Most of our fellow citizens somehow get acquainted with overseas life through Hollywood action films, and one of the first impressions is amazement at the fragility of houses, in which Jean-Claude Van Damme is able to break through any wall with his foot. Is it really?
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American plywood houses
In fact, the cardboard houses shown in the movies, built in the best traditions of Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf, make up the bulk of the housing stock throughout the United States, regardless of climatic conditions. The standard house of that same two-story America is a wooden frame made of boards, sheathed with plywood or similar material, covered with insulating panels and, in the case of “expensive-rich”, lined with decorative bricks.
The strength and reliability of such a design is not comparable even with domestic Khrushchev houses, it takes more concrete to fill the entrance to the garage than to the foundation, the rafters and logs are more like a fence board, but at the same time, the cost of plywood real estate cannot be called pleasantly low.
In fact, every American, whether a resident of a private house or an apartment building, always has in mind the strength (or lack of it) of the elements of his house. If our person needs to hang a mirror or a TV, then he boldly takes up a drill or a puncher, while a resident of the United States, with this approach, risks being left without a TV and without a wall that is not designed for his weight.
In addition, the ceiling between the first and second floors in a standard American house is all made of the same plywood on very modest joists, so there are always bedrooms on top where they don’t dance or gather in large companies. In the movies, you can also often see that Americans usually have sports corners in the basement, because a dumbbell dropped on the second floor can easily kill the wife in the kitchen of the first one.
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Tornadoes and climate
It is widely believed among the domestic layman that the main prerequisite for the construction of such houses in the United States is the safety of residents in the event of a hurricane. Say, a capital brick house will still be destroyed, but in a cardboard one, its inhabitants will be less likely to die under the rubble. Naturally, this version has nothing to do with the true state of affairs.
Firstly, tornadoes in the United States pose a real threat only in some regions, while flimsy houses are built everywhere, and secondly, a normal brick house with wind of any strength only risks being without roofing and windows, but making a trip to the Emerald City from Kansas won’t work.
Another popular explanation is the subtropical climate, which makes it possible to live comfortably in a plywood box all year round. But geography also refutes this version – in the northern states, up to Alaska, they build houses similar to those in Texas and California, with the exception of improved thermal insulation and heating systems.
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The real reason is the price
A huge number of our compatriots live in houses and apartments inherited by their parents or parents of parents during the Soviet era, when the housing stock was built in gigantic volumes and distributed among the population, including on a gratuitous basis. It is customary for us to scold the crooked walls laid out by self-taught masons from the construction battalions of the Red Army, but it is not customary to remember that life mortgages did not have to be paid for this housing.
If we talk about the United States, then here the attitude to housing is completely different. Families very often move, acquiring completely turnkey houses with household appliances, repairs and communications, children who have reached the age of majority move out from their parents, and they exchange a large house for a more comfortable and cheaper one in terms of utilities, some simply change the situation by acquiring housing in another region. Such a dynamic real estate market dictates tough conditions, and, in a highly competitive environment, price becomes a decisive factor.
Depending on the region and specific location, the price of a plywood house in the United States can easily reach a million dollars, which, at first glance, is surprising. However, the cost of such housing is formed for the most part from the very high prices of land and the cost of construction work, not materials. At the same time, Americans rarely do major repairs at home – it is often easier to demolish it and build a new one.
Another interesting nuance is the difference in price between a finished house and an early stage of construction. Acquisition of housing at the stage of excavation is very popular with us and allows you to save a lot, while in the USA the difference in the cost of a house will be negligible (here contractors are less likely to run abroad with the money of investors), and the only advantage will be the opportunity to choose options for interior decoration, household appliances, etc. .d.
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