40-Yr Contractor Learns Korean House Construction

[@이상훈-i4g4o]

기둥밑의 돌은 주춧돌이라 부르며 화강석입니다.자연석을 그대로 쓰고 기둥밑을 그랭이질로 맞추거나 주춧돌을 평평하게 다듬어서 기둥을 올리거나 합니다.한옥 자체가 처마가 길어 기둥이 외부로 노출된 기둥은 햇빛과 통풍이 잘되어 썩지 않습니다.오히려 폐쇄된 내부의 기둥들이 썩는 경우가 많습니다.무거운 기와와 중목구조로 집전체의 무게로 눌러주기때문에 기둥들이 주춧돌위에서 이탈하지 않습니다.외부미장은 황토와 모래와 석회입니다.지붕단열은 왕겨숫입니다.바닥난방보일러라 R등급이 조금 낮아도 두껍게 하고 친환경단열재로 한거같습니다.전통방식은 기둥을 다듬고 남은 자투리 목재를 전부 모아 지붕을 덮고 그위에 황토를 올리고 석회를 뿌린다음 기와를 올립니다.

[@kwcnasa]

Google translate is not doing a good job here. Need some help please.😂

[@MrHellenas23]

One of the best videos ever. Do more like this, i believe this suits you 100%, commenting of different building techniques

[@Obtuse94]

Agreed. Love EC's regular content, but this was really great to watch.

[@hyvemynd605]

please do more of these from around the world. i watch them on my own time but to get your input and thoughts adds to much to the video.

[@camperjack2620]

Scott, I liked your voice over. It was like I was sitting here with my brother watching this. These men are truly artists. The quality of the work and design is just awsome, I thought the black stuff in the roof was shredded tires, but I stand corrected after reading the comments. I am digging a bunch of that red clay out from my crawl space. That stuff gets so hard you could build a house without the framing. I have always said if we spent the money spent on wars on doing good things the whole world could have things like this. You started as a KZbin creator passing on skills, ( as many others) and have become a friend to so many of us. Please do more of these, I really enjoyed it.

[@fisharmor]

A natural stone plinth won't wick like concrete. My church in Virginia was built in 1840 and until recently it had original wood beams sitting on sandstone piers with no hold downs. Lasted 180 years that way - the original beams are still there, too. The only reason it changed is because we had so many people in there and got tired of the bounce house effect so we raised the whole thing to put more bracing & leveling in - but code wouldn't let us put it back down on sandstone blocks, so we had to build a CMU foundation and seal it before putting the church back down on it.

[@BrianEhrler]

Yes because it was not good enough to last 200 years you have to put it back to code that lasts 30 years :)

[@williamsmith9026]

😂​@@BrianEhrler

[@carlcarlamos9055]

I once watched a video of some repair to the wood of a single family Korean house in a town. The posts were cupped out on the bottom and filled with rock salt or some other coarse salt. It was stated that this was for moisture protection.

[@peterston4039]

You need to take a trip to see it live… then go to Scandinavia and check those guys out…. Will blow your mind :)

[@tonylarimer1326]

I was skipping around you tube and was mesmerized by this video great commentary.

[@TrogdorBurnin8or]

The structural engineering of traditional east Asian post-framed buildings is fundamentally different. They tie together the building with a box frame (made of heavy timbers with wood joinery) at the top half like a piece of furniture with legs, rather than using the ground for rigidity, make a whole assembly to spread the load out, put a heavy tile roof on, and gravity plays a big part in keeping the thing together. This gives the whole building a little bit of flex in an earthquake where its center of mass can move relative to the ground without a lot of damage.

[@tbrewer4794]

Fan of your channel. Appreciate the new perspective. Would be great to see you get out a bit more. There’s a whole ‘nother world out there beyond 2x4, plywood, and drywall when it comes to house construction.

[@goatmr2]

Hey there. Crusty old white guy. From an old crusty white guy, Strong work pulling yourself from your American centric view that I come from. Thanks for being the kind of Christian man my grandpa would be proud America would grow

[@DrFiero]

@10:00 - side of the bag - "Organic rice husks"

[@PerkBuilders]

I believe those blocks under the posts are granite, or something similar, rather than concrete or cinderblock. Much much less water vapor rising up through those

[@carlnardo]

If you like this you should watch Shoyan Japanese carpenter. His videos have an english narration which allows for him to work while the process is being explained. Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

[@2dividedby3equals666]

If Mr. Wadsworth is up to, I think it would be fun to hear his opinion/observations on Shoyan or The Carpentry Life, they are channels focused on japanese style carpentry. And I completely agree, I started watching this channel because of the differences on how we build houses where I live compared to the US, and so far I have learned more than I could have imagined. Merry Christmas!!

[@TheMansley]

Shoyan's a legend!

[@2dividedby3equals666]

@TheMansley He is indeed! Happy Holidays!

[@tumbleweed1976]

A pleasure to watch and learn 🎈

[@sanxhez5611]

Great great video. Love the perspective you take and very open and respectful of different ideas

[@jonathanray83]

There's a wonderful Korean House in Highland County Virginia It was disassembled and shipped from South Korea to 4,000 ft on a Mountain top in Virginia ❤

[@OldMan_PJ]

To see a Japanese carpenter build a home I highly recommend Shoyan Japanese Carpenter, I believe he is on his 5th house building series for KZbin. He dubs all of his videos in English and mostly build timber framed homes built to modern air tightness standards.

[@teemoto3923]

Cannot agree more with your recommendation. These two are peas in a pod.

[@Flako-dd]

Shoyan is the Best!

[@jeffharper2866]

+1

[@johnsmith-jk9ol]

@@OldMan_PJ definitely will have to check that out

[@ondrejpavelka2179]

Spot on. Essential craftsman and Shoyan are two of my favorite channel on youtube. They share the same positive vibe i admire.

[@Flif0]

Scott said it correctly- sustainable but not energy efficient, living in an old Japanese farm house I can affirm that there are gaps between the timber frame and plastered walls, it is drafty hehe The relief cuts in the ceiling boards are to prevent cupping. Great video! would love to see more of that style ❤

[@stevenslater2669]

Really cool to see a master builder from one culture watch and comment on the technology of a very different culture.

[@1337wonderboy]

20:05 the plaster is clay, it's actually dirt and the top coat outside was probably lime

[@martinfeldhoff45]

Clay like it was used on half timbered houses here in europe. It gains popularity as it is a breathing material for unique room climate because its not a moisture barrier.

[@timhockersmith3934]

That was a great video! Thanks for sharing.

[@Geeraffe]

Charcoal rice husks - insulating but also resistant to infestation - the wall panels matts have this as well, whole house is breathable because the natural construction materials

[@skipper2285]

Your comment about getting out and seeing how the rest of the world does it is right on. Comparison without judgement. Different, not better/worse. Possibilities vs restrictions. Great video. Also, this style of building is common in Europe.

[@belatedjuvenilia5573]

Hi Scott, I have been watching your videos for years and always found them captivating, even more so since becoming a homeowner, but I've rarely been glued to content on youtube like I have been glued to this one. Watching a master craftsperson watching something unfamiliar and analyzing it is extremely rewarding, even if virtually none of this will ever be part of my own skillset. I have always been impressed by the open and sharp mind you have retained over a long life of work, but never more so than with this video. Thank you for doing this. I hope you can find more detailed clips of skilled work from different contexts like this to comment on. All the best to you and your family for the new year.

[@kaiwenhe5518]

The weight of the building, particularly the roof, is the primary factor in determining the structure's stability, that is why you don't see any fasteners between the house and the slab. While these traditional houses may not be designed to withstand extreme weather conditions like tornadoes, it's worth noting that many modern stick-frame houses also lack the same level of resilience.

[@joenorman7070]

I've watched this, beautiful workmanship.

[@MrWorldasmaya]

Great video. I hope you can do more of these EC! It's actually educational and helps broaden our worldview here which, lets be honest, can be a bit myopic at times in the USA:);).

[@Rembrant65]

Left arrow key will take you back 5 seconds in the video. Handy when you want to take a second look at something like the rigging. Love your videos. Construction methods around the world are awesome. A single problem, shelter for people. What materials are available, what are the climatic demands. Who does it.

[@Buckinghamrabbit]

Great questions! Can’t wait to hear more about their solutions for hvac, plumbing, etc. as well as some questions about the foundation. Very interesting to see what came pre-fab’d and what didn’t. Awesome video- would love to see framing and construction comparisons from all over the world!

[@dannydunnagan3267]

Merry Christmas from west Tennessee .

[@buckWildest]

i acctually already watched this house being built a while ago. guess i gotta do it again!

[@rdougan]

This was great. I know it’ll be a lot of work, but please get some answers and do a follow up. Love this.

[@Syrkyth]

I was impressed that they assemble the trusses there, not slide them off the back of a flatbed - leaving them with half an inch of air holding plates and runner together.

[@Islandwaterjet]

Can you imagine the horrific series of government employees lined up to stop you if you tried to do this here. The permit process here would stop this cold.

[@phitsf5475]

I saw the precision cut wood and all the prefabbed infill panels and thought they're really going to save a lot of time and effort here but then they got to the concreting and plastering. Overall it still looks like as much work as any other build but the end result is beautiful and still has a very handcrafted feel to it.

[@mhofmann3968]

This is all clay mortar. The outside finish could be coloured lime mortar or mortar made of white clay and white sand. The wall strukture is built without any moisture barrier and is able to carry moisture out and in. For those types of walls it is necessary to use only natural materials like clay, lime, straw, wood, etc. No modern coatings which could add a blocking layer into the wall system. The white textile on the roof system is just the packaging for the insulation. The one on top of the osb is a wind barrier (one could use OSB alone as well, if you tape and glue it). I built my house pretty similar to this and worked as a clay contractor for a few years here in southern germany.

[@AMeise-vy4fk]

😅 Danke für deine ausführliche Erklärung. Bin hier im Allgäu und betreibe ebenfalls Lehmbau, und wollte gerade einen ähnlichen Roman verfassen.

[@joeybroadston3457]

Posts look like hard stone, like granite. Insulation looked like carburized rice/wheat husk.

[@danielschmeltzer2633]

Can you possibly send a link to the original video so can possibly translate any audio that might help us understand more about materials and processes. Might help out with a few of your questions about how or what they are doing. If not. Thank for all you do for building community. And Sir you keep up the great work!! Dan from Michigan.

[@johnsmith-jk9ol]

When i was in the US navy's construction battalions and deployed to Afghanistan there was a South Korean construction unit there and after having a project next to one of theirs and watching them work we were begging for a joint project to learn from them. Never happened unfortunately but our officer in charge did manage to observe some of their work and their officer observed some of ours at least. Have never stopped wishing a joint project would have happened though. Watching them work when we had projects close to each other was astounding

[@andyeasy3320]

Just to be clear, this is a kit-form hanok house; it's a the pre-modern method of building hence no tar paper/energy efficiency etc but with double-glazed windows. There was no traditional ondol underfloor heating system either. No hold-downs because of potential seismic movement. Even in the 1950's many Koreans were still living in what were mud huts with straw roofs. Very few would choose to live in an actual, original hanok today; it would be like living in a 500 year old wattle and daub Tudor period house. When the very old, who did live in this style of house, pass away the property is razed.

[@phitsf5475]

The lack of hold downs to allow for some seismic movement makes a lot of sense. I know it would be very unlikely but I have the thought of a truck bumping a corner and knocking it all off its feet.

[@vidard9863]

That does explain why the crew acts like they do setting up a "Mobil home".

[@castorriverfarm5236]

scott, I was impressed by the amount of grey hair, some young guys but I would say higher percentage of older men. Thanks for all you do, a delight to listen.

[@OldWorldHandyman]

In Europe we are using clay to make walls, I suspect they were using a clay mix, not stucco. Merry Christmas.

[@chrisnorcross618]

Very much enjoyed this format along with your running commentary.

[@aroncarvajal7080]

Good morning merry Christmas, you would be surprised how construccion takes place in other countries, for instance Mexico 🇲🇽, I know a little about construccion and you would have a heart attack about how a lot of houses are built here where I live, specially because regulations are not followed, I wish I had enough money so I could hire you to come down here and help me build a house, God bless you and your family. Saludos

[@hansangb]

@9:50 That bag says "Organic rice husk charcoal" In other words, they take rice husks and burn it to turn into charcoal. Usually used for framing/fertilizer but maybe it has insulation values. Also, this is a modern version of old Korean building (like timber framing/tenons). And @20:03 the bag has "Ochre" written on it.

[@trevelynbrown4444]

In Iraq . The wires are run through the house . Then plastered over with raw gypsum paste . Outside walls are rock plastered over with mortar then painted white .

[@robertseguin4875]

they make it look easy so it must be really difficult. thank for sharing

[@braylon3233]

I'll shoot a guess I suppose at the blocks under the posts, it could be a very pourous rock that allows quick drainage of any accumulative moisture

[@johnsmith-jk9ol]

I wonder if the posts themselves might be pressure treated in a way that doesn't change the appearance of the wood

[@andy_rb]

Quite the opposite. It'll be something completely impermeable to stop rising damp.

[@jamil3286]

@@andy_rbI’d have to agree with you, I don’t see how something that is porous to allow water to permeate would also have the compressive strength to take the load from the column. I could be wrong however.

[@vango20]

Lol- I think I “get” Scott’s humor while interpreting this construction video- lol

[@SlickSydney]

Nice. Enjoyed that vid and your reactions to it. Merry Christmas.

[@Nobe_Oddy]

So those bags of back material that they put on the roof were rice hulls/husks that have been turned to charcoal..... and the wall panels are also rice hulls/husks, (but not as charcoal LOL) I THINK .... we didn't really get to see it close up, but I've seen them being made, and they wrap them in a thin sheet and it's all sewn together... and there are piece of bamboo sort of woven together around that, and then the mod layer is put on that... the bamboo is used to help hold the mud on.... I saw how they do in Japan and have been under the impression it's essentially the same in South Korea, but I'm not expert on Asian House Mud lol 0 I really fins it all just so fascinating.... but you will should look into the South Korean tradition home heating systems... it really is ingenious and incredible!

[@krenwregget7667]

I watch a channel called "Shoyan Japanese Carpenter" and it's really cool because the same carpenter does framing, floor laying, finish carpentry and millwork. Their jobsites are immacualte and his work is very, very good. Different from hiring 4 different styles of carpenter in North America.

[@xoxo2008oxox]

If any channel to watch on Japanese home building, its Shoyan's channel.

[@FunwithBooboo]

Thanks for the Christmas education video. Great to share 😀 👍

[@Nobe_Oddy]

Oh if you think you have questions now, look into TRADITIONAL KOREAN HEATING !!!! I couldn't figure out what the heck they were doing until it was done!! And I had NO IDEA that it was for heating!!! Eventually you should be able to find it through browsing or even just searching for it, but it is JAW DROPPING!!! :D

[@jonanderson5137]

Ondol I think is the word. Fascinating

[@CuriousCrow-mp4cx]

Well, the Romans did underfloor heating too. We have archeological sites in Britain where the original architecture has survived, built over clay brick lined channels that allowed the heat from a huge furnace/oven around the building. And the Hanok houses have more in common with Siberia and Swedish houses that relied on one source of heat to heat a whole house. Think of a wood burning furnace cum stove and oven, built of thick stone that can, like storage heaters, hold onto heat for hours, and slowly let it radiate and warm the house. All the heated rooms are linked by stone-lined channels and chimneys and the rooms are heated by heat radiating off those. Funnily enough in the US, those who can afford to build in rural areas with plentiful timber, are building wood stoves and heating systems based on burning wood. No instant hot water, but the technology is there.

[@h2s-i9o]

No trusses is the best part

[@rafffe]

That roofing insulation translates to "Charred rice shells"

[@johnjaso1349]

Merry Christmas Scott and family. Keep up the good work and content! It’s a blessing and the content is full of wisdom.

[@meiko_kaji]

I had a home built in 🇯🇵 by a master carpenter and his son. Nails were purely decorative. Their joinery with only chisels was incredible to watch. No cost overruns or surprises. One of the greatest experiences in my life….

[@josef.gonzalez6292]

Scott needs to check out Shoyan Japanese Carpenter!

[@jefff6167]

Very educational. Thanks for broadening my perspective.

[@GarrethandPipa]

While not designed to resist earthquakes, hanok’s lightweight and flexible construction can actually help absorb seismic shocks, reducing the risk of damage. Thats the reason they dont tie structure to the foundation

[@tehjamerz]

...so it is designed to resist earthquakes

[@sblack48]

Something quite applicable to the Pacific Northwest

[@SingleStacked]

I guess they don't have hurricanes there.

[@vidard9863]

​@@SingleStackedfrom what I saw their typhoons are MUCH more gentle than hurricanes... But they are in mountains so flooding and landslides are the problem not the wind.

[@ray6tw]

​@@SingleStackedTyphoons sometimes. But most of them will be quite weak while reaching Korea.

[@Mynx5050]

Thanks Scott, that was fantastic. What a smooth crew! Your commentary rounded it out. Love learning ♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@daneking1209]

Thoroughly enjoyed the commentary

[@userer4579]

5:58 Every tool has a hammer side.

[@tomwhelan9872]

Great vid. Also check out Shoyan, Japanese carpenter. Always nice to check out other culture's building methods. Very interesting. And Merry Christmas to you and yours.

[@theoh6260]

Merry Christmas Scott!!!

[@arustydodge2111]

Thank you and Merry Christmas, SCOTT! 🙏🎄😇🥂

[@gtbkts]

Thanks for all the amazing content and great videos!!!

[@CkeckThatYetithe2nd]

This could be a video series a really successful one of going the different countries learning how they do first hand from them with the Foreman telling you how it's done.

[@tukek88]

I hope you find out more. I watched this video a couple weeks ago and had lots of questions.

[@jeanmarcforcier383]

? Clay lime sand that lets walls transfer moisture in and out, similar to hempcrete would be my guess.

[@hong9270]

Very interesting to watch as a Korean chippy knowing nothing about traditional Korean housing

[@alec4672]

13:10 it looks similar to a duplex nail but with a smaller bottom head, the top head is very thin, thinner than a common hand driven roofing nail.

[@fdisker692]

No AC. Heat is called Ondol. It's large charcoal heated water inter-slab. It is wonderful on a cold day. Cooling is from simple thickness of the walls. Most plumbing is, or rather used to be, traditionally external unless they had western bathrooms which are wet rooms. Asian bathrooms and kitchens when I was stationed there were often separate enclosed areas accessed from outside the primary living areas.

[@ikust007]

Love that kind of analysis. Thank you .🙏 very good idea .

[@WeberMachineWorks]

Great video.Thanks

[@bubbax1115]

I like the dove tail at @3:26

[@donnmcshaner]

Amazing work!!

[@arresthillary9502]

8:26 if you want to review in slow mo or reverse frame by frame forward or back, pause the video then type period or comma key to get back to where you want to be

[@toddburgess6792]

Watching those mudders reminded me of old timey glaziers running glazing putty. Artistry in motion. 😁

[@chrisfreemesser5707]

Beautiful house...well-built and architecturally attractive. That probably makes it better than ~90% of new construction here in the US

[@williamsmith9026]

New construction in America is an utter disgrace. Even the "hi end" homes look like flat plastic movie sets. The fronts only. The rest is vinyl "never paint again" garbage that fades in 4 years anyway.

[@jdkez]

Excellent!

[@joachimsingh2929]

Great! Which country next? Keep it coming!

[@DanielZajic]

It's definitely a nice aesthetic. Would be interesting to see the rest of the process. How they do the electric, plumbing, ventilation, etc.

[@leesuschrist]

Looks very efficient, yet the result is an extremely well built home.

[@LDhusky]

That was awesome

[@theoh6260]

Very cool video…. Interesting to see how homes can be built so differently. Very very interesting….

[@kalumarsenault5680]

We use a product called Insul-dex by dex o Tex on ship floors ,it’s lightweight concrete made from lava rock an has a very high r value per inch

[@sergeykotkin8945]

The exterior plastering is made of red clay, sand and lime

[@1cnfour349]

This is pretty cool I have to admit

[@shemwayman1146]

THIS IS TRULY AMAZING, LETS BUILD ONE OF THOSE.

[@stevenveilleux4791]

Thanks love to learn building techniques around the world.

[@oldworldchris4187]

It looks like Wood Woods work, channel, I love the Korean vernacular style!

[@corytheriault2365]

Rice husks are roughly r3 so assuming the roof has 8 inches then roof is r24

[@LukeTownsley]

The charring process probably improves the r value a bit and likely increases the rot resistance a bit while also reducing the weight. I would think it would increase susceptibility to fire though although it is likely there is a fire retardant added.

[@thedolt9215]

Great video idea about doing building techniques around the world… You got me hooked Scott!

[@dosop8936]

Great video

[@amyblueskyirl16]

I love how east Asia home builds are simpler but quality and made to human scale

[@imout671]

I believe that hammer is called the "sledge omatic" or the "getthehelloutoftheway hammer"

[@Mayamax3]

That's what Gallagher called his big hammer. 😃

[@imout671]

@Mayamax3 lol,fond memories