# Our Million dollar homes



## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)

New job started today, This will cost the owners under a mil.
Just look what you get
I know apples to oranges, but this WILL last 100yrs
No sticks here
The House







This is the terracotta blocks that we use, 16.5 in wide, filled will wool, the cost here is around 10-12 dollars a sq.ft. then a lime based plaster, then bricked







This is how we usually do porticatas (overhangs i guess you's call them.)big oak beams that support a little smaller oak beams, that support the oak runners. that inturn support terracotto brick 4in x 8in. x 1,25in. tha is covered with a breathable bitium, 5 in. of styrofoam, 4 in' of wool, a waterproof membrane, then the terracotto tiles


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

A million will buy more than that in Greece soon!


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## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)




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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

brunothedog said:


> No sticks here


Where is "here"?


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## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)

JBM said:


> A million will buy more than that in Greece soon!


not my problem,


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## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)

Somewhere in HERE


SmallTownGuy said:


> Where is "here"?


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## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

brunothedog said:


> Somewhere in HERE


This will be an interesting thread to watch.

Golf is calling. Thanks for posting...


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## stuart45 (Oct 7, 2009)

This is all you get for a million $ in some places.


http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/de...d0f77532d42e8ce20ed5a1414#RA2wJQlUUGB2FLkk.97


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## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)

BEFORE CONSTRUCTION


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## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)

These blocks are the best for their type, come from Germany, and job finished make ya look like a professional. The same kinda of block from a different manufacturer will make you cry to lay a decent job








they are set with thin set, no mortar needed, And you gotta lay around 180-200 sq.ft a day to make a buck








even the inside walls are terracotta.


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## Fouthgeneration (Jan 7, 2014)

Love the multi-partition tile, but why use them inside the weather walls? Here we(50 yrs ago) always used bricks or quion/specials tile for corners....

A little stainless steel/carbon fiber mesh/wire/rebar would really increase the survive-ability of the structure, maybe stucco/plaster mesh inside and out? 

Good to see alternate styles of building.

The thinset bed joints are loosing a large fraction of the units strength...
and leaves the wall with very brittle compared to full bed construction.


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## ScipioAfricanus (Sep 13, 2008)

brunothedog said:


> New job started today, This will cost the owners under a mil.
> Just look what you get
> I know apples to oranges, but this WILL last 100yrs
> No sticks here
> ...


Well sure, San Marino was founded by a stone mason, that renders your opinions on all things masonry related in San Marino biased for sure.

Andy.


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## Rio (Oct 13, 2009)

Any rebar?


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## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

Is 100 years good? I work on 100 year old stick houses all the time.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

Fouthgeneration said:


> The thinset bed joints are loosing a large fraction of the units strength...
> and leaves the wall with very brittle compared to full bed construction.


I was thinking that exact thought


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

Golden view said:


> Is 100 years good? I work on 100 year old stick houses all the time.


We'll see in about 60 years. The homes built of composite materials are quite different from the ones built before WWII. Will the homes being built today last for 100 years, yes, will they be liveable for 100 years remains to be seen.

I think 100 years is a pretty consevative estimate on the longevity of the home bruno is building.


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## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)

ScipioAfricanus said:


> Well sure, San Marino was founded by a stone mason, that renders your opinions on all things masonry related in San Marino biased for sure.
> 
> Andy.


Someone knows the history, bravo.and your right, god bless the masons


> The thinset bed joints are loosing a large fraction of the units strength...
> and leaves the wall with very brittle compared to full bed construction.


its a type of thinset, adds little or no height to the blocks, these are not load bearing walls. its all about the mass.


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## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)

Golden view said:


> Is 100 years good? I work on 100 year old stick houses all the time.


all i will say is, money aside, stick buildings are light years behind. IMHO. not that they are not good, only that, this at the moment is the top of the pack.
Mass, strength longevity, nothing comes close in my book.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

No no, the wood framed houses they keep rebuilding in tornado country are just fine, its the wind that is wrong.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

Are there 100 yr. +frame homes in my neck of the woods (N.W. In.),absolutely. One thing I can say emphatically,the recent cost of the very last quality exterior paint job on one I know of, far exceeded the original cost to construct the entire building ! How many paint jobs that home experienced in it's life would only be pure conjecture.


Sure,you can re wrap it in new "no maintenance plastic" ( which is truly a misconception) but again, at what cost ? The life cycle cost to maintain a wooden structure in a short span exceeds the cost to construct it.


The up front cost to build a durable building in the vast majority of cases exceeds that of a less durable product. We expect that,however,the fringe benefit is a more affordable life cycle cost. It is kind of like covering your roof with asphalt shingles or slate. In the long haul,the slate is by far the most cost effective approach.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

ScipioAfricanus said:


> Well sure, San Marino was founded by a stone mason, that renders your opinions on all things masonry related in San Marino biased for sure.
> 
> Andy.




I would not call Bruno's opinions biased. For bias connotes a degree of unfairness. I would call it a pronounced degree of fondness. With the track history of the region,I would say that fondness is completely justifiable.


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## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

brunothedog said:


> all i will say is, money aside, stick buildings are light years behind. IMHO. not that they are not good, only that, this at the moment is the top of the pack.
> Mass, strength longevity, nothing comes close in my book.


I don't disagree at all. I just think 100 years isn't a very good goal. And I bet your work will last a lot longer than that.

I've only built a few new homes, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone tears them down for one reason or another before 100 years go by.


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## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)

Golden view said:


> I don't disagree at all. I just think 100 years isn't a very good goal. And I bet your work will last a lot longer than that.
> 
> I've only built a few new homes, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone tears them down for one reason or another before 100 years go by.


i never said people are intelligent, 
its the price of progress.

tearing down beautiful works of art for a mall, is shameful,
but it will never stop anyone from making a buck


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## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)

....


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## Rio (Oct 13, 2009)

brunothedog said:


> all i will say is, money aside, stick buildings are light years behind. IMHO. not that they are not good, only that, this at the moment is the top of the pack.
> Mass, strength longevity, nothing comes close in my book.


For the cost wood framed houses are very good in earthquakes.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

Golden view said:


> I've only built a few new homes, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone tears them down for one reason or another before 100 years go by.


We have a thread called resilient design which has this comment at it's heart. It hasn;t been discussed much in the last week but I'm sure it will get updated again. Feel free to take a look and add some comments...only one carpenter (smalltownguy) was participating some insight form others would be nice


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## fear4freedom (Aug 23, 2015)

I want to build a concrete house. Not for longevity but for design versatility, integrity and value


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Wood framed construction is best for heavy siesmic areas

Some 1,400 years ago, tall wood-framed pagodas in Japan were built to 19 stories tall. In spite of the area's high seismic activity – including the 6.8 magnitude Hyogo-ken Nambu earthquake in 1995 that caused widespread damage – these structures still stand today.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates more than a million earthquakes occur across the world each year. None can be prevented, but sound design and construction can minimize structural damage. Wood-framed structures, such as the pagodas in Japan, perform exceptionally well against lateral forces created by seismic activity. Years of building code development have proven that wood-frame construction meets and in many cases exceeds the most demanding seismic design requirements.

Wood has inherent characteristics that offer advantages over concrete, masonry and steel building designs. As a result, wood can be an ideal material in areas prone to seismic activity.

Light weight 
Most earthquake damage is caused by seismic waves that force the ground to move. When the ground motion is strong enough, it causes the building's foundation to shake. Earthquake forces are proportional to a structure's mass, so heavy steel and concrete structures experience greater forces. Wood-frame construction is substantially lighter than other types of construction and has a high strength-to-weight ratio. As a result, properly designed and built wood-frame structures perform well during seismic activity.

Ductility 
Wood-frame structures have numerous nailed connections and joints. This provides inherent ductility – much more so than most rigid masonry and concrete systems. Wood-frame buildings can flex, absorbing and dissipating energy when subjected to sudden earthquake forces.

Redundancy 
Similarly, sheathing and finishes attached to wood joists and studs provide redundant load paths for earthquake forces. These numerous small connections and load paths dissipate seismic forces. Should some connections be overloaded or fail, adjacent connections will usually provide alternate load paths and help avoid collapse. This said, systems with poorly designed load paths will be prone to damage or even collapse, regardless of the material used.

Strength and stiffness 
An earthquake's lateral forces tend to distort building walls, causing them to rack. Shearwalls in wood construction provide necessary racking resistance. The stiffness and resistance of walls can be augmented in areas prone to strong earthquakes by increasing the thickness of structural panels, stud size, and number or size of nails.

Connectivity 
Securely connecting a structure's walls, floors and roof framing make it a single, solid unit, which is critical to withstanding earthquake forces. All structural elements must be anchored to the building's foundation to resist racking, sliding and overturning during an earthquake. Standard connections and tie-downs manufactured for high-load designs make this quite simple.

Seismic design 
The key to any seismic design is ensuring good behavior, not sufficient brute strength. This is particularly true for wood-frame structures, which are assigned a high ductility factor. While many wood-frame buildings inherit redundancy and ductility through the multiple load paths afforded by their very architecture, wood frame is increasingly used in wide, open structures such as highly glazed custom homes, schools and commercial buildings. North American timber codes are not particularly clear on this issue, but the principles of capacity design must be applied to the design of wood-frame structures as they would for any other structure.

Wood-frame systems, with solid design and construction, are proven to withstand the effects of powerful earthquakes. Wood's versatility and structural performance offer a range of additional benefits and make it ideal for a number of building types and geographies.

Eric Karsh is the co-founder of Equilibrium Consulting Inc. and recognized internationally as a leader in the field of timber engineering. Over the last five years, he has been actively involved in promoting solid wood construction as a viable, sustainable alternative to concrete construction.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

I agree, wood has a very useful place in the construction industry. And build properly it will last 100's of years, however none of the original wood temples from ancient greece survive today. Woos is a medium of centuries but not millenia. 

Not too shabby though


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

dom-mas said:


> I agree, wood has a very useful place in the construction industry. And build properly it will last 100's of years, however none of the original wood temples from ancient greece survive today. Woos is a medium of centuries but not millenia.
> 
> Not too shabby though


I did a nice vacation for 11 days in China. Some of those wood buildings are pretty old. They were beautiful too by the way.


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## cdkyle (Jul 12, 2009)

Sticks not so resilient here in F5 country.


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## brunothedog (Sep 8, 2013)

Californiadecks said:


> Wood framed construction is best for heavy siesmic areas
> 
> Some 1,400 years ago, tall wood-framed pagodas in Japan were built to 19 stories tall. In spite of the area's high seismic activity – including the 6.8 magnitude Hyogo-ken Nambu earthquake in 1995 that caused widespread damage – these structures still stand today.
> 
> ...


yeah, the only downside, its flammable
and I'm a mason so wood structures suck


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

brunothedog said:


> yeah, the only downside, its flammable
> and I'm a mason so wood structures suck


Mandatory fire sprinklers here


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

Californiadecks said:


> Mandatory fire sprinklers here


But you guys are about out of water. :whistling


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

CompleteW&D said:


> But you guys are about out of water. :whistling


All the more need for sprinklers. 

Everybody seems to believe the water issues will end with a vengeance after this year's El Nino. We'll be fine as we always have. 

The problem isn't that there isn't enough water, it's the wacko environmentalists won't let us store it or route it properly.


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## ScipioAfricanus (Sep 13, 2008)

fjn said:


> I would not call Bruno's opinions biased. For bias connotes a degree of unfairness. I would call it a pronounced degree of fondness. With the track history of the region,I would say that fondness is completely justifiable.


From Brunothedog recently; "yeah, the only downside, its flammable
and I'm a mason so wood structures suck"...


Yup, no bias there. :whistling



Andy.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

dom-mas said:


> We'll see in about 60 years. The homes built of composite materials are quite different from the ones built before WWII. Will the homes being built today last for 100 years, yes, will they be liveable for 100 years remains to be seen.
> 
> I think 100 years is a pretty consevative estimate on the longevity of the home bruno is building.





You do not have to wait the sixty years,this thread provides you the answer. About 50 years old and needs a complete exterior redo. Of course,it will be blamed on poor detailing. In 60 years from now what will be the reason ?


Jefferson was spot on in his observation "the private buildings are very rarely constructed of stone or brick,much the greater portion being of scantling and boards,plaster with lime. It is impossible to devise things more ugly and uncomfortable,and happily more perishable. The genius of architecture seems to have shed its maledictions over this land and every 50 yrs.will become a tabla rasa and we will have to set out anew.


A country whose buildings are of wood,can never increase in it's improvements to any considerable degree.....Whereas when buildings are of a durable material,every new edifice is an actual and permanent acquisition to the state,adding to it's value as well as to it's ornament."


http://www.contractortalk.com/f11/anyone-know-what-decade-218226/


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

Well i have a strong preference for masonry but I do plenty of work on century home where the brick is just a veneer. By and large they aren;t going to be torn down for a long time. Comfortable attractive homes and the wood is still dry thanks to the breathability of the brick and the lime mortar. Also much easier/cheaper/less messy to work on than a mass masonry building. 

I think there's a place for all building types


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