Norway's different residential building practices

Join us on our final day in Norway as we uncover fascinating insights into Norwegian construction practices! In this video, we explore common building details, materials, and innovative techniques that make Norwegian homes stand out. Our team, including Jake, Steve, and myself, discusses everything from wood framing to advanced insulation methods and the unique features of triple-glazed windows.
🔍 In This Video:
Overview of common construction details across Norway
The role of wood framing in sustainable building
Innovative insulation techniques: fiberglass and mineral wool
Unique vapor barrier and air control strategies
Exploring radiant floor heating systems: electric vs. liquid
The significance of rain screens in Norwegian architecture
Insights into roofing methods and green roof systems
Whether you’re a home builder, architect, or simply interested in construction techniques, this video is packed with valuable knowledge to enhance your understanding of custom home building.
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[@fintux]

A Finn here (we share a lot of the methodology with Norway, but not all of it). The reason we often have separate electric heating in the bathroom floor is to make sure the floor dries up after using the bathroom even in the summer, when the rest of the heating switches off. Also, it keeps the floor warm to touch even during the summer time.

[@allahsnackbar9915]

most important in the bathroom is the proper ventilation...

[@fintux]

@allahsnackbar9915 yes, I never said the floor heating was the most important thing, though. I was just explaining some reasons why there often is electric floor heating in the bathrooms despite of having circulating water floor heating in other rooms.

[@sampsalol]

@@fintux Ventilation is a given that it is always on and speeds up and down according to the humidity percent detected by the ventilation system. In my Finnish 2023 built house the bathroom also has a liquid heating in the floor slab with 35 celsius water going through it all year round. The only difference to the rest of the house is that the liquid is flowing unrestricted always, unlike the rest of the house with each liquid circuit panel controlling the flow according to the room temperature. Heating source is a ground source heat pump.

[@silentdeath7847]

Generally bathrooms will have its own temperature controll seperat from the rest. This is most likelly to make it easier to keep pipes from freezing in the winter. Every single house i've lived in and visited have had that.

[@fintux]

@@sampsalol yup, where I live there's a constant water flow heating in the bathroom (provided the circulation pump is on); however, the water temperature is not constant there, it depends on the outdoor temperature. But I've seen many dwellings where the bathroom has electric heating while the rest of the house has water-based heating.

[@jumboegg5845]

9:45 "Its almost like there's a handbook on how things need to be built, and everyone's following it". At first, I thought he was being sarcastic, but he was actually being serious lol.

[@spinnetti]

Well, being from Texas, proper construction is purely optional.

[@sofiehalvorsen3881]

Norwegian plumber here👋 In norway we do actually have a national buildings manual, it gets update from time to time, and explains in detail how everything must be built or minimum. Now a days, we follow the TEK17, before that it was TEK10, the numbers refer to the year it was written/updated😊

[@glot1n]

Here is a link to an english version of TEK17 www.dibk.no/globalassets/byggeregler/regulation-on-technical-requirements-for-construction-works--technical-regulations.pdf

[@nickk7653]

I heard that and immediately thought "well, obviously... that and formal apprenticeships make sure people are properly educated". Such nouveau methods we've been doing since at least medieval times.

[@KaspersMC]

hmm ... "handbook" 🤔it sounds like some conspiracy theories ; )~ thihi

[@janhanchenmichelsen2627]

Regarding rain and wood: The oldest part of my all wooden Bergen townhouse is around 250 years old. Of course, many repairs have been made during all these years, but the timber core and load bearing structure is still in great shape. Even many of the horizontally mounted weather boards date back to around 1850, when the house was enlarged. This is in the wettest town in Europe. These very traditional wooden buildings can last for centuries, but when insulating, a the advice I got from experts was to leave everything diffusion open, including insulation materials. I use blown-in cellulose fibre or wood based insulation mats when renovating. No damp barrier. This will allow the house to "breathe" between seasons.

[@Mnnvint]

We have a nice outdoor museum close to where I live, Sunnmøre Museum, with lots of old, extremely rustic wooden buildings, and my sister who lives in the UK pointed out that the little, normal house they lived in was older than all the houses there! In Norway, 250 years on a house is really old, in the UK, it's quite normal...

[@iimaev]

Yeah thats pretty much spot on. I'm a building engineer in Norway. Whenever I have clients that want to after insulate their house and only that I have to explain just this. It's a good thing to make the house warmer and more efficient. But the moisture also need to be addressed. Else you will find mold and other problems real quick even in a surface renovation

[@LucasRichardStephens]

I expect the interior air quality of your house is superior to that of the building filmed here. It will probably outlast this building too.

[@weerolein]

My Oslo house was constructed in 1880. Very few repairs and some upgrades. The lower 1.5 floors are built from rocks, the upper 1.5 from timber logs. Coating is a wooden frame with gypsum surface, so the transition isn't visible. Adding a heat pump was very tricky but also rewarding.

[@MrZnarffy]

This is something I would recommend a lot more people to do.. You lose a little in efficiency, but having no damp barrier is a lifesaver to house longevity,

[@Elektoos]

The hand book is called TEK17 and the research for the standards are a collaboration between the industry and a program called Byggforsk (building research) by SINTEF one of Europes largest independent practical research organisations. The best practices in TEK17 is THE LAW when you are building new constructions i Norway.

[@GreenIllness]

Yeah, right.

[@tomivar9469]

TEK17 is also a big reason why living costs are so High in norway

[@Elektoos]

@@tomivar9469 this is true.

[@ALCLCFVIS]

@@tomivar9469 higher construction costs is the reason why in Portugal they are built cheaply and then cry in winter...

[@RuneBørsjø]

@@GreenIllness He's not joking. If you don't follow the rules, you are liable, as a contractor.

[@josuelugo4506]

It would be interesting to see somebody from Norway come over here to America and check our building methods 😁

[@raspucin70]

As someone who grew in Europe and now resides in US (30+ yrs) I can assure that people in Europe would not build a barn using US methods, let alone a house.

[@JM-kn9dh]

I think it really depends on the area

[@sparksmcgee6641]

Yeah do a multi-story condo building vs this multi-story condo. Everyone compares the worst US to the best European.

[@Knasern]

I did do just that with a team 15 people, we traveled for 3 months through the US in 2019. We all had the same experience " Wtf is this" We might have been unlucky, but we went everywhere from skyscrapers in new york, to a simple garage build in the suburbs and we followed a big conctrator all the way. Now im not saying everything is bad, there where many cool tools and material features that i would like to implement in Norway, but the material felt cheap, so it would need to be upgraded to be used

[@JM-kn9dh]

@@Knasern is it cause its mostly wood construction? Or is it some of the other stuff?

[@Struct.3]

My Norwegian house was built in the 60s, it uses horse hair, and sheep's wool as insulation in some of the older walls XD There are starting to be some humidity issues, so it's time to refresh them but considering they held so well for 60+ years is pretty impressive for such a caveman material.

[@caiusjacoby9257]

The houses build in the 60s and 70s here i Norway seems to hold pretty well, they are built to dry up easy. I dont think new houses dry up inside the construction as well

[@LordImp]

Ahh the 60 and 70 when they just threw anything between the wooden walls to fill them up. Paper mulch, fabric, wood dust, news papers...u name it xD

[@onfungi8815]

Thanks guys. Benchmarking is always a smart idea and it really looks like the Norwegians have things dialled. Learning is good.

[@frodej6640]

Glass wool from the company Glava is the most used insulation material you will find everywhere(We just call that insulation "Glava"). Rockwool is sometimes used as alternative. I have never seen the american style insulation like spray foam, and thank god for that. That just look messy. I also find it questionable to put stuff in a house when you need hazmat to apply it. Not to mention having to handle that foam or dust when renovating or destroying a building. Glava has its own issues for sure, but I find that much more acceptable than the american alternative. The insulation we get from "Glava" is very good when it is applied with enough thickness and done properly.

[@onfungi8815]

Spray foam is easy and a known cost that returns value to the installer. The long term consequence for the building and home owners however, spray foam is starting to look like its not a good idea. Congratulations to the Norwegians for adapting quickly. I would like to see more hemp insulation. I think there's a real opportunity to go the next step with smarter less energy and emission intensive insulations.

[@agilagilsen8714]

@@onfungi8815just for fun I’d recommend looking up the story of glava on youtube. It’s a fun video and the story is quite interesting as well. Also, glava is a Norwegian company, which almost certainly helped with the quick adoption.

[@MrYishaiShields]

The hazmat suit is because its basically spray glue. You wont be able to clean up without it.

[@Zajuts149]

Spray foam is mostly used in nooks and crannies where Glava or Rockwool won't fit.

[@rayranja]

@@Zajuts149 I am extremely addicted to watching people build and renovate houses on KZbin, and they use that spray a lot in the US. It could be that people who build houses from scratch don't do it, but I've seen many use it under the whole ceiling, and on all the walls.

[@kristofferr.b3224]

The exterior gypsum is threaten so it can handle more moisture than the interior one. The rainscreen is crucial for this to work, but if works in Bergen it will work anywhere. It's not that hard to get to passivehouse level of airtightness with just the exterior gypsum if its taped correctly. The rockwool on the steel column is probably fire protection. This building probably have a higher firerating than normal since its multiple units over many floors. The heatcable in the bathroom floor isn't just for comfort it's also to dry the floor. In the summertime the liquid system is probably shut off, thats why it's electric in the bathroom.

[@savagegtalks5912]

That's damn sure! if it works in Bergen, it work anywhere^^ 🤣

[@frodenystad6937]

Im from Norway, and we use a standard all over in all new houses - so they all are similar. It’s also a building-control system so it’s done right. If you borrow money then the bank also is going to have a management role. And yes Siga rules!

[@gnomiefirst9201]

Financial investors (banks) back the mega home builders and banks make many (all?) mortgage loans in the US. They don't care about the construction quality or condition of the property being sold. A lot of dirty deeds going on.

[@TullaRask]

@@gnomiefirst9201 In Norway everyone screams for the government to do something, and they can start making even banks comply. During the financial crises in the 80's the government would help the private banks who had been doing something wrong, but only if they bought the hole bank. That was the punishment for the bankers, suddenly the government owned them all. They sold a few years later. In Norway the government lurks in the shadows. A very different attitude than in the US, where you just sue someone.

[@VidarLund-k5q]

​@@TullaRaskYou're wrong. Banks went bancrupt thanks to their own stupidity, even old well renowned banks like Bergens Kreditbank and Kredittkassen, plus some new irresponsible banks. The biggest bank that survived by the Government taking over was the DNB, formerly Den norske kredittbank. It's partly state owned and is extremely successful.

[@TullaRask]

@VidarLund-k5q I didn't talk about specific banks, I was thinking about DNB, what happened in Bergen I have no clue. Also I wasn't WRONG as you say, only it was a lot of banks going down in the Jappetida, some where bought by the government, and some not even saved.

[@VidarLund-k5q]

You should have dine to understand fully what happened​. I mentioned the most renowned banks, Bergen bank (Bergens privatbank had subsidiaries everywhere, not only in Bergen. New banks that went bust were Oslo anken and Fokus bank, they were only a few years old and practically threw money after people totally irresponsible. All this happened solely because prime minister Kåre Willoch became smitten with the disasterous economics of RonaldReagan and Margareth Thatcher.@@TullaRask

[@Nils_1984]

Builders and plummers follow the TEK17, the electrical is done by book NEK400. The house even get pressure tested. All new houses has balanced ventilation as well. The TEK, is the minimum and then you could even further and have a goal of passive house. I believe the EU is aiming for this soon.

[@seag1492]

Fascinating to see the differences. Great video Mark!

[@MrDLYouTube]

As a Norwegian watching this: "They get 89 inches of rain here"....Me: What? Where is this? "We are in Bergen.." Me; Ah, right. That checks out.

[@mattiaarnio9249]

In the Nordics we do have national build standard manuals, and they are quite alike in between us. Also the product vendors look very familiar even though I am not in Norway.

[@1CelloOne]

I enjoyed watching this, thank you!

[@guylambrechts2303]

Funny to see my favourite building team visit Europe,

[@georgelynch6139]

Our saying is “insulation is cheaper than electricity” 👍

[@silentdeath7847]

It deffinently is now😂 thanks Europe....

[@Mnnvint]

Well, the electricity is cheap (most of the time), but it's cold outside also.

[@PunQueen]

2:43 The name Primur is a pun of Primer and "Mur", meaning a wall of brick or concrete

[@greatstomp]

There is electric heating in the bathroom beacause there is no heat in the liquid system in the summer :).

[@Memeonomist]

In Finland, and I guess in Norway too, there is often separate heat exchanger and piping circuit for just bathrooms which can provide heat during summer too.

[@ristekostadinov2820]

i use flip flops when i get out of shower and i don't feel cold, and in the summer because i don't cool the bathroom (and outside easily get 40C) the floor is warm 😁😁

[@slitor]

​@@Memeonomist District heating. Which means you get hot water pretty cheap to as you aren't using electricity to heat it yourself.

[@slitor]

Or...if its rural, same piping structure but they have a stove in the basement. Sorry I just realized using water pipes to heat up the building isn't really that unique.

[@annette2150]

Didn’t expect to stumble upon my old neighbourhood om yt today

[@Herr_Gamer]

The older Bergen townhouse look and structure I find far more interesting than any of the modern flatroof designs. Cozier too

[@Noam-w1l]

At 6:40 - I'm surprised that Steve seems to find supplemental electric bathroom heat to be a sort of novelty. Growing up myself decades ago in a warm southern climate, every house with middle-class or better pretensions always had some form of supplemental switched electrical heat in each bathroom for just the reasons Steve intuits here. It might be hot outside, but if the whole house is air conditioned then you might be uncomfortably cold getting out of the bath. Or it might be a rare cold winter's night, you're gutting it out without central heating as the whole house cools to 68, 67 degrees, and you can wear long sleeves everywhere else except when you are stepping out of the bath dripping wet and unclothed. When I built some new bathrooms in the mid-Atlantic I made sure they all had supplemental heat - either an exhaust fan assembly that also had a recirculating 1000w fan heater mode (from Broan) that I put on a twist-timer, or an electric heating mat under the tiles run off a special thermostat that probed the floor.

[@Andytrigger94]

9:58 as a former mason trainee i remember in school we all got handed a book that shows the rules on how to build certain stuff, there are strict regulations on everything that is made within a house.

[@iamthouth]

Really interesting! I saw an apartment for sale in that building before Christmas.

[@ALLworldCONSTRUCTIONLLC]

When black ink is applied to wood, it can create an effect similar to staining, but with more intense pigmentation. The wood absorbs the ink, darkening the surface while still allowing the grain patterns to remain visible. It's often used for artistic pieces or wood-turning projects, especially if a sleek, modern look is desired.

[@fredericapanon207]

@ALLworldCONSTRUCTIONLLC, I thought that perhaps that wood had been charred black (Japanese or Korean technique). Apparently that keeps insects away.

[@Orbit353]

The black wood is most likely "royalimpregnering", a common wood treatment in the Nordics to get low maintenance. The wood is first impregnated with copper salts, then vacuum boiled in oil (e.g. lint seed) along with the staining. Maintenance coatings of oils can be applied when needed, but are needed less frequently compared to paint.

[@Mnnvint]

Right now in Norway, it's fashionable with untreated wood cladding. Supposedly if you used the right types of wood it doesn't rot, or at least doesn't rot much faster than treated wood. That may be, but it looks really ugly if it's unevenly weathered, with splotches of black where it's hardest hit. Even if evenly weathered it's not exactly beautiful.

[@Guiltyme]

The city you are in, Bergen, is the rainiest city in Norway

[@Randomdude21-e]

In europe

[@Guiltyme]

@@Randomdude21-e 😂

[@Randomdude21-e]

@@Guiltyme 😅 Bergen, Norway Bergen, Norway Securing the number one spot as the rainiest city in Europe is Bergen in Norway! Topping the data table for being both the city with the highest average rain days per month (12.7) as well as the highest average daily rainfall (8.8mm), Bergen is the outright rainiest city in Europe. 🤣

[@Guiltyme]

@@Randomdude21-e not supprised😂

[@Randomdude21-e]

@@Guiltyme hehe, no😅

[@FranciscoTChavez]

Seattle doesn't really get that much rain. It is a rainy area, and it does rain often. And, it does have a rainy season where it does rain a lot during that time. But, when it comes to total-yearly rainfall, it's a lot less than most people expect.

[@treborsirrah7916]

In short 40 inches a year

[@Mifiboi]

And it is Bergens American friendship town:) salmon bay in Seattle was settled by a lot of Norwegians from Bergen, particularly from the area known as «Laksevåg» or «salmon bay» in English.

[@buckbenelli8]

This is a how a country should be run.

[@KlausEvenEnevoldsen]

No, no, to an American it's communism :D

[@caiusjacoby9257]

Here in Norway it is too expensive to build new houses because of theese regulations. Only very rich people can afford to build because you have to follow all these rules, so this is not tge right way

[@toadwine7654]

@@caiusjacoby9257 nah, houses are becoming to expensive to build in countries that arent regulated like this just the same, so you whole argument is invalid. look again...

[@TheFenrirulfr]

@@caiusjacoby9257 Så fordi vi har gode ruguleringer som setter krav til kvalitet og utforming av bygg, så er dette negativt? Har du glemt at alt generelt har blitt dyrere?

[@finnerutavdet]

Yes, it's pretty standarized how it's done, and the standards are updated and improved year by year, and applies for the whole country. Bergen has twice as much rain as the rest of the countyr..

[@PowerfulWarbird]

BÆRGEN!!!

[@Larsbor]

7:33 Why dont the big guy have security shoes ..?

[@haakonht]

Everyone is following the same handbook, it's called TEK17 and it is the current minimal specification for new buildings in Norway. Every iteration of the spec has raised the bar of quality on all buildings constructed in Norway, and by forcing everyone to build to the same code you create an economy of scale for the types of products included, which helps to reduce what could otherwise have been prohibitive material costs for many. It is a valid criticism of the spec that it increases building costs, but the upfront costs are offset by the reduced maintenance requirements during the lifespan of the building.

[@Codraroll]

TEK17 is a building code, but not a handbook. It doesn't tell you how to meet its requirements, just lists what requirements you must meet. The "handbook" everyone follows would be the SINTEF Building Research Design Guides.

[@jongwinner7205]

Sure would be nice to see how the modified bitumen roof membrane was installed and how the roof system was insulated as well as installed.

[@clivewilliams3661]

Torch-on polymer modified bitumen felt roofing has been around in Europe for about 40 years and is basically laid as traditional pour and roll bitumen felt roofing used be be. The big advantage of the polymer modified variety is that the bitumen does not become brittle and crack, so can last for upwards of 15 years and often a lot longer, whereas the previous standard bitumen roofs only last 5 years. I am slightly surprised that bitumen felt is still used as a main roofing material in Norway because here in UK we have moved to PVC and EPDM because of their improved performance. I appreciate that the roofs are due to be finished with a Sedum that will protect the bitumen from the UV and solar gain/freezing cycles but the cappings are exposed.

[@jongwinner7205]

@@clivewilliams3661 I am a commercial roofing contractor in Washington state my company has been around for over 100 years. I’m a fifth generation owner not of the same family. I wanted to see somebody in another country torching on rolls. The manufacturers we use were originally from France. I’m sure they’re the same.

[@clivewilliams3661]

@@jongwinner7205 Torch-on felt is still available in UK but whereas it was the go-to product in 1980's it has been superseded by other, higher performing materials and torch-on tends to be used on small projects. Where bitumen roofs have failed it is now far cheaper to overlay the original roof with a hi-perf alternative that can give a 25years insurance backed guarantee rather than re-roof with bitumen felt . The original big player supplying roofing felt was Tarmac, who used to produce a seminal extensive handbook on the detailing and installation but the scene has changed in favour of more 'modern' materials

[@Randomdude21-e]

@@clivewilliams3661norway also mostly use pvc now

[@tanelpolts7257]

@@clivewilliams3661 SBS is definitely not the main roofing material here. It's also PVC, hence Protan being a Norwegian company.

[@remek_ember]

9:15 it's called stud fusion welding. Nails would be quite an an overkill for insulation retainers

[@Orikix]

11:00 Remember that you are in the most rainy city in Europe

[@Yell0wCheese]

Typical 3am youtube suggestions will be a construction video about a project thats being done within viewing distance of my home. i've been walking past this constructions site more or less every week since it startet without even thinking about it lmao

[@MaxQ10001]

Note that the orange gypsum is not regular gypsum, it can handle a lot of moisture, and changed building methods drastically when it came out. Before that, we had more layers on the outside.

[@gounter222]

For those talking about water freezing. That shoudn`t be any inssues considering the insolations indoors. As from a construction worker we put the water pipes / sewer pipe lines at depths below the permafrost layers to prevent pipes from freezing when your not using water (without water flow.) This is a basic plumbing rules for us outside. Tho if not deep pipes we got two solotions either put a hot cable for warmth or do insolations for the water pipes.

[@TheTwoTwoForReal]

For anyone that wants to know the truth: everything is built after TEK yes, but it's only done at the bare minimum, with the cheapest materials possible. The noise levels in blocks, apartments etc. is pretty bad.

[@Level10Gamers]

We have a standard that says how to build houses so that would be why as you say we build all houses very similar.

[@GUITARTIME2024]

We have that in America, but many builders go above that, especially custom houses.

[@Level10Gamers]

@GUITARTIME2024 yea I get that, our standard isn't like a minimum standard where you get the bare minimum of what is approved. Here it's more a maximum per say. It's changes per year or every other I belive so houses built that specific year follow a set guide for how they are built and it's based on tested and prooven to be working standards. It's really detailed and not like a litte phamplet.

[@GUITARTIME2024]

@Level10Gamers our code isn't a pamphlet, and it's updated every now and then on a national basis. Building code, electrical code, plumbing code. Bigger issue is simply choosing quality materials and contractors attention to detail.

[@xokissmekatexo]

Question re: the radiant heat. If the dwelling is so tight is radiant overkill? Or do people just like it because it feels overall more comfortable?

[@mattiaarnio9249]

It is quite pleasant to have the floor feel warm enough that you do not need thick carpets on floors. Also that avoids the need to have separate radiators or ducted heated air. Of course our weather is such that we rarely would need any cooling systems. (30 cm/1 feet thick wall/floor/ceiling insulation minimizes heat flow - be it from inside to out, or from outside to in. Doubling that insulation thickness is not unheard of..)

[@TheWetting2]

It became common when newer codes for energy efficiency came about (early 2000 i believe, but i dont remember) One code required alternative heating source not reliant on active grid power or fossile fuel. Basically that ment either wood stove, stored electricity or circulating heated water. (probably forgetting some alternatives). Wood stoves works great in single houses. Alternatively air-to-water heat pumps are popular. For apartment complexes water-to-water heat pumps gets used a lot.

[@xokissmekatexo]

@@mattiaarnio9249 makes sense! Where I live we would still need AC, it is pretty hot with intense sun in my location.

[@clivewilliams3661]

Underfloor (radiant) heating is a very efficient way to heat a space. The circulating water is set at a temperature of around 45degC (113degF). Heat rises from the floor and cools marginally by the time it gets to the ceiling so that there is no stratification of the heat. If the temperature at floor level is say 24degC (75degF) then that is likely to be the temperature at all levels. Generally we feel the temperature on our bodies at the extremities i.e. our feet so that more often the room temperature can be reduced and we can still feel warm if our tootsies are. With a radiator system, much of the heat is generated by convection so hot air from the radiator rises, moves across the ceiling to the cold spots like windows, cools and then flows across the floor back to the radiator thus the temperature at floor level is probably 1-2degC colder than the level set by the room stat because it senses the upper air temperature. We then set the room stat to gain our warm feet at say 24degC but are generating a room temp of 26degC to compensate. The same applies to warm air systems but without the modicum of the radiant heat that also provides a warming feel to the upper body that radiators give. This means that underfloor heating is the most efficient followed by radiators and then warm blown air. The underfloor heating system shown will be overlaid with a sand/cement screed that then gives thermal mass to the system as well as even distribution.

[@Larsbor]

10:03 There are only a few ingeneer schools in Norway, and even though there are many Civil engineers getting paid they rarely dare to change anything, but keep to the same building descriptions from Government financed building institute. So everything would look very similar…

[@pawelolender3709]

That reddish board is not gypsum. It's actually cement board - very expensive and resistant.

[@AmandaHuggenkiss]

Isn’t it good Norwegian wood?

[@disqusrubbish5467]

Your five upvotes (at the moment) make me think only 5 people remember that song...

[@philt77]

They buy Swedsih wood. As USA do too, so is most carpenters. Swedish carpenters are very good and get better salary in Norway

[@halholloway5694]

the uncured sealant looks to be similar to the lap weather seal on R Panel metal roofing.

[@jonjak80]

These "nails" on the steelbeams are hotwelded and are many time used to prevent fire hitting the steel

[@makingwaves1239]

We have building specifications, for instance TEK-17, that the entrepreneurs use as blueprint for what requirements new buildings need to meet.

[@LucasRichardStephens]

We also have solid wood wall buildings in Norway, that are more pleasant to live in than these houses you have reviewed, though they are less well suited to that particular coastal region you visited. Also cellulose fibre insulation is used extensively and will continue to increase in use. This building technique you have shown is a sad development for home owners here. Post war building here can be characterised by a continuous experimental progression of methods that change due to failure more than due to improving (though theoretical U and K values have increased). Conversely traditional timber houses continue to attract new builders and exhibit a level of sophistication these buildings are generations behind, displaying systems that were perfected and stabilised 5-600 years ago. These building traditions are also influential across Northern Europe. Solid wood houses will, however remain niche products for an above average informed market.

[@aBoogivogi]

All houses that are a hundred years or so are usually solid timber and initially had very little if any insulation, but if they have been in continuous use most of them have all been insulated heavily since then. If the technique you are talking about is "lafting" then you can forget your R values. It's also problematic in areas with heavy rainfall like Bergen as the continuous rain and high humidity prevents the wood from drying.

[@LucasRichardStephens]

@@aBoogivogi If you learn the tradition of "Lafting", it is a very deep subject. Too extensive for a comments section.

[@elg1gy]

Tell me a single benefit of a mass timber wall compared to the type of exterior wall in the video? There is none.​@@LucasRichardStephens

[@LucasRichardStephens]

@@elg1gy No you can educate yourself. Why would I try and convince a person that has made up their mind already. I would not live in that building if you payed me. It is worse than a timber house if every way (for me).

[@kurtzcol]

fascinating

[@olgajoachimosmundsen4647]

The gypsum has a wax layer on it

[@disqusrubbish5467]

Standing next to a concrete wall: "Lots of wood framing..."

[@aritakalo8011]

Yeah. Those are mere balcony and interior dressing walls. It's all concrete elementing on the actual structural elements. Most likely built as fire cells. Meaning solid reinforced concrete walls between apartments, with few controlled and insulated penetrations. Heck not most likely, it is fire cells since fire safety building code demands that. Also I found them calling the airing vent an "wood furniture element of the window" funny. No that is the optional ventilation hatch, when you really want to air out the apartment. So one doesn't have to open the whole window or door. With the standard rain screen on out side so you can also vent during rain without it raining inside.

[@MrBaconis]

So, is a 4" rain screen better than the huber 3/16 rain screen?

[@LogansRun314]

I feel like this was a sarcastic and/or excellent question😁

[@mathiastwp]

You should've seen the rain gap on the hospital i work at in Stavanger, a whole 30cm of gap.

[@martintotland341]

The climate in Norway is very similar throughout the country so the buildings needs to be the same minimum. In the US you can't build a house in Alaska and expect it to work well in Florida.

[@Codraroll]

I was about to say that we have great regional variety too, but really, it's nothing like the US. You would be wise to do some tweaks on the design of a building when building in Røros vs. Stavanger, though, but the same building code generally fits both locations.

[@dhimitridimitricukotsouko4603]

Wow, you guys can just ask for the newest tek17 building standard. Oh and they are not nails they are spotwelds.

[@garygibson133]

Interesting, the very deep annular space for the rain screen/plane does have a gigantic increase in drying potential due to air flow / low flow resistance (I have significant experience w/ CFD, computational Fluid Dynamics, and in situ validation of such computations). Something to consider for environments with high potential of rainfall/water intrusion.

[@Darrida]

It depends on the height of the building. There is hardly any air movement on low buildings.

[@Codraroll]

That is the whole point. The principle of rain-proofing the building depends on the ventilated gap between the outer cladding and the rest of the wall assembly. Its Norwegian name is something akin to "dual-barrier weatherproofing". The outer screen stops most of the rain, the cavity allows the wall assembly to dry out the remaining moisture.

[@troelsnielsen2848]

Ask the norwegians about G-prog descriptions, byggforsk, and pricebook.

[@Infernal_Elf]

in Norway u either build very proper or the house will be mouldy or fall apart very quickly. There is overall rules for how u should build buildings also. we have alot of rain and Temperatures range from -20 to 30+ Celsius this applies to almost all regions. in recent decade or so tho there has been many times shortcuts where taken and use of cheap unskilled labor from eastern europe on multiple family developments.

[@TheFenrirulfr]

Wait.. THATS THE AREA WHERE I LIVE... i thought the place in the thumbnail looked familiar.

[@BenjaminBjornsen]

We actually do have a book, many books, for each profession.

[@qv81]

There is a hand book for everything hahaha.

[@lawnthusiast]

Can anyone help me out find the stock music track used at the end of Matt's videos? Thanks a bunch.

[@kebman]

Yes, a lot of Norwegian building is standardized, mostly due to regulation. We'll get a lot of workers from Poland and other places, and they all have to adapt to the Norwegian regulation and building styles. Do something the "wrong" way and the owner might be hit with fines or get sued, and rent and property/building reg law suits are the most common form of civil law suits in Norway.

[@OnlyEirik]

The rainscreen is for the cladding to dry, not the gypsum.

[@berntmariustromsdal9215]

if you come to Norway, why are you checking out the most southern city there is almost? You should have traveld to Tromsø, a city with enomous building activity, and they have to accomodate a special type of weather.

[@IMPARTIAL92]

The reason for similarities: - small country - very few contractos - limited variety in material supply

[@andre3328]

And TEK17

[@tanelpolts7257]

there is no limited variety. There is stuff that works and stuff that doesnt, no point in selling crap that doesnt.

[@IMPARTIAL92]

​@@tanelpolts7257 yes there is.

[@kristoffer3000]

We also like to build things that last so there are solid regulations for this kinda stuff. Our climate is also fairly similar across the country so there's no need for cardboard boxes like in Florida for example.

[@Twikkilol]

Imagine simping over building quality of your house. This should just be standard practise

[@Robin-xe4yz]

Wow, the Risinger brand is global now. Never thought you'd end up here when you started this whole thing huh?

[@VelcorHF]

It does make sense that all of it would be similar. Why reinvent the wheel when you have something that works and you’re trying to protect your people from extreme cold.

[@OriginalPuro]

There is a standard we built after, called Tec17. If you don't follow the standard then you end up with problems. It's amazing that any country can build anything without a standard, to me that just seems so stupid and wrong. PS: Not isolation, insulation.

[@knutbergan]

It is good construction techniques, but not without faults. Flat roof with parapet walls is certainly not a good idea where snow and ice form 5 months out of the year and neither is it in Florida with torrential rain. I recently observed, a less than 2 year old commercial flat roof building in Trysil, a massive failure in the sealing of the roof drain pipe due to frost/ thaw cycle. Needless to say a massive flooding inside with resultant damage was the result. If it had been on a multistory family or office building the insurance claim would have grown exponential. One thing they do right in Norway and should be mandatory in US is that everything should be pipe in pipe or wire in pipe for safety and serviceability.

[@tanelpolts7257]

You are dead wrong. A flat roof is a very good solution, but it does require people who do the installation to be up to par. I worked 8 years for the biggest flat roofing company in Norway. I had to learn on the job. Most roofers don't really learn on the job either. I worked mainly warranty/claims for the last 4 years. I have seen exactly one flaw in the engineering of a flat roof, the new Thon hotel in Svolvaer, where the greenhouse was integrated into the roof, not built on top of it, resulting in 30 litres of condensation finding it's way into the hotel below daily. I have seen no flaws in the material. 99.99% of the problems are the result of unqualified installators, fagbrev eller uten.

[@tohaason]

@@tanelpolts7257 You are right, but also wrong. When done perfectly, flat roofs are fine. But unfortunately the vast majority of those who set up buildings are not at that standard, and thus it's safer to use solutions which will work even so. Ideals are good, but we have to look at reality too.

[@tanelpolts7257]

@@tohaason reality is that everything bigger than a single family house will be built with a flat roof.

[@tohaason]

@tanelpolts7257 Well.. not the building I'm in right now. A flat roof would be a nightmare, if not a diaster, with a flat roof. Due to snow.

[@tanelpolts7257]

@@tohaason ever been outside? Please stop talking nonsense about things you know f all about.

[@johnsmith-zv1lo]

aprox 200 - 255k euro for a cheap apartment and 500 euro pr month for common bugdet.

[@tmyrdal]

Problem with how its done in Norway is to build it alang with the Norwegian building rules, but they take shortcut so much as long the owner that bo it. And then the owner of the new apartment uses and waste around 2 to 3 year of their life to fight to get the building error fixed. And people that dont notify then they earn more. So the building rules is a big poletic mess. And they build the apartment so ticht that you most use electronics to get fresh air in to the apartment, and if the power goes the air inside will be shitt. And the constructors take the cheepesræt produkt rheur find and after around 2 to 3 years the problem will come. Check out and intervju the people that buy them and get the Trues.

[@Sutorenja]

where I live in norway they only build shitty apartments out of prefabs from the eastbloc. some of them have had their roofs collapse under all the snow

[@SimenFive]

Homes in Norway is made to last, Homes in the use are mad Fast

[@GUITARTIME2024]

I'm in a US neighborhood with tons of 60s houses, 70s houses and fairly new ones.

[@spirits_]

Actually there is such a book

[@BritMemes]

Norway builds very slowly and extremely expensive most builders in Norway are Polish

[@popeyepanther4519]

America is so fare behind Scandinavia in the construction scene. Its not due to lack of skills, its due to greed. Less investment more profit. People without engineering degrees have no idea what they are paying for.

[@eddiOrtiz]

too the guy in red: another thing is u always, always NEED, is to wear safety shoes on a construction site, not just a vest and a helmet

[@jonathanrobinson2628]

There is something quite amusing about Americans imperialising all the measurements rather than just using metric. It's so incredibly antiquated and illogical. As someone who is fluent in both, the idea of building a house using only feet and inches is horrifying!

[@christoffer1973]

Look like you haven't asked Norwegian builder ore Norwegian engineers about your questions... It look like for me that you guess a lot. You could ask an Norwegian builder why.

[@kristianskarstein4564]

The reason every new building is done under the same code is because every laborer need to be certified and have been in labor school. in america it is allmost encuraged to not, because its cheaper for the contractor to employ young guys straight from highschool and mexicans without visas, and school cost money there and are not high standard alltho there are exceptions sometimes.

[@tanelpolts7257]

lol, u high? go to any big build (100+ workers) and you'd be hard pressed to find folk who can two words in english, nvm norwegian. labor school lol. I've seen disastrous work from norwegians with fagbrev, can't tell their ass from their elbow. Just need a place to be from 7 to 3.

[@Naglfar]

Problem with building anything in Norway is the socialist government taking forever to approve anything, I mean it can take several years.

[@AgentSmith911]

I hate what our politicians have done to ruin our housing politics and policies. The bureaucratic proces and regulations have gotten way out of hand. Building a house is getting so expensive and unnecessarily energy efficient because of EU regulations pushed on us.

[@jepulis6674]

Building is expensive because of the price gauging done by companies. Greed has no limits.

[@kristoffer3000]

Go buy a used cardboard box and live in that instead then, din jævla dust.

[@TheJorben89]

It's too expensive to build housing these days, partly because of the building standards. Both for buyers and the construction companies, their margins are too low. Housing is barely being built, and the construction industry is currently undergoing a massive bankruptcy wave. All this exacerbate the problem.

[@hubertkudyba2397]

how they build in Norway? They call for Polish construction company, give them projects paperwork and come back after a month.

[@smaakjeks]

Ah, a copyright safe version of A Real Hero by College and Electric Youth. Nice try, Ihop!

[@hello-qq7fh]

Not cardboard 🤔, interesting..

[@Emma-og2jt]

I live in Norway and although Norwegian construction practices may be fascinating, the design of houses and apartments is often unattractive. I assume it is to save money. Another point is that modern houses are built very close to each other. Also, in some areas there could be more effort made to design houses which fit into the urban environment in which they are built. I am not impressed by the design of modern housing estates either. They are awful!!

[@ericmyrs]

Handbook? No. But there is the TEK standard, which for any new built building has to be followed. The current one is TEK17, and if you do not follow it, you will get your ass sued off, and you have to go back and fix it.

[@nicknameformeandisla]

Hvorfor ser jeg på dette?

[@stenc1]

come to Slovenia to see the whole of Europe how it's done

[@bioliv1]

I just know that in Norway they build ugly as Hell. What happened to the Dregestil? Anyway, we move to France if they don't come up with a superb village in Dragestil for us. Doesn't help with the world's best nature, when we have sick towns.

[@Codraroll]

I don't know, Hell is a quite nice place, at least south of the river. Lovely train station.

[@bioliv1]

@@Codraroll I don't know anymore, think you've to pay to enter Hell nowadays. It was not so when I was a kid.

[@andrewgalloway9766]

we had that prema sealent 25 years ago and are wsay ahead of that in uk now

[@Tman-l4q]

Tiny living boxes at extremely high prices saddling the owners with debt for life. Costing typically USD 5,000-10,000 per m2. Full of all kinds of synthetic materials making sure it burn down in minutes. Including mechanical ventilation adding costs and make indoor environment stuffy. That is Norway.

[@aage2k]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rV6wpIOKecRkatU there is one :P

[@Pixonyx]

Ugly, we build ugly.

[@caiusjacoby9257]

Here in Norway it is too expensive to build new houses because of theese regulations. Only very rich people can afford to build because you have to follow all these rules, so this is not tge right way

[@Aikaramba12]

Ugly big boxes as cheap as possible to house the most people possible for a radicoulous price. That's how they build in Norway.

[@kebman]

If you ever wanted to know how to build the ugliest houses in the entire world.