higher than the middle and elderly population. Therefore, both the number of houses should be high and the construction of houses should be fast.
The fact that wood is a material that can be transported much faster and easier than concrete and that can be processed easily leads to the preference for wood. Since it can be installed quickly and easily, it is possible to become a home owner quickly. This is exactly why prefabricated houses are common, apart from wood.
Wood is not without its disadvantages compared to concrete.
There are negative aspects such as sound insulation, mold formation, fire risk. However, since wood can be found very easily, its cost is very low, and therefore homeowners who prefer wood because it is cheap to maintain and replace, take these risks. At the same time, due to the short duration of the construction, assembly and labor are also cheaper in direct proportion.
So how do these houses withstand hurricanes?
For low-intensity earthquakes and hurricanes, the flexing of wood makes it safer than concrete. But in severe hurricanes, of course, they are damaged. However, concrete bunkers can be built under these houses, which is the case with most wooden houses.
In the event of a possible hurricane, residents descend to the shelter. When the danger has passed, repairing or rebuilding the house is much easier, faster and cheaper than concrete houses. Precisely because of this, the rate of preference is increasing.
The wooden house preference, which was born out of necessity and later infiltrated into the cultures of the Americans, facilitates the lives of individuals and keeps the country’s economy alive.
- Sources: Ace, Validus, Rubyhome
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