This is the question of the last decade which appeared with the development of the market niche of wooden houses, known as “American” or “Canadian” houses.

A house made of wood or one of brick? Opinions are divided, each option has advantages and disadvantages and each builder or home buyer should take into account the particularities of the land and the affordable costs.

A wooden house is cheaper, sometimes almost half the price, but its maintenance is time demanding. A brick house is more durable and resistant to fire, but it’s colder in winter and warmer in summer than a wooden house. A wooden house is more flexible and less dangerous in case of an earthquake, but a brick house is likely to be attacked by decay or overrun by ants, etc.. And this battle could go on and on.

There are numberless advantages of wooden houses among which some are listed below. Perhaps the most important is related to price and it’s a fact that wooden houses are cheaper by 30-40% than those of brick; this being the result of the materials used and their degree of industrialization – they can be prefabricated in a greater extent, thus  lowering the price. In terms of execution things go very fast so you may have your house ready in a month or three months at least.

On other terms, they are flexible and light structures and less threatening in case of earthquakes. As a plus, is worth mentioning the good thermal insulation, cooler in summer and warmer in winter; Heat losses were calculated by specialists as 30-40% lower than brick houses. That is why Nordic people prefer this technology, which shows that they are effective in fighting against very low temperatures; Norwegian and Swedish houses are built by using the so-called sandwich method.

The interior can be easily divided or modified; being light houses they do not require many pillars, making the inner space easily customized. Also are not demanding in terms of the type of land on which they can be placed; being lightweight, wooden houses can be built on low or sandy lands. Facilities can be hidden in the walls; walls being prefabricated and wooden houses being built usually project based, allows anticipating the routes for cable wires or utility lines.

Finally, foreigners say wooden houses are healthier because wood is a natural product and above all environmentally friendly (see, for example Ecokitfrance.com). In a brick house damp and condensation may appear but, it is said that a wooden house “breathes” and does not have any vapor problems.

What can be considered probably a disadvantage is the fact that wooden houses “live” less than their brick counterparts. Builders appreciate that the life of a house made of wooden panels is 20-30% shorter than the one of a brick. However, there are wooden churches and old houses built of wood, all over the world which lasted longer than any “palaces” in the cities.

If the question has yet failed to provide you the right answer and convince you to act in favour of wooden houses allow the professionals to speak for themselves: Ecokitfrance.com. This is the right place to find any information related to manufacturing timber frame houses that are not only eco friendly as the name suggests, but can be also built to the highest specifications, energy efficient, comfortable and warm.