[Ynot]

I've never lived in a concrete block house and it's a common form of construction throughout central and south Florida. So I'm wondering about the benefits, whether good or bad, about concrete block construction. I searched these boards, but haven't found much information at all.

1. Does it provide more insulation against the outside temperature?

2. Does it offer more of a sound barrier to outside noises and vice versa?

3. Is there any effect on home insurance rates?


Any other benefit I missed?

Thanks for any information!

[mrviking]

Your house paint will last longer.
Concrete holds up well to the Florida sun.
Termites hate concrete.

[Trigger-f]

Originally Posted by Ynot

I've never lived in a concrete block house and it's a common form of construction throughout central and south Florida. So I'm wondering about the benefits, whether good or bad, about concrete block construction. I searched these boards, but haven't found much information at all.

1. Does it provide more insulation against the outside temperature?

2. Does it offer more of a sound barrier to outside noises and vice versa?

3. Is there any effect on home insurance rates?


Any other benefit I missed?

Thanks for any information!

Have you heard about the 3 little pigs story? The wolf=hurricanes, so concrete blocks or concrete make for better protection from the elements. Termites won't eat concrete walls, but can eat your roof(still made of wood).


The Three Little Pigs - Animated Story Book - YouTube

[CrowGirl]

There are two major positives. As Mr. Viking said, termintes is one. Concrete houses still have some wood of course but termites can do considerably less damage. Termites are a bigger issue here than up north….they are the subterranean variety and are active all year round. The other major plus is they withstand hurricanes much better than othr typical building materials. That will decrease your insurance, but that isn't the major plus in my mind.

[Occifer]

There's a big difference between concrete blocks and cinder blocks. Most of the time cinder block is what's actually used. It's lighter and not as strong as concrete block. Both concrete and cinder block have the ability to be reinforced, which is very important when it comes to the overall strength of the house. It's also possible to fill the open space inside of the block with foam to act as both an insulator and sound barrier. Either of the two are better than wood frame construction.

For the strongest walls, you want poured concrete. That's very expensive though. It's common down here for two story houses to be framed on the top story and have a concrete or cinder block exterior on the first story. In all honesty, the block construction is very similar to the benefits of brick construction up north with the main difference being the need to paint the concrete for aesthetic purposes.

[Roscoe Conkling]

Wooden homes are quicker and cheaper to build which is why,I suspect,they continue to be put up in hurricane zones even though it's crazy.
They also have poor sound-proofing and are not great at insulation compared with concrete homes.Timber frame home builders like to suggest they're more energy efficient but having lived in both in Europe, where the cold is much more of a problem than in Florida,there is no comparison which is why most homes are concrete built with insulation between two layers of blocks.
I once owned a 300-year-old house with two-foot thick cob walls and a thatched roof - cool in the summer and toasty in winter although you did have to be careful of chimney fires !
Waterside at Coquina Key in St Pete where I live is built of cinder block - at least if it gets hit by a Category One only the roof will need to be re-built !

[d4g4m]

I'm reading a lot of misinformation. Cinder blocks are not used. All homes are built with concrete blocks [code] A concrete block home walls have a very low R value, somewhere around 3, up to almost 5 if 3/4" foam boards are added between the block and dry wall. Where as a stick built home with a 2x4 wall with insulation will be 12+ As of 1996, all block homes have solid pour concrete every 8 feet with rebar tied to footing and header lintel, straps imbedded in concrete for truss tie down.
Insurance rates have many variables, SQ. Ft. block, wood, roof pitch, gable or hip, nearness to Gulf, flood zone, year built pre/post 1994, fire hydrant near by.

[chopchop0]

Florida home construction - protecting against high winds?

[The b8nk]

More like plywood, I just saw a whole mess of townhouses go up in Odessa.

Not a single piece of concrete was see that day....

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by d4g4m

I'm reading a lot of misinformation. Cinder blocks are not used. All homes are built with concrete blocks [code] A concrete block home walls have a very low R value, somewhere around 3, up to almost 5 if 3/4" foam boards are added between the block and dry wall. Where as a stick built home with a 2x4 wall with insulation will be 12+ As of 1996, all block homes have solid pour concrete every 8 feet with rebar tied to footing and header lintel, straps imbedded in concrete for truss tie down.
Insurance rates have many variables, SQ. Ft. block, wood, roof pitch, gable or hip, nearness to Gulf, flood zone, year built pre/post 1994, fire hydrant near by.

This post is correct ^^^. My husband is an architect, so I have learned quite a bit about construction.

And yes, the crappy "frame" homes built today are plywood and look like hell within a few years. That is unless you are building custom and paying through the nose for it.

Lastly, insurance costs are a lot higher for frame. So in Florida, there is no advantage at all for going for "frame" construction.