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I've heard of houses built with Aluminum frames, is that real? Is it common, beneficial, expensive etc. What are the most common building materials such as brick, wood, or aluminum, and how do they compare to each other?
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Jun 5, 2016 18:32
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No, framing a house with aluminum would be crazy expensive. Steel framing is a thing though. Steel framing tends to be more expensive, has poor thermal characteristics, and poor fire resistance (fire resistance is often cited as a strength due to the misconception that houses are flammable because of wood framing, while the reality is that steel framing fails much faster in the high temperature conditions of house fires). The main benefit of steel framing is that it is faster to assemble, making it popular in commercial projects, where paying a bit extra for shorter timelines is typically a valued tradeoff. Brick is very rarely used as a structural element these days, due to high material and labor costs and long construction timelines. When you see brick in modern construction, it's usually a veneer.
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Jun 5, 2016 19:39
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Zhentar posted:Brick is very rarely used as a structural element these days, due to high material and labor costs and long construction timelines. When you see brick in modern construction, it's usually a veneer. This varies by location. It's very rare to see a house in the UK that isn't brick/cavity/breezeblock construction.
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Jun 5, 2016 20:25
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Zhentar posted:Aside from solar, the only small scale "alternative" energy option that's even vaguely cost effective is cogeneration, where instead of burning fuel to heat your home, you burn fuel to generate electricity and use the leftover waste heat to heat your home. It's still not particularly cost effective in most cases and there aren't any currently supported systems to do it. Microhydro and biogas are plenty cost-effective, but microhydro is site-reliant and not an option for many people and biogas needs more organic feedstock than non-farmer people typically generate + gotta deal with troubleshooting a big vat of hot poop Zhentar posted:No, framing a house with aluminum would be crazy expensive. Steel framing is a thing though. Steel framing tends to be more expensive, has poor thermal characteristics, and poor fire resistance (fire resistance is often cited as a strength due to the misconception that houses are flammable because of wood framing, while the reality is that steel framing fails much faster in the high temperature conditions of house fires). The main benefit of steel framing is that it is faster to assemble, making it popular in commercial projects, where paying a bit extra for shorter timelines is typically a valued tradeoff. Wood is remarkably fire-resistant compared to steel in construction, exhibits A through Z: 
Ambrose Burnside fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Jun 6, 2016 |
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Jun 6, 2016 01:02
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Our old house was steel frame and it sucked because 1. no contractor was willing to remodel it 2. it was hard to find studs to hang shelves 3. poor insulation.
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Jun 6, 2016 01:38
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My friend just bought a house that was like the one posted. It was like someone planted a "seed" of a mobile home that then grew into a constructed home. The problem is that the insurance company can't figure out to class it as a mobile home or not, as they have quite different rates.
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Jun 6, 2016 01:46
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Appreciate this thread. Last weekend I went to home depot and purchased 5 80lb bags of concrete to make this bad boy:  I'm relatively sure I can chain my bike to it safely.
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Jun 6, 2016 01:49
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Cakefool posted:This varies by location. It's very rare to see a house in the UK that isn't brick/cavity/breezeblock construction. "breezeblock" is a concrete masonry unit, correct? The brick in your construction is a non-structural veneer, and the concrete blocks are the structural element. This is not particularly uncommon in the US, although in residential construction CMU blocks are usually limited to the foundation walls.
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Jun 6, 2016 02:04
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 Everything was alright til the erosion set in.
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Jun 6, 2016 02:22
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Baronjutter posted:My friend just bought a house that was like the one posted. It was like someone planted a "seed" of a mobile home that then grew into a constructed home. The problem is that the insurance company can't figure out to class it as a mobile home or not, as they have quite different rates. It's more complicated than "does it move"?
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Jun 6, 2016 02:24
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NancyPants posted:It's more complicated than "does it move"? Apparently it was previously insured as a house, because it has a permanent foundation and 90% of the structure was built in place, but now the insurance company claim's it's a mobile home because a tiny part of it was at one point.
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Jun 6, 2016 02:41
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Gounads posted:Appreciate this thread. Last weekend I went to home depot and purchased 5 80lb bags of concrete to make this bad boy: is this really your work, because I have some questions.
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Jun 6, 2016 02:44
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Powerlurker posted:Did they take a single-wide trailer and build a house around it or something? Exactly so. Then, doubled down by shingling what is in the trades known as a "flat roof." Hope the wind don't blow. Baronjutter posted:My friend just bought a house that was like the one posted. It was like someone planted a "seed" of a mobile home that then grew into a constructed home. The problem is that the insurance company can't figure out to class it as a mobile home or not, as they have quite different rates. I evaluated it by the percentage of constructed structure vs. poo poo-on-wheels. Then risk-reported it for aluminum wire and overall frightening wiring. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Jun 6, 2016 |
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Jun 6, 2016 02:58
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Shifty Pony posted:So somewhere in a wall another phase has managed to make contact with the neutral for that circuit, there are exposed wires which previously caught fire sticking out of the wall in an area of the house where water is handled, and the apartment management doesn't give a poo poo. The best part is that the resident basically has no remedy under state law beyond getting out of the lease a week after sending a certified letter. Despite that being authorized by state law they'll likely have to fight to get their rent and security deposit back. Texas! Relatedly: http://www.thebigroundtable.com/stories/a-trial-by-fire/ ChickenOfTomorrow fucked around with this message at 03:24 on Jun 6, 2016 |
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Jun 6, 2016 03:18
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SynthOrange posted:
Oceans are funny like that.
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Jun 6, 2016 03:48
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I remember a thread for household wiring with the title "don't burn your house down", but I'll be damned if I can find it. The wires in my A/C heat exchanger are in bad shape and I'd like to replace them. They are flexible stranded 12 AWG with a thick rubber insulation that I assume is for abrasion resistance due to the vibration from the fan and compressor. My local hardware store doesn't have anything like that, so I need to order it online, but I don't know what it is called. Can somebody give me a link to what I need? Also, I ordered a cheap connector (butt, spade, ring, quick, etc.) assortment and wire nut assortment from Amazon and they are pretty crappy. Any suggestions for brand names of good quality connectors and wire nuts?
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Jun 6, 2016 05:16
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SkunkDuster posted:I remember a thread for household wiring with the title "don't burn your house down", but I'll be damned if I can find it. The wires in my A/C heat exchanger are in bad shape and I'd like to replace them. They are flexible stranded 12 AWG with a thick rubber insulation that I assume is for abrasion resistance due to the vibration from the fan and compressor. My local hardware store doesn't have anything like that, so I need to order it online, but I don't know what it is called. Can somebody give me a link to what I need? http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3090739
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Jun 6, 2016 05:17
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SkunkDuster posted:I remember a thread for household wiring with the title "don't burn your house down", but I'll be damned if I can find it. The wires in my A/C heat exchanger are in bad shape and I'd like to replace them. They are flexible stranded 12 AWG with a thick rubber insulation that I assume is for abrasion resistance due to the vibration from the fan and compressor. My local hardware store doesn't have anything like that, so I need to order it online, but I don't know what it is called. Can somebody give me a link to what I need? Come on dude, it's stickied here. That being said, you might be looking for something SJOOW cable. Those little connectors are all crappy. Try getting the ones with heat shrink tubing. You can use a lighter for the heat, there just can't be any breeze and you can't get the lighter too close or the tubing will get singed. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 05:50 on Jun 6, 2016 |
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Jun 6, 2016 05:47
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Oh god
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Jun 6, 2016 05:50
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Goddamnit, I knew that was going to involve lovely old wiring and arc flash. 
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Jun 6, 2016 06:56
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Zhentar posted:"breezeblock" is a concrete masonry unit, correct? The brick in your construction is a non-structural veneer, and the concrete blocks are the structural element. This is not particularly uncommon in the US, although in residential construction CMU blocks are usually limited to the foundation walls. As I understand it yes, this is correct - the load bearing element is concrete blockwork in most cases, the brick is a skin for appearance and to contain the cavity wall for insulation purposes.
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Jun 6, 2016 12:12
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frozenpussy posted:is this really your work, because I have some questions. I'm afraid so. Was my first time working with concrete, so probably belongs here.
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Jun 6, 2016 12:36
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thespaceinvader posted:As I understand it yes, this is correct - the load bearing element is concrete blockwork in most cases, the brick is a skin for appearance and to contain the cavity wall for insulation purposes. Okay, I mistakenly thought as the two were tied together the brick added to the structural element. Thanks for the correction.
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Jun 6, 2016 13:37
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Gounads posted:I'm afraid so. Was my first time working with concrete, so probably belongs here. 5x80 lbs dry concrete weight, it belongs here.
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Jun 6, 2016 13:50
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Cakefool posted:Okay, I mistakenly thought as the two were tied together the brick added to the structural element. Thanks for the correction. It's entirely possible I'm wrong. I wouldn't let me construct a house.
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Jun 6, 2016 14:05
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Gounads posted:I'm afraid so. Was my first time working with concrete, so probably belongs here. Is it literally for chaining a bike? I feel like the chain is an easy point of failure. And being right next to a road it's like thief bait. If you live somewhere that you are allowed to shoot thieves on your property I'd wonder if you were setting up a sort of deer feeder for humans.
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Jun 6, 2016 15:09
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frozenpussy posted:Is it literally for chaining a bike? I feel like the chain is an easy point of failure. No. Wasn't the original 400lb concrete schtick someone wanting to secure their motorcycle? I had an ancient well cover break and needed to be re-capped. Gounads fucked around with this message at 15:52 on Jun 6, 2016 |
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Jun 6, 2016 15:50
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kid sinister posted:Oceans are funny like that. Rivers, too: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2016/05/25/fundraiser-started-displaced-family/84901996/  This is maybe 1/4 mile from my house. Thankfully, the way the river and street curve, I'm nowhere near it myself and am (in theory) in no danger of my yard and foundation falling down an embankment. The residents (just renters, owners live in FL) had 20 minutes to go back in and get what they wanted/needed. In some ways it's worse than a fire, because at least then it's all at once, and you're just like "welp, all gone." But to have to formulate a plan like some kind of deranged Supermarket Sweep to run through your own home picking and choosing what to save?
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Jun 6, 2016 16:11
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Oh good, I was worried I wouldn't start my week with crippling sadness.
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Jun 6, 2016 16:30
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DrBouvenstein posted:Rivers, too: I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate this reference. ' Also, gently caress living that close to water.
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Jun 6, 2016 17:20
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Gounads posted:No. Wasn't the original 400lb concrete schtick someone wanting to secure their motorcycle? oh okay my mistake, I didn't recognize the motorcycle reference.
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Jun 6, 2016 17:21
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We use to live in front of a The fence behind it all was rotting away and falling over but it was hard to repair in a certain segment because a giant gator had taken up residence behind it and was pushing it over. They really do bark just like dogs.  Ours is the pool abutting the
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Jun 6, 2016 18:06
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H110Hawk posted:There is also a AM radio tower there which we could hear through any metal surface in the house using a PC speaker and alligator clips, as well as through the phone, often louder than your conversation. I think we twice got them in trouble for broadcasting above their power limit, once substantially above, which made it much easier to hear your phone conversations and use a modem. i used to live down the street from a AM spanish language station, and if you had headphones on around 6:00 PM you could hear it clear as day
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Jun 6, 2016 20:58
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Ashcans posted:Oh good, I was worried I wouldn't start my week with crippling sadness. Jackasses in OK finally managed to convict her of child neglect and put her in prison for 10 years. For leaving the kids unattended for 10 minutes. http://www.fox23.com/news/woman-accused-in-nieces-death-sentenced-to-10-years/245225481
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Jun 6, 2016 21:57
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kid sinister posted:Come on dude, it's stickied here. That being said, you might be looking for something SJOOW cable. Well, that explains why I couldn't find it in Ask/Tell. I was starting to believe that thread took a serious downhill turn and got completely deleted from the forums.
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Jun 7, 2016 01:19
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Nostalgia4Butts posted:i used to live down the street from a AM spanish language station, and if you had headphones on around 6:00 PM you could hear it clear as day I think one of my old neighbors ran an illegal radio station out of their garage or something. My old computer speakers would pick it up sometimes. Now they just get News!Weather!Traffic, on the hour, every hour! which is broadcasting from only a measly 20 miles away.
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Jun 7, 2016 03:48
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Darchangel posted:Jackasses in OK finally managed to convict her of child neglect and put her in prison for 10 years. For leaving the kids unattended for 10 minutes. She pleaded guilty.
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Jun 7, 2016 04:42
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On the ground source heat pump / solar conversation, I helped install a horizontal ground loop system a number of years back. 4-5 trenches 8 ft deep and 100ft long with loops in them running glycol with a heat pump in the basement. Heats and cools entire 3br house with full basement in a temperate climate that gets both super loving cold and super loving hot. Downside was that it (obviously) uses a lot of electricity. He solved that with a government subsidized 10kw photovoltaic installation. Given his amount of electricity usage the payback period is hilariously short. Zero heating and cooling cost, near zero electricity cost (it is a grid tied PV setup with a net metering contract. This is ok because due to location he will be "buffering" an overage of electricity during the summer and running a little on the negative during winter which is balancing out nicely). What I'm trying to say is that it is both cool and good.
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Jun 7, 2016 13:39
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  And there's a few more here.
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Jun 7, 2016 15:59
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Everyone in the thread might want to check to make sure that their 400lb block of concrete was not made using the concrete that 20k houses in Connecticut used which is now tearing itself apart due to expanding aggregatequote:Sandra Miller was at work in January when her daughter called from their home here on Oakridge Drive with alarming news. The house was making loud noises, as if someone had jumped off the counter and landed with a bang. For seconds afterward, the house shook.
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Jun 7, 2016 16:01
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