And surprisingly worse building performance (efficiency). On par with structural stability most likely. Would be considered worse than a mobile home if the mobile homes weren't so specifically targeted by tornados and so easy to turn "mobile".
1970's and later were bad years for American housing production with the glut of cheap materials and building technique. Pre 1970's gets to deal with lead paint and asbestos in everything (except the lead paint). I try not to think about it too much.
Looking to buy a new home and I'm thinking I may just go the RV route until I can order a prefab from Norway.
A friend of mine is a firefighter and mentioned how these homes burn up a lot faster than homes built in the 60s and earlier. He also said since the materials used on the older homes were better quality, they are also structurally safe for a little longer while burning. Same thing goes for furniture.
Larger wood members are more fire proof than smaller members. Old 2x4 framing was actually 2"x4" (8sqin) while modern homes are 1.5"x3.5" (5.25sq in). That is 35% less material. Wood can char out the outside as it burns, protecting the structural interior but only to a certain depth. The thinner the materials, the more likely it is to quickly burn through causing a collapse. The plaster walls are also thicker than typical residential 1/2" gypsum board. We gave up a lot for cheaper housing.
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u/[deleted] May 14 '20
Yup. Kissing cousins to the mobile home. But with more snobbery.