11-05-2003 14:05									#31
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Brick doesn't provide any meaningful insulation.

	11-05-2003 17:17									#32
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Double brick does.

	11-05-2003 17:30									#33
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quote: Originally posted by Oerdin As a geologist and I can tell you that you have nothing to fear from granite. The argon and potasium elements which are radioactive are extrodinarially small and even trained scientist with state of the art equipment have a hard time measuring the amount of radioactive decay which has occured. They have to take their time and be extra careful. Besides all volcanic rocks and all sedimentary & metamorphic rocks derived from volcanic rocks contain trace radioactive elements but it is far lower then the background radiation we get bombarded with each and every day.

The problem is Radon, and this isn't cloud-cuckoo stuff. If you are buying a property in Cornwall (all granite), you will be strongly advised to fit sub-floor ventilation to minimise Radon incursion into the house. Otherwise your risk of contracting lung cancer (and other problems) rises significantly.

	11-05-2003 17:33									#34
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Here's an EPA link.

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/

It's a problem in non-Granite areas, but Granite bedrock hikes up the risk factor.

	11-05-2003 17:43									#35
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It doesn't rain very much in the middle east. That's why they can build their homes out of dried mud. Their homes wouldn't last very long in wetter climes like the eastern USA. Brick resists rain much better than dried mud.

	11-05-2003 19:58									#36
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quote: Originally posted by The Mad Monk (is that the term I'm thinking of, Oerdin? it's been so long)

You were right on target MM.

	11-05-2003 20:01									#37
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quote: Originally posted by Lazarus and the Gimp The problem is Radon, and this isn't cloud-cuckoo stuff. If you are buying a property in Cornwall (all granite), you will be strongly advised to fit sub-floor ventilation to minimise Radon incursion into the house. Otherwise your risk of contracting lung cancer (and other problems) rises significantly.

Radon is a naturally occuring gas which isn't necissarially tied to the presence of Granite or any other rock. Here in California Granite is the most common rock in the state but we have extremely low instances of radon. Of course we also don't have basements where the stuff can just pool up in but still the natural release of radon from the ground is dependent upon alot of factors and the presence of granite in and of itself isn't really indicative of much.

	11-05-2003 20:33									#38
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quote: Originally posted by Oerdin As a geologist and I can tell you that you have nothing to fear from granite. The argon and potasium elements which are radioactive are extrodinarially small and even trained scientist with state of the art equipment have a hard time measuring the amount of radioactive decay which has occured. They have to take their time and be extra careful.

It's radon that people are worried about.

	11-05-2003 20:47									#39
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My theory at least for the eastern cities of the US is that it is due to the Great Fire of London in 1666 which destroyed a vast swathe of the centre of London and meant that sweeping laws were brought in to prevent a repeat by using less combustible materials as building materials...

Since we were your masters back then, I expect those laws also applied to cities like New York, Boston and Philly etc.

Nowadays house fires are less common and we are far more able to tackle them quickly...

	11-05-2003 20:51									#40
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quote: Originally posted by Oerdin You need to travel more Speer then maybe you would notice the regional differences in building materials.

Speer is under the impression that all of America is like his little corner of Philly.

	11-05-2003 20:58									#41
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So, if somebody builds a house from granite it will be radioactive if the granite is taken from a place that has lots of radon? Or not even then?

	11-05-2003 21:06									#42
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Over here most new houses are in concrete, sometimes with a makeup that looks like wood/brick/whatever looks good. In Britanny however, most houses are in granite (most common rock), and I didn't hear there were any problems attached to it.

	11-05-2003 21:30									#43
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I have been in the adobe building of the attached mission at Carmel. They are indeed very cool in the summer. They also seemed to have survived several hundred years of California quakes.

I suspect that adobe construction is no longer used in California for a reason. The most likely reason is that Americans know nothing about it since the first American settlers from in the 1840's began building with wood.

	11-05-2003 21:47									#44
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Temple is in Philly, huh? Well, speer, if you ever leave Philly, you will discover an amazing non-philly world out there.

	11-05-2003 22:39									#45
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i really thought all the houses everywhere were made out of bricks... i know that out of the city you don't got littered side-walks with spent roaches all over the cement and you don't got gutted factories and what not... but houses aren't universally made out of brick? that's something...

	11-05-2003 22:46									#46
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quote: Originally posted by tinyp3nis So, if somebody builds a house from granite it will be radioactive if the granite is taken from a place that has lots of radon? Or not even then?

From what is said on this page it seems the key factor is the presence of Uranium & Thorium in the rocks and soil and the type of rock is incidental.

quote: The Earth's crust contains small amounts of naturally radioactive materials such as uranium and thorium. Uranium and thorium decay to other radioactive atoms, including radium which then decays to radon gas. Since it is an inert (that is, chemically stable) gas, radon moves from the soil, where it is produced, and into the air. Radon is a natural part of the earth's atmosphere. The amount of uranium and radium in soil varies greatly with geographic location and soil type. Therefore, the amount of radon gas released to the atmosphere also varies across the United States.

	11-05-2003 23:01									#47
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"houses aren't universally made out of brick? that's something..."
Do you even watch any movies? Have you EVER been outside of Philly?

	11-05-2003 23:04									#48
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you can't really tell from movies... i assumed the houses in movies were brick that was painted over or white-washed... i've been to NYC, DC, and Baltimore recently

	11-05-2003 23:41									#49
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a common thing in America is fake brick- this stuff about a centimeter thick that you stick onto a wood wall. Since brick is more expensive to build with this creates illusion of a more valuable house.

	12-05-2003 00:13									#50
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so the brick houses here are actually more valuable than the houses in the suburbs?

	12-05-2003 00:31									#51
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Not necessarily - a house is more than just its material. Indeed there are different types of quality in wood, as well as in brick.

	12-05-2003 00:43									#52
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Almost all houses being built in Atlanta right now are made of wood. They get built in a couple weeks or less, and then people wonder why they suffer severe damage from storms and such.

	12-05-2003 01:31									#53
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Our houses are built from concrete.

	12-05-2003 01:56									#54
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458 Tornadoes in 27 days and you wonder why we use Bricks?

	12-05-2003 01:59									#55
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I am amazed that anyone builds with wood these days.

Not only this is terribly inefficient in places that get hit by storms, these babies also burn real good, and get eaten by various creatures.

	12-05-2003 02:28									#56
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Wood is cheap, and people find them aesthetically pleasing.

	12-05-2003 03:23									#57
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quote: Originally posted by Albert Speer so the brick houses here are actually more valuable than the houses in the suburbs?

With all things in realestate 90% of the value is in LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.

	12-05-2003 04:56									#58
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My wooden house has lasted 150+ years... How long has your concrete house been around for?

	12-05-2003 05:12									#59
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quote: Our houses are built from concrete.

Hear, hear!

We have the cheapest concrete in all the world. We make cement with volcanic ash as a substitute for one more expensive ingredient, plus high quality gravel and sand are abundant, so everything's made out of concrete nowdays, just as everything was made of stone in the old time.

The sad thing is that we who have lots of concrete suffer from earthquakes, while (most of) the USA who have lots of wood in their houses suffer from tornados. Couldn't it be the other way around?

	12-05-2003 05:12									#60
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quote: Originally posted by Oerdin With all things in realestate 90% of the value is in LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.

90%? A wooden hut in Park Avenue and 70th street in manhattan would still cost 1 million dollars. I say, 95-99% is location.