This Swiss Builder uses NO INSULATION...

In this Siga Sponsored Video Matt and Jordan visit a Cross Laminated Timber company in Switzerland.
www.kueng-holz.ch
Kung Holzbau
We were blown away by these factory-built all Wood homes. Even the nails are made of wood in the 8” or 16” thick walls they build with no traditional insulation. That’s right, no insulation other than the wood itself. They bill these as ultra healthy homes that are air-tight, efficient, and beautiful. They use no glues or chemicals in these builds. You gotta see this!
Jordan Smith - / jordansmithbuilds
Thanks to Siga for taking us to Switzerland for this amazing trip!
www.siga.swiss...

[@abalamdepaimon6891]

The oldest wooden house in Switzerland is called House Bethlehem, located in the city Schwyz. It was built in 1287 and is still inhabited and in good shape. Pretty crazy.

[@heyhey-by4xo]

My wife's family is from Switzerland, when we visited, we went to her Dad's house he grew up in and that house was over 700 years old, built shortly after Switzerland gained their independence!

[@myongpark]

Seriously, how often would you expect to hear ANYONE say, “beautiful factory,” and to have everyone agree?

[@comment6864]

@@googlenutzer6311 Well at least it's a pleasant place to work, and Europeans are easier going and have more common sense, they keep things in perspective and don't assign more importance to things than they really have just because of the money involved. Fact. It's a network effect - they ALL practice that, so as a result everyone in the chain of dependancy has better life quality and balance. That's the key. Everyone has to be normal, then everything is normal.

[@SuWoopSparrow]

@@comment6864 Exactly. In the US, people brush off the negative mental impact of working in a dingy, metal factory and this extends into everything else. Cities are ugly concrete jungles with parking lots in front of buildings and blocks and blocks of sameness. Then they think that the "loss' of money sprucing things up is a net negative compared to leaving things the same.

[@dannylloyd-jones5758]

I love the way you guys are so open to other options. The shifting of our thinking from Mcdonald to quality, long term buildings, healthy and sustainable to make. I know these houses use a lot of wood but it's awesome to see the light bulbs clicking and you guys educating people on alternative healthy methods! Thanks for sharing!

[@kyler3683]

Wood nails for a nail gun! My life is complete! So cool

[@kyler3683]

aluminumfetish so if you see a unicorn and get excited about that does that mean you’re completely discounting regular horses? Cmon now

[@kyler3683]

aluminumfetish and until a week ago I didn’t think wood nails for the gun were either...

[@keiahnigbruder1453]

Kyle Raines I think he took it personaly, look ar his name

[@SuperFunkmachine]

@aluminumfetish metal nails rust and swell.

[@tomkent4656]

We call them Dowels.

[@lothe33]

Hi, I'm Swiss, was born and raised in Geneva, and *your thinking about old european countries/cultures (at 7'50")* is one of the rare times an american gets it : *ressources were always scarse in Europe* because of the population density, while *in America, they were abundant* (since only a small population of natives used only what they needed), hence the first stock exchange in Chicago for timber and buffalo meat (not really needed, but cut and hunted to allow Chicago's expansion). As a future architect, I know this kind of thinking has never been in the american culture, but I believe it is essential for a sustainable future *everywhere* !

[@PlanetIscandar]

*lothe33* Perhaps you could explain to me why many houses in the villages of central Europe have a strange roof? The one side is short and the other side is very long, Why are they not equal long?

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

​@@PlanetIscandaras i understand it the asymmetrical pitched roofs in switzerland just give more living space to the longer side, tgey are always multi level homes where there is dwelling in the roof, the long roof also protects the side of the building from rain and snow on that side so they are typically directional. The shorter roof typically facing away from the snow fallthe shorter roof has the stair cases and the windows in it. Alpime switzerland and Austria has many mountains so there is many times a "mountain" side to your house, mist, rain, snow ect cone off the mountain frequently. The shorter side is also the side that allows light into the building. The long side is darker and bedroons ect

[@PlanetIscandar]

@@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367 That make sense. Thanks a lot.

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

@@PlanetIscandar no worries, yeah most of the european home shapes have some old tradition to them. The houses generally last a lot longer than in north america. When north america was settled everything went out the windiw, it was new land, lots of cheap materuals and more expencive workers so people began trying cheaper things and inferior building techniques, things moved fast. Even the log cabins in north america are not built to last, the few that do its out of luck. Yet in scandinavia many last many hundreds of years due to how they were built.

[@PlanetIscandar]

@@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367 Talking of cheap (or simple) materials, I still wonder about log houses in North America. Why do they insist on using wood? It has been a long time since this continent was discovered. But even in Sweden, i saw a lot of wooden houses, which in addition seemed to be too small. At least in the US they have larger houses.

[@ek9772]

Matt thank you so much for listening and for this episode. I know I have been a thorn asking for healthy, non-off gassing, and non synthetic material homes. You certainly delivered with this episode.

[@rudolfrednose7351]

Another great video guys. Here in the Netherlands it’s common builder’s knowledge that with a steel structure you’ll have to cover it up with fireproof material to prevent it from warping during a fire. Massive wooden posts and beams can withstand fire for a longer period of time. Note that he said: “....that’s more than enough time to get out of the house.” Mostly the fire won’t kill you, the toxic gasses and the collapse of a building are much more likely to before a fire actually reaches you. Besides, anyone who ever experienced “fogging” (a black discolouration of walls or ceilings which isn’t from smoke and which building material and furniture manufacturers don’t want you to know about) will LOVE a house with only natural materials in them. Modern houses in the netherlands these days are mostly calculated to last only 40 years. By that time they figure everything is outdated and will have to be improved or replaced anyway. Tons of chemicals used which have to be discarded some day.

[@josephcano8074]

I can only imagine how awesome those houses smell.

[@buildshow]

Oh man. Indeed

[@ThatEEguy2818]

They addressed this in the video.

[@ScorbyBird]

@Brad Viviviyal Did you not watch the video?

[@chtomlin]

what about insects like termites?

[@gilv302]

Chuck T. Dude you’d need a massive infestation to get through that wall

[@jamieshill520]

Honey could we build a house that we can actually find the studs in? “Hold my beer darling”

[@powerwagon3731]

My grand parents house is adobe its walls are 30 inches thick, a few steel fasteners in the headers and is over 300 years old in New Mexico. It is very beautiful and efficient. Using local materials is the way to go. Thanks for the awesome video!

[@supermetaltastic]

What your saying your grandparents house in New Mexico was built before 1719? Do you have photos?

[@powerwagon3731]

Don Juan Onate established a settlement near current day Sante Fe New Mexico in 1598 which is near where my ancestors come from, Only St Augustine in Florida is an older European established city. Both are over 400 years old. Of course their house (originally a dance hall and community center) has all modern amenities. Also Mexico City ( part of New Spain)is nearly 500 years old.

[@vincevegacustoms754]

Mine was built in 1865 all wood as well..thick barnwood and railroad beams as foundations..we are living in it for the last year..might rent it out for a little bit,but taking it down its in the plan...i would not want a wood only wall again like here..fire is a hazard but mold is the worst!!insects...we kill many big ones here every weeks..no matter what you do it will be condamned before needing to come down

[@johnbull5394]

@@vincevegacustoms754 I don't think you'll have mould in a timber house if the detailing is right. It's a breathable construction.

[@NeilBaker722]

Adobe houses are dangerous in earthquakes.

[@4philipp]

Love to see more about how the wall is actually assembled and the layers are fastened to each other. Spacing and other details. You know, for the DIY cabin builder

[@xqq1314]

I saw a 3 layers(4in thick) wall house under construction in New Zealand. Now I understand what they are doing. Thank you so much for the hard work! I have learned a lots on every episode! Can’t wait to see the “coolest house”.

[@Tristonica]

I really love and admire how these buildings performed as a closed loop system, all natural products for the main structure, no off gassing, sequestering carbon the list goes on. Thank you Matt for putting together a video series that shows off this amazing construction technique.

[@dierpap]

I lived in hundred year old homes in Germany. Great episode. Using wood as fasteners is a very old method. It was used on boats. A recently built example is the Sultana docked in Chestertown, Maryland.

[@vooveks]

Great video. That was fascinating. A minute or two in, I went 'hold on - is that a _wooden factory_ too?!' Brilliant. Beautifully constructed at that. You get so used to seeing the standard steel frame and concrete factory buildings that 99% of companies use.

[@Blakehx]

Wow, super cool! Thanks for sharing! I definitely agree that we in the US need to change our mindset and how we view construction! People don't think about a houses' environmental impact or them lasting for generations... they certainly don't think about furniture that way! Everything is made to be disposable and replaceable to keep up the latest "trends and styles"! Keep it up Switzerland!

[@funny-video-YouTube-channel]

Wooden homes have a *good atmosphere and ambience inside.*

[@keiahnigbruder1453]

I agree

[@DimiGem]

@Norris Jinglewilly how does smoking cannabis effect it

[@0fg4]

Wood emits formaldehyde, though. So you'll need proper ventilation which diminishes difference between this "I-don't-know-how-to-call-it" wood and other construction materials.

[@DimiGem]

@@0fg4 Nah i think you got it wrong its usually fake wood or some glue or something. Source?

[@0fg4]

@@DimiGem I can't give you source, but I'm 100% positive it does, with pine emitting the most and beech emitting the least. Not that it's a huge problem. You'll need adequate ventilation anyway.

[@townsendliving9750]

I love how there is so many haters, yet no one would talk this much trash about a log cabin, there is no waste in this process. All byproducts are beneficial in some way, the wood can be sustainably farmed, younger trees sequester more co2 then older growth. There are so many benefits and so little draw backs. Yes it's not for everybody but it's a great method. Quit freaking out like we are gonna make this the mainstream method and this is all we are gonna build now.

[@buildshow]

Agreed. Thanks

[@dlwatib]

There are far more drawbacks than benefits. If you fail to see the drawbacks, then the video has done great harm.

[@fromtheburbstothetetons8826]

First thing I thought about. An 8-inch thick wall should do well even down to zero degrees.

[@townsendliving9750]

Its not that much more wood, you as actually dont know how much more wood it is. And it proably has a higher insulation value, better air infiltration qualities, easier to adapt other building materials to, it can all be done in a factory. They said the I sualtion is wood fiber, where do you think they are getting that from. The waste can be used as insulation, particle board, osb, pellet stove fuel, mulch, horse corals, oil absorbant And proably many more uses for wood scraps. I'm not saying it's the best building method, I'm saying it's a great building method.

[@townsendliving9750]

I'm sure this house is very competitive when it comes down to it, but I guess you better go tell these guys that run a successful business that they better close down there doors because its not a good system.

[@JayCWhiteCloud]

EXCELLENT VIDEO...!!!...and that is from a critic! Matt...I'm one of your faithful critics of much of what you present...I don't watch your videos often. I only review one (and maybe comment) when a student/client has a question about something that you are either "getting wrong" or just out of scope on or presenting to narrow of perspective about... This video, over all, was excellent and I simply loved your enthusiasm about the "old"...new (???) technology. As a Timberwright in the old tradition I can more than attest to the age this type of construction will reach, and its well past 500 years...IF...taken care of... P.S. Those barn beams are not ..."bowing"...at all on those 300 to 600 year old barns. They do check and in some applications have naturally "bent" timber...I started my path in all this as an apprenticed Old Order Amish Barnwright...so can speak how those barns you saw got built...as well as...WOOD...bridges...??? which work great by the way!!! More videos like this please...and maybe expand your horizons a bit into full on "natural building" that do not use all the noxious and toxic materials killing this planted like Tyvek, modern concretes, modern steels, glues, plastic paints, and unnecessary over abundance of chemicals...I've been designing, consulting and building archtiecture for over 40 years and have...NEVER!!!!...had to use any of those materials in a building...

[@mikebrazda2609]

Matt/Jordan: Thanks to the USAF, we were fortunate enough to live in Germany for 4 yrs, and couldn’t have been more impressed with the residential construction and their long-term building philosophy. Despite rarely being subject to the severe storms and other natural phenomena we in the US need to plan for, their typical heavy block wall and concrete floor construction is far more resilient than the typical US home, not to mention the robustly engineered doors, windows and ubiquitous rolling shades...and will last many times longer. Of course they don’t move 11 times during their lives like Americans do on average, but that’s another discussion. What I’ve often wondered, however, is how their typical designs compare to what we’ve learned from a “building science” perspective...what would Joe Lstiburek say!?! I suspect there are interesting lessons or hybrid solutions that could be applied to US homes and vice versa.

[@buildshow]

Absolutely agree Mike. Generally the Science works well in the US too. I’m touring German job sites tomorrow and I’ll think about how to answer this on a video from the sites I’m seeing. Thanks, Matt

[@whyisblue923taken]

That's a long time. Which Arabic words did you pick up?

[@kentuckyproud4575]

Okay.. i was amazed just with the wood nails but this whole video is awesome!

[@rfdave3980]

Waking up in the morning with wood...good.

[@kevin3434343434]

I am absolutely loving these international episodes!

[@Mico605]

Never thought I'd see an American say they need to change their mindset to something they seen in another place. I think this is how we all should think, learn from one another and improve. Because it benefits everyone collectively as a society and leave our egos behind.

[@felixguerrero6062]

America is the single most open country to ideas from the outside (or anywhere for that matter) in the world---its not even a competition. Anyone who has lived in America and multiple other countries can attests this.

[@diamondportal77]

Yet it is way behind in building tech.

[@sophialopez8024]

I was just AMAZED at how long our Amish built barn lasted; notched beams, wooden pegs instead of nails, built with real understanding and know-how to last generations.

[@HickoryDickory86]

Gorgeous buildings! If I were ever fortunate enough to build my own house, I have my heart set on CLT. Timber just can't be beat for its strength and beauty.

[@HickoryDickory86]

And I can't wait for the walk-through of their new factory. What little we saw was stunning.

[@internettoughguy]

Uhm...timber CAN be beat for its strength.

[@HickoryDickory86]

@@internettoughguy Oh, those pesky coordinating conjunctions like "and."

[@paschalayomideokanlawon4770]

@@internettoughguyStrength to weight? Definitely not

[@justhear2]

It is always nice to see other ways of building. It stimulates the the mind and imagination. The cost is prohibitive for maybe 90% of Americans, or more, but never the less interesting. When we talk about changing americans to think long term, that too is not our way, we want fast money fast cars, fast food, and all for under a buck! Love the Build show, great information.

[@ezragrimes6716]

I had wood once for 2 hours, I can't imagine 500 years

[@matleroy6383]

Ugh I love people who are so passionate about certain subjects or topics.

[@AzaB2C]

Awesome video. You shared something different, interesting and thought provoking. Thank you!

[@ANJA-mj1to]

The evalution of the thermal performance and energy demand of the building shows that it is possible to achieve a 40% reduction in the heat losses, compared with fixed internal gains and improved solar gains. It is POSSIBLE ALSO to obtain important reduction in the fuel consumption. Additinally the recycling of an existing building also allows an important saving in the costs, as well as the economic advantage of building under the profection of the existing roof in the cold climate with high reimfall. Finally, the restoration of a regional wooden building with an acttractive arhitectural character avoids the impact a new structure in the area of outstanding natural beauty. Thank you for effective presentation for one exp. for webinar of Green & Solar aspects for civil engineer! With luck from Croatia side 🇭🇷

[@towjam37]

Great video! Really cool concept. I definitely agree that Americans need to change their mindset and think more long term.

[@kymion]

Long term for environmental/social impact, yeah. But I don't think we all need to build 100+ year houses if there's a 99% chance some stranger will be living in it. In societies where people don't move often it makes perfect sense to think multi-generational, but in the US we move so often that all that extra cost is just being spent to fund someone else's house in the future. Now of course there's a balance because I don't think people should do shoddy work and let the next guy deal with it. It's just that we don't need to make our houses into fortresses that will last forever when the cost:benefit ratio is no good for the way we live.

[@joshpit2003]

Building a house with such poor R-Value is not thinking long-term.

[@gilv302]

Joshua Tulberg build it with stone, no better material, will last for centuries

[@ericrotermund1004]

Problem is places like Detroit! Would you stay? Be honest .This type of decay happens all over the USA to less extremes. Unsustainable top heavy big government is the main cause. Unlike Europe we in the USA have federalism which insulates us from the problems Europe is faced with.

[@Conservator.]

eric Rotermund What are the problems that Europe is faced with? What do you mean with big, top heavy government. The US has federalism. The US budget is about $4.000 trillion while the EU budget is €160 billion. Oh yeah, and there’s no EU deficit.

[@MakelleBell]

My hubby used to work for Hundegger, a German machinery company that makes solid wood wall homes. They have their machines here in North America also. They are Incredibly sturdy, efficient, and time effective to install. They withstand all sorts of natural disasters. When we retire, that is the home we will have built.

[@NoRoads2AllRoads]

Matt you need to go to South France or Spain or Portugal to see full mediteranean built houses with brick, concrete and stones.

[@firefox7530]

Why, you can have that also in middle Europe like Switzerland. We have more brick, concrete building that wood buildings ;-)

[@Goriaas]

@@firefox7530 Yes most of our buildings are mostly brick here in central Europe(Austria)

[@dogmalogy3666]

Dear Matt, I agree with you. we spend our time here in the US looking for resell value and the cost of entry, instead of the long term and running cost of the house. It is amazing once you change those metrics, the types of products you end up with. While you are in Europe, you might want to swing by Germany to check-out their homes there, they are crazy good.

[@InfernosReaper]

In the US, resell value is artificially inflated beyond all reason as well. People try to sell a house they lived in for 30 years for almost the same price as a new house. Worse, someone eventually buys it, even though it's not far from needing something major worked on.

[@zilfondel]

Thank you for this awesome series. Hopefully you can change some peoples minds!

[@codybroken]

this is so cool! Really like your enthusiasm, Matt.

[@rafo6577]

500 years no problem, I've seen wooden buildings in Norway and the UK that are almost 1000 years old, although in Norway they are pine tared. Also depends on climate and insect attack.

[@PlanetIscandar]

*Rafo* Any photo of these buildings?

[@amdenis]

What a great story and education- thanks!

[@zachGTI]

"This is not Chip and Joanna wood on the inside" haha I love it

[@petergambier]

Great to watch thanks. My own home is about 300 years old, with a thatched roof, no deep foundations, no guttering, 3 foot thick cob walls plastered/rendered in lime mortar built on top of a rubble stone plinth, no underfloor heating and our only heating is a wood stove. We moved here to S.W England to have our family in 1995 and we weren't planning on selling after 2 or 3 years because we became part of our community. Unfortunately it's a listed home which means that in the 1980's the crappy, single glazed pine windows and cement render walls were protected and I had to get permission to take off the cement render to plaster with lime and replace the cheap windows with oak ones but they still had to be single glazed. It has a bread oven, wood beams and half rounded stone steps to get to the top floor. When looked after cob buildings will last many, many years and the lime mortars and plasters absorb carbon dioxide, are breathable and have great acoustics. I have also built strawbale homes too and without using metal mesh I mortar sprayed direct onto the bale surface, it too is well insulated, cheap to build and will easily last 100 years.

[@mendonesiac]

Cool construction, but if that dude says *literally* one more time I'll *literally* lose it!

[@johnbull5394]

Yeah, literally, man. :)

[@andyca15]

Why did read the comments first? Now I'm concentrating on it!

[@rollsroyce7385]

Casey Russell 😂😂😂😂😂

[@NZDIRT]

Goddam you, first comment I read before I watched the video now all I can hear is LITERALLY

[@MeepMeep88]

And then also cool, when you have to fish wire through the wall... you're fuuuuucked lol sorry, I'm at 4:00 and not sure if they're going to mention how they add outlets or not.

[@EnGammalAmazon]

I've been building handcrafted log homes for over 49 years. I do my own designs and I'm designing for a minimum of 400 to 500 years. It is entirely possible. In Skansen, the oldest and continuously operating living museum in the world. It is in the Stockholm harbor. I went into one of the log buildings in the Mora Gård display and above the door on the inside was a flat that had been cut and the year 1320 was carved into it. That's right folks, it was a 698 year old building. Yes it had had some restoration done to it, but it was still standing and functioning as it was originally intended. I also know that I've seen enough evolution of log homes to know that, done properly, a log home can last well over 500 years so long as someone lives in it to keep it a bit warm and makes sure that the roof is designed and maintained to protect the walls. It is possible This is one of the highest and best uses of logs ever and it sequesters a lot of carbon for hundreds of years. www.loghomz.com

[@kylemacht]

Love the idea that they aren't glueing anything from an IAQ and embodied carbon standpoint!

[@jahmenj]

Matt gave a rough estimate of 43 meters. To those who are not doing the math, 43 meters is 141 feet; roughly🙂. Great video! Peacej 🙏🏽🥑🍏💚👍🏽

[@derradfahrer5029]

A Guy from Germany here, Thank you for the translations. Swiss German is no fun.

[@triumphmanful]

sweitse deutsch

[@tonic4497]

@Der Radfahrer Diese mangelnde mentale Flexibilität... so schwer ist es wirklich nicht die Leute zu verstehen. Und immer feste daran denken: Hochdeutsch ist auch nur ein protestantischer norddeutscher Dialekt

[@pauloshea3741]

@@tonic4497 Stimmt, Ich komme aus Irland und kann der Zürischnurre, (Alemannisch), Hochdeutsch, Schwäbisch, badische und die meisten Dialekten außer plat deutsch. Flex that lump of protoplasm, we sometimes laughingly called a brain. Macht richtig spass.

[@Toonioni]

German language in whole is no fun :D

[@jameyhalyburton5942]

As always great video. Very interesting to see how home construction is outside of the USA. But I will say Jordan that wood does work for bridges. All we do are timber bridges, and not just pedestrian but vehicular also. Again great video and I look forward to the next one.

[@kd7kmp]

I've been to and seen those barns above Zermatt in the Matter Valley (Matteral). They are in relatively great shape. As an aside, I was there doing research on the Gorner and Zwillings glaciers. I spent a week camping on the ice. The view out the door of my tent was the Matterhorn.

[@donchristie420]

Prove it with a piece of glacier 🤪

[@12345fowler]

These old cabin mountains are found all over the Alps in Switzerland, and if it is true that they stood the test of time, we also have to say that the limited comfort they provide would not be accepted by any modern standards, and their usage is pretty limited as it doens't help densification, which is the only way to go in most of the world.

[@reubenjensen2433]

Matt, you might want to check out Euclid Timber Frames in Utah. They build ICLT homes (INTERLOCKING Cross Laminated Timber) that is truly a unique product. In fact, I think they just finished a home. They're process is also unique because they harvest all their own dead standing lumber as part of an agreement with the forest service to deforest dense areas. They don't use any live trees in their buildings!

[@townsendliving9750]

Reading through the comments and all I can think is I love how building houses out of wood is now controversial.

[@flybyairplane3528]

Townsend Jason None of those would survive the FORMOSA TERMITES.in southern states..GIVE ME CONCRETE, & metal roof.

[@townsendliving9750]

Yea my house is all concrete and metal, no wood except for cabinets. Not because of termites but because it was a user friendly building material and didnt require much skill. But no construction is good for every situation. My house is ICF, it's a great building method, but would be a disaster of it were more common. Most likely bad for the environment

[@routtookc8064]

lot more than just building materials these days...

[@RabbitsInBlack]

​@@townsendliving9750 You know it takes just as much knowledge to make a Concrete House as a Wood house. Right? Or you become like China and buildings fail fast. A Well made Concrete building can last forever, ask the Romans.

[@townsendliving9750]

@@RabbitsInBlack it depends on construction and the house, a twonstoey ICF is way more DIY friendly then a 2 story wood structure. I guess I'll find out for sure, I'm supposed to build a 6k sqft concrete house next year by myself

[@G5Hohn]

Sitka spruce has one of the highest strength to weight ratios of any material. That's why it was used for aircraft (like the Spruce Goose) and is still used for acoustic guitars as the top wood of choice.

[@TripleDDDD]

Now I want to have Wood Nail Gun. And funny, despite living in switzerland I never heard about this construction type.

[@aamodtplumb1227]

Such a great episode!

[@timdyck147]

My brother lived in BadenBaden in the early 90’s with Canadian Air Force he lived in town not on the base ,the building he lived in celebrated its 1200th birthday while he was there ,we’re lucky if we can get a building to last 100 yrs in North America 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@NyuuMikuru1]

There are houses that are more than 150 years old and then some more than 300 years. House I grew up in is now 150 years.

[@mrcvry]

NyuuMikuru1 I guess he means new buildings. Nothing is made to last anymore.

[@Adraxonn]

@@NyuuMikuru1 the oldest house in the US is 369 years old

[@seigeengine]

I have literally never lived in a house that was less than 100 years old, and I live in North America.

[@NyuuMikuru1]

Adraxonn Thanks.

[@terryturcotte7494]

I couldn’t agree with you more about thinking long-term. Building houses and having generations living in them is the way we need to go. I believe we would get a better quality of life and get out of debt.

[@escanaba17]

Hey Matt, stop saying Chip and Joanna like It's a bad thing!! everyone including me, LOVES them. We love you guys

[@court2379]

Well as soon as they learn what shiplap is, and stop ruining maintenance free brick by painting it, I might join you.

[@Tilethoughts]

@@court2379 lol

[@michaelhull1813]

@Emily Stornetta I wouldn't call it "rehabilitation".

[@Tilethoughts]

@Emily Stornetta they actually do some crappy work...it's just a bunch of TV B's.

[@DanielRichards644]

@@Tilethoughts yup even got FINED by the EPA over how they failed to follow proper procedure in removing lead paint (which means there is a chance that properties soil is contaminated).

[@davidchapman3375]

Awesome designs like this, make me depressed. They always trigger my mind to drift into a daydream where I imagine the wonders of what humanity could create and accomplish in a society that wasn't corporate driven and the nearly full of purely materialistic unconscious lemmings.

[@jaredj631]

Next episode; wooden plumbing.

[@tonyiy7223]

hahahaha

[@Remrie]

That was a thing. Hollowed out tree trunks were used for sewer lines.

[@brianphillips7696]

Elm was a wood commonly used for that purpose. As long as is stayed wet and wasn’t exposed to air it was supposed to last fairly well.

[@johno6861]

That’s the smaller house out back.

[@robertkat]

Swiss people like cold. The house should always be less than 50 degrees F. In Southern China there is NO heat in any building! In the winter +5, inside and outside. The good part is there is no wind inside.

[@MojoPup]

Worked on a timber frame home in Colorado a few years ago, loved the organic look and nature of the wooden dowels/pegs

[@WizardClipAudio]

My house is like 200 years old,.. so for the most part, it’s wood on wood on wood on wood too.

[@tinman2420]

Love the comment on thinking long term!

[@porkroast9777]

Matt this is wrong. The wall layers are bonded together with melted organic Swiss cheese. Thats why its called sandwich design. 🤗😉😉

[@TheOneWhoMightBe]

Get out. :D

[@ilovesuisse1]

I’m Swiss and i love your comment. 😀

[@Blaze_1961]

I live in an old house (circa 1870) in California. It is a solid wood construction with only rough cut 1x12 redwood in a vertical position nailed to a rim joist and a top plate and covered with 3/4 tongue and groove siding laid horizontally for the exterior wall. The original interior wall was wall paper glued to the 1x12's. But someone in the past had covered that with drywall which is now our current configuration. One would be surprised how much sound it keeps out.

[@brandon152lee]

This is the type of house I want. I dont trust all these modern materials and their off gassing

[@seanlathbury5410]

Great show guys.!

[@markcash2]

The sound-proofing for one of those houses must be fantastic with the solid wood walls that thick.

[@siriosstar4789]

Airborne sounds are greatly diminished , however sound that is created by, say walking on the panels in a two story house creates a drum effect.

[@vooveks]

@@siriosstar4789 I'm not so sure that would be a problem in these houses. That is a seriously thick, solid layer of wood. The drum effect is partly due to the gaps in the floor and ceiling that let low frequencies bounce around and resonate. I'd like to think it would be reduced hugely by these panels (assuming they use the same for the floors).

[@siriosstar4789]

Scubapig. My wife's son in law works for the Nur Holz company that makes these panels. He told me that the drum effect from walking on the panels is their number one complaint amongst their clients. They are currently working on methods to overcome this problem . The germans are used to cement or fired clay blocks for walls and pre formed concrete for floors. These houses are of course waay more quiet in between floors , so the CLT panel makers have to try and compete with this.

[@vooveks]

@@siriosstar4789 Ah, OK. That's interesting, thanks. Looks like I was totally wrong, then! :) I just imagined they'd be more dense and therefore absorb the noise. That would drive me mad - I've lived in flats (apartments) where that effect from upstairs was huge. Not sure I could live in one then! Shame, because they are great otherwise. I guess it's a difficult problem for them, as they want to only use wood. Otherwise you could put rubber sheet in between the boards or something. Apparently it's sustainable, but I guess it doesn't last as long as wood. Maybe they could use isolating techniques like a recording studio room-inside-a-room system - have (wooden) standoffs built in to the panels to minimise sound transfer.

[@siriosstar4789]

No, your not totally wrong. The panels do have quite a bit of mass. There are currently lots of new experiments to deal with the problem . One older and fairly effective method is to put sound board or rubber mats in between the panels and the framing below. In my house which is a laminated log house we put a plastic membrane and then sand in between the joists and then a wood fiber board in between the flooring and the joists. That works pretty well. The best method ,although expensive is to put down pre formed concrete slabs over the framing and then install a soft material before putting the floor down. pretty complicated .

[@4philipp]

I think it’s important to note that this company also participates in the 4 year carpenter training program as is common in Europe.

[@TylerDickey1]

Life's a birch in that factory.

[@chrisj9008]

As a fire fighter, there is so little wxposed surface area realitive to its mass that its going to be one stable structure during a fire. Contents will burn up fast, structure... not so much. Incredible build tech... wow

[@Bluuplanet]

Burning... Since these wood walls are solid, a fire would not be like burning a pile of sticks or logs. It would be more like burning out an old tree stump.

[@grassyclimer6853]

Hard to start impossible to put out?

[@Nill757]

And yet solid wood trees burn

[@mckenziekeith7434]

@@Nill757 the oldest trees are thousands of years old. Many more are hundreds of years old. Such trees have survived countless forest fires.

[@kanal2123a]

@@mckenziekeith7434 true, bark is resistant to fire ( somewhat ) and those trees have thick bark or protective layer ( against insects ) that don't burn

[@SuperFunkmachine]

In England wood beams are preferred for fire resistance , a 12" square oak beam will burn for hours and be strong while it does it.

[@Zones33]

Japan and China have 1000+ year old buildings that are still in use today. It’s about maintenance and care

[@ByersLeafguard]

I really enjoyed this video. It's interesting to see different builds in other countries.

[@AdamGreen1]

This is pretty awesome. Heavy as hell I bet but really really cool.

[@czamman]

I guess they don't have termites like we do in Florida.

[@MarcoTedaldi]

Nope... They don't like the climate here ;) Wasps and the common furniture beetle are processing wood but do not seem to be a huge problem in most cases.

[@rhd244]

That was my question too.

[@VeritasVideo]

Dade Pine is resistant to termites. Among other woods.

[@flybyairplane3528]

VeritasVideo given the chance inFLA, I would only want a concrete house with a metal roof, nowadays there ARE STEEL which LOOKS like clay barrel roofs.

[@StCreed]

Wood worm would actually be a potential problem, but it can be easily treated.

[@Loadrunner620]

I often thought about building a thick wall using 2x4 lumber multiple times thickness using dowel pins. Modern with Amish style fasteners. They perfected it to an absolute science. WOW

[@flybyairplane3528]

William McGee how about 2x6 instead,,more insulation

[@brianmogle1121]

Now, think about the "R-value" in a traditional log cabin and you can get even higher R-value and fire rating than this example. And it's old technology and building methods from the pioneer days.

[@scottm4193]

Not sure how they're calculating the R-value on that but from my calcs 300mm of nothing but softwood gives you an R-value of only 2.5. As an energy consultant we view timber as a thermal bridge through the insulation not as an insulant since the thermal conductivity of softwood is typically 0.130 W/mK but insulation is typically 0.040 W/mK

[@ktm4508]

Scott M I agree, when I look at houses in the mornings, when there is dew on the cladding I can see every stud position. Because it’s taking the warmth from the house and drying off the moisture.

[@jackkreighbaum783]

Matt, please give a reference to the music on the prelude. Beautiful.

[@unclestubs5697]

Great way of building, strong and sustainable. They probably don't have termite issues due to the cold climate.

[@dougamclean]

You two guys spent most of this 11min video TALKING about this amazing building technique and almost ZERO time showing the process!! Are you gonna post another video showing the actual build?

[@billwhiteathome2080]

Good to know trees are so plentiful there....

[@MrRedTux]

You need to head to the Netherlands to check out some of the new wood road bridges. When I was there they had a 2 lane bridge crossing over a 4 lane highway. The bridge was supported by a 2-3 foot thick arch glulam. Beautiful strcture!

[@Conservator.]

Ha, never thought of them as something special! 😄 Tx!

[@andrewk8636]

What happens when a car fire happens and they burn the bridge down?

[@Conservator.]

andrew kb Good question. I’ve never heard of it so it’s not a real problem but idk how these bridges are protected.

[@ximono]

We have those in Norway too, very esthetical structures

[@FutureChaosTV]

@@andrewk8636 It doesn't. Fire chars the outmost layer of thick wood. That char doesn't let much oxygen through. Ever tried to burn a thick log just by pouring a little bit of flammable fluid onto it? Doesn't burn much after the oxygen is used up. You only get a charred surface, it doesn't burn through the core.

[@rapunzeleh546]

interesting... i have a house that was build near a mill, about 70 years ago... part of the benefits package for the employees was they got all the off cuts of wood, so many of the houses of that period were made like a wood 'sandwich'... layers and layers and layers of wood, nailed to each other... which means running electrical wiring is a bit of pain since it's not just a case of cutting a hole through drywall and fishing wiring through... BUT once the woodstove heats the house up to a temperature, the physical mass of the wood keeps it warm literally for days after the stove goes out... one benefit is since the walls are solid, it's easy to add a door or window just about anywhere since the headers are already 'built in'... i had double glazed windows installed a few years ago, and one of the old windows had leaked and caused rot, but it was just a case of cutting the level of wood below out, and just adding new ones in... kind of a brilliant design really.

[@Prorex1911]

Most people in the US move around so much, they could probably care less about wether a house is built long term or not. If they do stay in one for their lifetime, the kids will either remodel or sell it after that.

[@flybyairplane3528]

Chris Evenson yes many move many times, since 1965, I Worked in ny, moved to NJ in67, stayed till. 76, bought a house, still there , it’s 2019, this old house was built in 1929. But jobs I have only hat 12 employers in my trade HVAC/R retired now 77.

[@4philipp]

That’s exactly part of the problem. Americans even treat their homes as a on-demand throwaway product.

[@leakforme]

I think part of it is because a huge portion of the country is in tornado alley.

[@clone4211]

And the majority of houses in such areas are continuously rebuilt using toothpicks.

[@drewt3210]

Kinda my thoughts too. Styles change every 15-20 years or sooner. We update things to prevent looking dated & run down and to keep up with changing lifestyle/technology. What worked thirty years ago would never work today concerning floorplans, finishes, wiring, etc. I'm pretty sure none of us want to live in a 100 year old house, let alone 300-500 year old house without MAJOR updates.

[@movax20h]

When you are back around in Germany or Switzerland, check some of the building that are made of just a concrete and no extra insulation. One of the companies involved is named Misapor, a manufacture of glass foam and insulating aggregates and cements. Pretty cool stuff.

[@grendelum]

What happened to the factory they made the factory in? Was it made in a different factory?

[@rafflesmaos]

It's wooden wood factories all the way down.

[@TRYtoHELPyou]

Loving this!!! Intro was great :) this tech is super awesome! I would not have known. Thanks again for doing this!

[@TimberTownUSA]

All wood construction, love that idea! Wonder if we can make nails out of Ipe...

[@leonk.1031]

TimberTown Yeah a German invented them and we uses a wood that we call Buche the English translation would be Beach

[@fitrianhidayat]

Hey, how did you get that BS next to your username?

[@cdron23]

They do have wooden nails and dowels also , alllll wood

[@thetazva]

@@leonk.1031 I believe that would be Beech

[@wilhelmdenninghaus421]

@@thetazva : Das wollte ich gerade auch schreiben.

[@T1hitsTheHighestNote]

You NEED to visit a CLT factory! The coolest construction material there is!

[@bighaasfly]

And I’ll bet it’s super freakin’ quiet too!!

[@jmackman]

Wow great to see a we are using wood sparingly......

[@JHSquirrelTail]

I love the channel, not trying to be a hater, BUT...at 2:22 in the video there is a guy installing plastic flex conduit and holding it in place with metal nails. So not really a house that is 100% wood with no plastic when you "knock it down" and it goes back to the earth. ( I believe that's what Jordan said?) I love the idea and im sure the indoor air quality for this home is much less toxic compared to the homes we build in the USA. Matt is a outstanding builder and i have learned a bunch from this channel.

[@buildshow]

Thanks!

[@MrSaemichlaus]

Well I wouldn't wanna live in a house where there's nothing but wood around the electronics or even the water lines.

[@JHSquirrelTail]

@Han Hattori Hanzo Yes, its corrugated, and it is used for running electrical wiring. So it is a conduit. Search online for > Carlon ENT Blueflex Conduit

[@Shane_O]

Great tour guys......

[@scorpio6587]

It will be interesting to see how your experiences on this trip inform your own building practices, as well as your conversations with clients.

[@dutchmiller2657]

Sold. I like this

[@danielmancini1051]

That is amazing!!! But how do they plumb that and run electric?

[@ryanchaffee7243]

The blue tubing they showed the one guy installing is emt tube for electric by the looks of it.

[@danielmancini1051]

Ryan Chaffee that’s what I thought. I’m guessing they cut a chase and then install it. But what if you want to change things latter? That would be tough. Would love to see more on the process of how it’s done.

[@kalev60]

Some fancy electrics and pluming that is made to be in view, or during the building process built in the walls, with in the walls changes later are potentially problematic.

[@willem18241]

@@danielmancini1051 Maybe you just replace the boards on the inside layer

[@Dracounius]

@@willem18241 They cover it with a surface layer later, if you want to change the wiring you remove the surface layer and reattach it later

[@thomasarussellsr]

Whether wood is good for bridges depends on the bridge. There are some 200-300 year old wooden bridges in America but they are of a shorter span. I've seen some wood railroad bridges still in use from settlers times. But yeah, 16inch thick all wood construction homes should last, as long as you can keep insect damage at bay, and of course, not set the building on fire. Our main issue here in the U.S. would be the strength of the wood due to lack of older growth with tighter growth ring patterns. We have an approximately 200 year old house that is starting to see some structural failure, but it is also in a flood-plain. It has physically sunk to just below ground level and the almost constant contact with ground water has rotted the beams from the truss and beam structure. The amount of damage to date would have had a modern built home collapsed a long long time ago. We at just trying to come up with the money and plan to jack it up and rebuild the foundation and base of the house.

[@coldfinger459sub0]

My grandson is the Fifth generation was just born two months ago that’ll be growing up and living in our family house. 500 year homes are easy when you don’t use synthetic materials and man-made laminate’s. I’ve visited many parts of Asia and him and Lance and other places thousand year old wooden construction no problem still going strong for another thousand. This is the problem with the American mindset short term quick money just do the minimum to make the highest profit with the lowest quality just looks good on the outside.

[@michaelpair4144]

t lech bullshit.. 500 years home structures make no sense. Too many advancements render the structure useless. Most of the worlds really greAt advancements have occurred in the last 50 to 75 years. Imagine what things will be like in 500 years

[@Heisrisen237]

Why would I pay for a house for people to live in for 5 or more generations after me?? Each generations has to learn the same lessons in life, Pay for your own $#¡+ so you can learn its value. Also your kids or grandkids might put you in a Home or Kill you just for your House. In short don't mess with the program.

[@VinnyZeeee]

@Jopino my cottage is 120years old, made of wood. you have to do maintanace but not rebuild

[@walterhill4506]

Your absolutely right. Builders (especially production) are literally putting the cheapest lowest quality products in the homes they build and the home owners are oblivious. They believe they are getting quality. Even more frustrating if you buy a car in the US you get a 3 year warranty. Build a house in the US and its 1 year?

[@coldfinger459sub0]

Michael Pair go take a visit to Europe and see how the retrofitting the original 400 to 700-year-old structures that people live in. They get very creative at routing plumbing and electrical

[@KDTSInc]

This is so awesome.