[Cthulhu_]

> It saddens me that construction quality is almost irrelevant when building a new building nowadays.

Depends on where you live; houses in the Netherlands are built to high standards when it comes to things like insulation, build quality, electrification, etc.

Are houses in the US still built with 2x4's and drywall? You'd think they would move to what we have here in the Netherlands, mostly sturdy concrete blocks, insulation layer, and a pretty brickwork or brickwork-looking facade.

I mean the amount of clips I see on the youtubes of people breaking walls make me cringe. A wall should break you, not the other way around, :D

[vinay427]

> Are houses in the US still built with 2x4's and drywall? You'd think they would move to what we have here in the Netherlands, mostly sturdy concrete blocks

Do you mind explaining why you feel this way? There are definitely benefits to reinforced concrete such as durability and resistance to certain natural elements, but as far as I can tell modern fire-treated wood construction tends to be nearly as safe in fires or superior in earthquakes, has better insulation, and is more ecological during the construction process. Overall, I would prefer reinforced concrete, but it’s more for the “qualitative advantages” as it feels more reassuring to the touch.

Speaking of electrification, one complaint I have of most construction in at least continental Europe is the consistent dearth of electrical outlets in residential settings. Living in Switzerland for years and visiting other countries, it seemed like an extension cord across the bedroom or living room was nearly always needed due to awkward and very limited outlet placement. The fire code in a state like California seems to have much stricter mandates to prevent this sort of thing.

[GuB-42]

> the consistent dearth of electrical outlets

In France, it was the case in old houses.

On new constructions, a minimum number of outlets is required (3 per bedroom, 5 to 7 in the living room, 4 in the kitchen, 1 in every other room). This is in addition to dedicated circuits (washing machine, oven, dishwasher, heating, lighting...) which may have their own outlets. RJ-45 networking is also required (1 per room) but unfortunately, it is often designed poorly and barely usable except for a phone landline.

These are minimums. And it is typically what you get in standard apartment buildings. But you can have more. I have about double. A friend of mine has an outlet every 50cm!

[pierot]

> Speaking of electrification, ..

Probably because the housing stock in continental Europe is older and therefor much more often retrofitted with modern electricity. Newly build houses won't have that problem. Although I'm not aware of fire regulations having an effect on the number of outlets in a room, in my region (Belgium).

[adev_]

> I mean the amount of clips I see on the youtubes of people breaking walls make me cringe. A wall should break you, not the other way around

The external wall un old French house can easily reach 55/60cm of pure concrete mixed with stones in cold places.

Trust me, it will break you and specially break your will to make any hole in them ^^

[lotsofpulp]

> I mean the amount of clips I see on the youtubes of people breaking walls make me cringe. A wall should break you, not the other way around, :D

Why? I think calculating heat loss, noise levels, wireless signals, fire resistance, ecological cost, etc would be decent metrics to judge the merits of a wall.

But if you are living in civilization, I do not see why the wall withstanding the impact of a body is something I should care about. Also, there is almost always an external envelope of exterior siding plus plywood sheathing that I have never seen penetrated by an individual without tools.

[Mromson]

Some countries have comparatively high building standards, but none (that I'm aware of) come close to a Passive House standard.

My gripe isn't as much what the minimum requirement is, and more the incentive to never go above it, because property prices are generally only going up with little regard to building standards.