Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 15

Thread: brick houses and earthquakes

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Wellington, originally USA
    Posts
    915

    Default brick houses and earthquakes

    I've noted that many from the UK seem to be very partial to brick houses. I'm wondering if this is because they seem more solid, are more familiar or if there is something I just don't know about brick houses?

    Where I grew up on the east coast of the US, brick houses were common (especially in the older parts of town- dating back to the 1800's). But when I moved to the west coast of the US, I found that there were few houses built of brick. This turned out to be a good thing, because the much of the west coast is prone to earthquakes- as some of NZ is as well- and brick houses are more prone to damage. To be honest, the idea of living in a brick house, even in a place liken Dunedin which gets less moving and shaking than a lot of the rest of the country, would make me nervous.

    I'm interested in what your take on the issue is?

    PS. A nice tin roof sounds good to me, if it falls on me, I can probably still get out!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    christchurch (formerly essex)
    Posts
    2,749

    Default

    Thats a sensible posting. while we are from the UK I don't have any particular hangups about the materials that the houses here are made of. I think the main reason for us Brits to feel the way we do is that we are used to brick and tile and double glazing. So when a lot of us get here and find the houses cold and damp there seems to be a tendency to blame timber/tin construction, and feel that the reason the houses in the UK are warmer is because of the brick constuction. Its not really that, its just that the houses here aren't generally insulated to the standard we are used to, if, in fact they are insulated at all (which is very common) and double glazing is a rariety.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Palm N (from USA in Jan 06)
    Posts
    415

    Default

    I'm with you, tigerlily, but then my experience is similar to yours. Lots of brick in Chicago, little brick in San Francisco & Berkeley. I would never live in an unreinforced masonry place in earthquake country; it's just asking to be buried alive. But then I'm a worrier.

    I don't know, I'm guessing brick is more insulating than timber. It certainly holds the day's heat better (not noticeable during Chicago winters, very noticeable during Chicago's 100+ degree summer days).

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Auckland to UK
    Posts
    1,120

    Default

    NZ has build the houses to safeguard against earthquake. We live in a brick and tile house but the structure (main frame) of the house are timbers, which will allow the house to swerve along with the earth movement if need be. In this way, the house will not collapse easily and suddenly.

    Have a look at this thread for more info :
    http://www.enz.org/forum/showthread....ght=earthquake

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    earth
    Posts
    459

    Default

    I have to say I have no problems with the quality of construction of our house in NZ and some of the others I have seen. It is a bit more solid than construction I am used to in LA, heavier and more timber in the framing. I have only lived in wood frame houses though. The house was quite cold and a bit damp when we got it but we added heat and it is just fine now AND while it may be very damaged in an earthquake it will not fall down on us. I will say we got a bit lucky and our walls have insulation we did not find that out until after we bought it.

    Whenever we talked to people from Europe in Calif they were often very surprised when they saw houses being built and how little went into them. Quite normal in earthquake country though.

    Chris

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Palm N (from USA in Jan 06)
    Posts
    415

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by clg
    I have to say I have no problems with the quality of construction of our house in NZ and some of the others I have seen. It is a bit more solid than construction I am used to in LA, heavier and more timber in the framing.
    Thanks for the insight! I'd been wondering about that. My house (rented, thankfully) in Berkeley has single-glazed windows, no insulation and no foundation, so I was wondering, well, how much worse could NZ housing be? :-)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Wellington, originally USA
    Posts
    915

    Default

    I think it's the no central heating thing. That is what gets you cold and you just never really feel completely warmed up. On travels in China and India that was the thing that got me. Sleeping on damp sheets, ewwww.

    When I visited NZ a very nice woman informed me that kiwis heat rooms, not houses. They surely save energy that way. Heating bills are going to be a killer here this winter.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    earth
    Posts
    459

    Default

    Sweetpea, you will be fine coming from that sort of place no shocks for you! We had a place in LA like that for a while and it was colder than our house in NZ with no heat. I do have to say I wish we had double glazing, but they just started doing that in Calif over the last decade or so, just costs more to heat.

    One thing about bricks and earthquakes. If anyone is looking at pictures from the big Asia quake, note that you often see wooden structures standing and piles of concrete/masonry buildings that came down. All you need to be in is one big earthquake and you will suddenly have a severe fear of brick/masonry buildings!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Behind the Redwood Curtain of California
    Posts
    234

    Default

    I suspect that the newer brick construction in NZ may be a facade or skin rather than true brick walls. But if it is brick, then the wood frame should keep it relatively well reinforced. But having grown up in earthquake country, I would still feel nervous about living in one.

    NZ has good earthquake codes for buildings, from what I hear.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    christchurch (formerly essex)
    Posts
    2,749

    Default

    the brick walls on the newer houses here are just a 'freestanding' skin around the outside, the timber roofing doesn't rest on the brick as it is designed to be able to fall away from the building in the event of an earthquake.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •