Stupid thoughts about durability of modern building materials

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jacko555

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Ok, odd chat with wifey and wondered what people's thoughts are on the subject of the longevity of modern building materials...

What triggered this was an inspection of the attic of the house we have purchased. 100 years old, original roof, brick walls, floorboards in the attic. Surveyor said attic was sound. No leaks. All good. Would easily last another hundred years..

Wifey and I drive past a different house we considered purchasing. New owners are converting the attic on that one. We've got to see progress as we drive past weekly.

They've removed the roof, built an OSB shell, insultation, new tiles etc.

Wifey said : I wonder if that'll be there in a 100 years.

That piqued my interest. Osb was invented in the 60's. Theoretically plastics/resins last forever, but, we've all seen old plastics, and they get brittle. They dont like sunlight, extended heat etc. It may take thousands of years to fully biodegrade, but, how long will it last a decent structural component before it gets brittle, start to delaminate, fail?

Same with EPS insulation. Yes, polystyrene lasts "forever", but, it goes dusty and crumbly way before that.

So, yeah, stupid question really, just wondering what people's thoughts are on the subject...

We all see old houses, but, will the modern Barratt Palaces still be around in a hundred years?
 
When I came out of the army in 1977 we went to look at a Barratt house. It was a complete pile of junk then and house building has not improved since in my opinion. Junk builders are building junk houses out of junk. The three houses that we have lived in since 1977 have all been early sixties or older. Solid walls proper foundations only drawback that I see is that the floors have been wooden and when the floorboards are lifted you can see the ground underneath. I haven't encountered any problems with that but I would have thought a concrete slab would have been better.
 
freddiemercurystwin said:
Typically Barratts and the like are designed for a 50 year lifespan.
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I thought it was only until the cheque clears :ROFLMAO:

If you buy a new house make sure your phone has the snagging team on speed dial.

I would never buy one from the big 6 housebuilders..........driven by shareholder profits not customer satisfaction.
 
A cave with a stone roof will last the longest. Probably thousands of years.
A flat roof made with a big concrete slab would last a long while too.
 
IIRC new houses are built to last 100 years and must comply in terms of energy efficiency. After that they are simply built to the lowest cost / maximum profit.

That said, if you had land with PP, plenty of money & a knowledgeable builder then, yes your house in theory would be significantly superior to any old house.
 
in the 50s 60s and 70s houses, particularly social housing were thrown up with top quality natural materials. which was they’re saving grace.
now new builds are thrown up with lightweight manufactured budget materials that are not produced or erected with longevity in mind.
you think new builds are poor new? come back in 60 years.
 
Yeah, the phrases "built by the lowest bidder" with parts sourced from "the most competitive supplier"...
 
Ryler said:
A cave with a stone roof will last the longest. Probably thousands of years.
A flat roof made with a big concrete slab would last a long while too.
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I saw a programme some years back about architecture it mentioned art deco buildings of the 30's, a lot of flat concrete roof, slab sides etc, and they didn't last as long as you would expect because of erosion from wind and rain. Water run off and wind deflection are key and the Victorians seemed to have all this nailed.
Underfloor ventilation to keep the lower walls dry. The ornamental ridge tiles weren't purely for decoration, the scrolls and holes in the ridges broke down wind flow.
Very clever them victorians, I doubt any modern windows in upvc will outlast a victorian sash.
 
I bought a new house once, in 2000, in the decade I was there I replaced some fence posts and an extractor fan, not bad for a decade.
 
Near where I live, a secondary school built in the late 1960s has, in the last five years been closed and demolished. A junior school built within the last five years has rainwater leaking through the skylights. Compare to the junior school I attended, which was built in the 1890s, and is still being used, although not as a school. Another old school, built in the early 1900s still functions as a junior school! I am sure you can all draw your own conclusions.
 
Astra99 said:
Near where I live, a secondary school built in the late 1960s has, in the last five years been closed and demolished. A junior school built within the last five years has rainwater leaking through the skylights. Compare to the junior school I attended, which was built in the 1890s, and is still being used, although not as a school. Another old school, built in the early 1900s still functions as a junior school! I am sure you can all draw your own conclusions.
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Must've used OSB. :D
 
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