Today, we will take a closer look at what is being said about building with wood and everything related to it on online forums. We found some interesting things and checked if they are true!
Let’s take a look at the questions we’ve selected this time.
What About Vapor Barriers in a Wooden House?
What about making a vestibule with a vapor barrier? The wall will be made of wood, stone wool, a vapor barrier, and Knauf. I have some doubts or questions about using polyvinyl: why should I use it if the essence of wood is that it “breathes”?
Our Response:
We found mostly correct answers on the forums. The prevailing belief is that wood “breathes,” while in reality, only a minimal amount of moisture passes through the walls: we’re talking about 1%. In the sequence of materials used for making a vestibule, a vapor-permeable membrane (and not polyvinyl) is missing, which we commonly call the secondary roofing layer.
Massive Use of Wood: Should We Be Concerned?
Do you think that there can be such a massive use of wood that it harms forests? Are we already on this path?
Our Response:
This type of question often arises. We were pleased to see that your thinking is correct. On the Finance forum, you answered like this:
“I would add that the Government of the Republic of Slovenia has adopted the ‘regulation on green procurement,’ under which wood must make up at least 30% of the volume of materials used in public buildings.
For all new builders, I would strongly recommend considering investing in quality wooden construction: of course, in harmony with the existing built environment.”
We fully support this answer. We would like to add that we are certainly not on the path to destroying forests. For example, Slovenia is 60% covered by forests. In the near future, there will be no complete shift to wood in terms of either heating or construction, and we also need to consider the law of supply and demand. In fact, the opposite is true: compared to other European countries, especially Scandinavia, the proportion of wooden construction is still too low, despite an increase in recent years.
For anyone interested, you can read more in one of our previous blog posts about energy sources.
Dilemmas in Construction
The next question we found on the forum Med.over.net caught our attention.
Surely you know someone who has experience with wooden construction or the dilemma of whether to build a brick house or a prefabricated one, and then within prefabricated construction, the dilemma of panel or skeleton construction. Do you think the trend will really go in the direction of wooden construction?
We were even more pleased with the answer, so we’ll share it here. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves:
“Large-scale prefabricated construction is no less stable than skeletal construction. Essentially, all wooden prefabricated houses are much more earthquake-resistant than brick ones.
Prefabricated (classic) construction is assembled in the company, meaning there is little control over the quality of wall construction. To ensure earthquake resistance, panels (OSB, LSB, Fermacel) and the roof with perforated strips are used.
Skeletal construction is delivered to the construction site raw, which allows for monitoring the assembly. Here, only the skeleton is responsible for earthquake resistance or the stability of the structure.”
Skeletal Construction at Bauta
At Bauta, we would like to add that we highly value the relationship we develop with our clients. For the best results, cooperation and consistent communication are key. This is how the entire project is successfully completed.
Because your opinions matter, we will continue to search for questions you ask and provide our team’s opinion again, and we will also be happy to receive direct questions!
