Risk of water damage in wood stud/prefabricated construction?

Hello everyone,

since we are in the process of acquiring/building a new house, we are currently weighing the different construction methods against each other. In this context, the question arose whether a prefab house, which was built using timber frame construction, is more susceptible to water damage or even flooding than a solidly masonry house.

What are your opinions on this?

If the house is not located in the flood zone, where should the problem be? In the flood zone, I would generally try not to build at all. Those who want to build underwater should take a submarine; those who want to build above water should preferably use pile constructions (and then lightweight construction on top would probably be the technically preferred building method). As for water damage caused by defective pipes, I suspect that with timber frame constructions, the water damage can be detected earlier, better localized, and thus the damage can be limited. Then the damage itself should not be greater than with masonry / glued construction using typical 'massive-porous' building materials.

Regards
I.

Hello Irgendwoabaier,

thank you very much for your reply!

If the house is not located in a flood zone, where should the problem be? In a flood zone, I would generally try not to build at all. Whoever wants to build underwater should take a submarine, whoever wants to build above water should rather go for stilt houses (and then lightweight construction on top would probably be the technically preferred method).

We are not planning to build in a classic flood zone, but want to be protected against all eventualities. An example: In a nearby town, there has been a problem for a few years that residents’ basements have flooded because the nearby mine was shut down and its groundwater pumps were turned off. The groundwater level rose and the basements filled with water. At the time the house was built, however, a waterproof basement was not considered necessary.

The main consideration is especially the case of a water pipe break/leak.

Some time ago, an acquaintance had water damage in his prefabricated house (pipe leaking in the ceiling slab)

The ceiling naturally had to be completely renovated ... The supporting wood ... the gypsum screed ... all soaked through

When it comes to the basement. It will certainly not be constructed from a wooden structure, regardless of whether a solid or wooden house stands on it. So there is no reason to discuss that. The only question then is whether it is WU or not.

When it comes to the basement. Regardless of whether a solid or wooden house stands on it, it will certainly not be constructed from a wooden structure. So there is no reason to discuss that. The question then is only whether it is WU or not.

You are of course right. However, in this thread, I am concerned with water damage above the basement. The story was ultimately the reason why we wondered how the durability of each construction method looks in such unplanned situations.