On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 16:14:29 +0100, "IMM" wrote:


"Andy Hall" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 15:49:59 +0100, "IMM" wrote:




These creatures would attack any wood.
Timber farmed houses in the UK are
common with many being around for 500
years or more. The oldest is from the
11th century.

So consider what can happen if a
hidden piece of a panel which gives
it structural strength is compromised invisibly

The point made clearly is that it is not a problem.

Unless you're the homeowner and the walls or roof have to be removed
and replaced.




When constructed properly water does not get in. The millions of existing
timber homes in the UK, many going back centuries, demonstrates this.

I wasn't talking about timber construction, only about foam filled
OSB. The two are not the same as the manufacturers point out.



People fail to mention concrete cancer, which is more common that what
people think in UK in houses.

Really. I found the following:

Concrete is the bogeyman of the late 20th century built environment,
says Professor Andrew Beeby, University of Leeds civil engineering
lecturer and a member of the Magazine of Concrete Research's editorial
panel.

"Concrete is the run down council estate, the syringe-strewn tower
block, the deserted shopping arcade.

In the post-war period, people were desperate to build a lot of
housing very quickly. Concrete was an ideal material."

Takes us back to Milton Keynes, I guess.

No, as Milton Keynes only started in the mid 1970s, and is still being
built.

Scary thought.


However, he goes on to say:

The nicely alliterative phrase "concrete cancer" - an unwelcome
reaction between the component cement and aggregate - has also done
the material a disservice, says Mr Beeby.

"Concrete cancer has enjoyed a lot of media coverage and prompted a
huge amount of research. It is very rare and tends to make a structure
look nasty rather than render it unsafe."

Far more common than timber homes failing.

That's probably not difficult if one considers the numbers of each.

In percentage terms concrete has given more problems than timber.

Who knows. I wasn't talking about traditional timber framed
construction anyway.


..andy

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