When walking around different neighborhoods how many wooden houses do you see? Most likely not that much. We don't understand why wooden houses aren't popular in Cyprus because there isn't a good enough reason to choose otherwise. We have gathered a couple of myths about wooden houses that hold people back from choosing them.
Myth nr 1: Wooden houses are seasonal - not meant for all year use.
There is a misconception that wooden houses are good as summer houses/garden houses or sheds where you spend time during the summer but not as residential houses for permanent living. House made of wood has much better thermal properties than brick, concrete, stone, or any other material buildings for living. Wooden houses in the present-day are modern, safe, include all necessities and can be built as big or small as you desire.
Myth nr 2: Buildings made from wood are a fire hazard
A completely understandable misconception is that buildings made from wood are the most unsafe when it comes to fire safety. While that could be true many years ago, it is the opposite of the situation today. We build houses with materials that are processed to be as safe against fire hazards as possible. But keep in mind, that no house is 100% safe from different threats no matter what material has been used for building either concrete or wood. Modern technologies provide an opportunity to protect the house from fire damage completely, which certainly affects the price but doesn't make the house more expensive than a house built from concrete. Often, customers think a wooden house must be cheaper than a concrete house, so unjustifiably abandoning the option of protecting the house 100% from fire.
Myth nr 3: Wooden houses are disadvantaged
People for some reason are afraid of wooden houses and take into consideration only those things that they see as negatives (like all the myths we are debunking in this blog post). One of the biggest and in our opinion the greatest aspect of wood houses is the fact that they are environmentally friendly. Wood is one of the most sustainable and environmentally favorable construction materials available. This is due to its absorption of carbon dioxide while growing, adaptability as a product, and recyclability or use as a biofuel. Wood is the most eco-friendly material. And did you know that it's not necessary to build in air condition? Wooden houses have a natural property of ventilation. In Scandinavia, 70% of houses are wooden houses.
Myth nr 4: Wooden houses are fragile
Are you worried that if you decide to build a wooden house for yourself it's going to be more fragile than brick, stone, or any other material? We explained already how wood houses are not the most unsafe against fire hazards and now we are going to debunk the myth that they are fragile!
Check out what happened to Smart Wood sauna during a powerful storm - https://www.instagram.com/p/CASQ66vHHnx/
It's the 21 century and technologies have improved enormously and wood houses are more durable than ever! Keep in mind that you have to take care of your house as you do with other things to keep it in top shape. If something actually happens to the wooden house, then the prevention of damage is simple and fast. If anything happens to a concrete house, it is a complex technological process that takes much longer to restore.
Myth nr 5: wooden houses have a long construction time and cost way more
Building a house is never a cheap process, but as mentioned previously in this blog post - the wooden house does require fewer things than other houses because of its natural properties. And when it comes to building a time then it all comes down to how big is the project - a smaller house like one of our organic house projects (https://www.smartwoodcyprus.com/organic-houses) could be built in a month or two and bigger projects (https://www.smartwoodcyprus.com/log-houses) can take up to six months to build.
Myth nr 6: Termites
Termites don't like dried wood and they naturally stay away from this type of wood. We use Kiln Dried softwood from Scandinavia for construction so we don't have to worry about those little intruders. Kiln drying is a standard practice in wood production mills and serves to efficiently bring green lumber moisture levels down to the “workable” (18% of moisture) range–moisture content levels that will not end in the myriad of problems that can be caused by excess moisture levels in wood. If the customer still has doubts about it, then we will offer a certified treatment method that will make it 100% termite-proof!
Conclusion
The industry of wooden houses has evolved and is evolving every day. These stereotypes or myths possibly were relevant a hundred years ago, but irrelevant today. To save yourself time and money, it is also exceptionally important to choose a company that is trustworthy and knows how to work with wood. While building wooden houses there is a big possibility to make fatal mistakes and therefore it is important to choose a company which knows the technology very well and builds the house according to all the technical requirements. Smart Wood Cyprus has a team of knowledgeable and certified carpenters that will provide quality and precise building process.