Pros and Cons of Wooden Houses

Evaluating the pros and cons of a wooden house can help you make informed decisions before buying a home. If you are contemplating whether to buy a wooden house or not, you’ve come to the right place. You must ensure that you’re investing in what you know. You can find timber frame house kits on builder sites that have all the structure, design, and cost information you need to rest easy on your build. Wooden houses are a more economical alternative to homes built with concrete and traditional bricks. Since wood is part of nature, wooden homes are also beneficial to the environment. However, they have a few drawbacks, including high maintenance costs.

In this guide, we’ll share all the pros and cons of wooden houses. You’ll also learn the different types of wooden house construction. Keep reading to learn more.

Types of Wooden Houses for Sustainable Construction

For the sustainable construction of wooden houses, builders must plant a new tree to replace any tree they fell. That helps to maintain an ecological balance. Here are the different types of wooden houses you’ll find in Canada.

• Mobile Houses: Manufacturers mount the houses in factories and transport them to construction sites in large parts. They can make the wooden houses as single units or transport them in sections, depending on the overall size.

• Log Houses: The house made of logs get assembled or built on site. The thick wood trunks used to build the house gives it a unique appearance. Besides, the trunks help to regulate interior temperatures and humidity.

• Wood Frame House: Most wood houses built in Canada are of this design. It uses large amounts of small components to facilitate building modules and pre-manufacturing. Wood lumbers get joined together with nails.

Whether you are investing in a mobile house, a light-frame house, or a house made of logs, work with a builder who understands building wooden houses. An excellent example is Paradise Developments, which has built many houses in Canada.

Advantages of Buying or Building a Wooden House

Wooden houses consist of recyclable and biodegradable non-petroleum materials that make them environmentally-friendly. Not to mention, they come with numerous benefits, including less energy requirement and lower environmental impacts.

Now, let’s delve a bit deeper into the pros of wooden houses.

Energy Efficient

Since wood is a natural insulator, wooden houses tend to be more energy-efficient than other homes. The material can keep your house cool in summers and warm in winters, making it suitable for sustainable construction. It can isolate heat and cold effectively. When you invest in a wooden house, you’ll save thousands of dollars on energy costs. Studies reveal that homeowners living in small wooden homes can save up to 60 percent per year on ventilation, heating, and air conditioning. Most wooden houses in Canada consist of materials that help to insulate houses from the outside noise and steady temperatures. Examples of such materials include recycled cotton, lamb wool, or rock wool. Thankfully, all are environmental-friendly.

Naturally Attractive

As an aesthetic material, wood can serve as a decorative element. Each tree produces wood with a unique design, color, and smell. It’s easy to find different wood materials based on color. However, the wood design can vary depending on how it gets sliced. You can use wood’s natural color or paint it to match your style and preference. You can paint it to darker varnished colors, with a few mat or bright touches. But without any decorative finishes, we’ll still make your home look more beautiful.

Highly Versatile

Did you know that wood is elastic? Wooden houses are easy to alter, build, and even manipulate. You can cut, carve, bend, glue, nail, bolt, laminate, splice, weather, mill, or join wood pieces together, making it easier to change or modify it for future renovations. One good thing about wood is that you can reuse or recycle it. You can also use wood to construct several types of buildings. The versatility of wood makes the material a great choice for homeowners who may want to upgrade their homes in the future.

Cost-Effective

You can build wood houses faster and affordably, depending on the house design. They are 30 percent cheaper than traditional bricks and concrete homes in terms of building costs. If damaged, wood houses can be cheaply repaired or rebuilt. Besides, you won’t spend a lot on the foundation of a wood house because the material is light. Wood’s thermal properties (insulation) has also helped many homeowners save on heating and air conditioning costs.

Disadvantages of Wood Houses in Canada

Like any other building material, wood also has a few drawbacks, including shrinking and insect damages. Here are some of the cons of living in a wooden house.

Prone to Damages

According to a prominent woodworking blog, both abiotic and biotic agents can cause destruction or deterioration of wood. Some of the biotic factors include insects, bacteria, and fungi. Insects such as dust beetles and termites are a great threat to wood houses. They can reduce your home’s lifespan. Some of the abiotic elements include the sun, water, and wind. Wood can decay quickly when the surrounding environment is too humid. While you can’t stop the abiotic agents because they are part of nature, you can control your home’s exposure to them.

Shrinks and Swells Easily

Wood is hygroscopic in nature. Meaning, it can absorb water from the surrounding, especially when you buy the house in a flood-prone area. Wood pieces will shrink and swell when exposed to moisture. So, use water-resistant coatings to avoid water damage and mold.

Catches Fire Easily

Wood consists mainly of hydrogen and carbon elements, which makes the material highly combustible. When the elements combine with oxygen during a fire outbreak, the impacts can be so devastating. Some trees have chemicals that can catch fire easily. A great example is pinewood’s resinous piece that can catch fire at lower temperatures.

Final Words

Now that you know the pros and cons of a wooden house, you can make an informed decision on whether to invest in it or not. Generally, wooden homes are environmental-friendly and cheap to build. You’ll save a lot of money on the construction, heating, and air conditioning costs. However, the drawbacks are a potential risk to your investment.