Which building material - objective distinction or matter of belief?

- build with a specific GU/provider (then see argumentation 11ant)

Or vice versa: if you know you want stone X, then go to a builder who works with it. Just don't go to the Poroton mason and ("skip the salad, give me double fries") order your house made of Ytong there.

Hello everyone,

First of all, thank you for your contributions.

We visited three providers, each of whom prefers a different building material. It’s obvious that I’m not going to McDonald's and order a schnitzel with fries there. What I want to say is: Of course, every provider should use the building material they prefer.

However, we ourselves have no preference regarding the building material. Rather, we would like to objectively define which building material is the "most suitable considering the pros and cons" for the construction project.

So, in your opinion, is there a "technical favorite" among the three? Or one that you definitely would not use?

Or is it actually completely irrelevant at the end of the day what we build with?

Thank you & best regards,
matze007

We ourselves have no preference regarding the building material.

That is good.

Or does it really not matter at the end of the day what we build with?

Not quite. Firstly, because different building materials naturally have different strengths and weaknesses. And secondly (search term "Holzkeller") because there is also a day of changed truth for all traditional beliefs.

Rather, we would like to objectively delineate which building material is "the most suitable considering the pros and cons" for the construction project.

I don’t want to repeat myself excessively. Therefore, I recommend you the existing threads on this topic area. They all contain factual information, which even the dumbest babbler can never reliably avoid. When skimming through, you will catch yourself noticing that sometimes there are also explained arguments included.

The aforementioned threads – beware, the forum search function malfunctions, sometimes the same search only works on the second attempt – you can easily find by entering my name together with "Mantra," "WDVS," or "Bröselkeks" (the latter is the favorite derogatory term of the porous brick anti-fans).

Or the other way around: if you know you want stone X, then go to a contractor who works with it. Just don’t go to the Poroton mason and ("leave out the salad, give me double fries") order your house made of Ytong there.

That’s how we did it. We knew quite early which stone we wanted, even though I cursed it when milling slots! The architect we worked with preferred exactly this stone, and surprise, surprise, our preferred shell builder and the architect’s also use it in single-family house construction. By the way, it is a filled Poroton stone from a small regional brick factory.

We lived in Poroton, now we live in Ytongg. I have not lived in a timber frame yet. Ytongg or Poroton makes no difference in indoor climate. Anyone who claims that also believes in water veins and aura cleansing. The advantage of Ytongg in the energy saving ordinance era is that you can do without ETICS and really have massive walls and a monolithic structure with plaster that is less prone to algae growth and can also take a hit. You can drill into Ytongg quite well. Also practical. But that also works with Poroton. I just find the filled stuff impractical there. In northern Germany, due to high prevalence and lots of competition, Ytongg Porit Hansapor Hebel all seem the same, cheaper.

I believe there are pros and cons for every building material. You won't get around having to decide for yourself what is important TO YOU and making your choice accordingly.

I grew up in a Ytong house and felt quite comfortable there. The downside was, especially after my brother played trumpet and I played clarinet, that Ytong is not exactly the best when it comes to sound insulation. Although I have to say: for a single-family house in a quiet area, that argument is negligible. We still like each other in the family despite the trumpet and clarinet overlapping ;-)

Now I live again in a Ytong house, but in a four-family house. There, the poor sound insulation is a whole different issue...

But I have always been enthusiastic about wooden houses. I like wood, I like the indoor climate, and I like that there are no drying times. My boyfriend feels the same. Therefore, it was clear for us from the start: we are building a wooden house! It doesn’t have to look like a log cabin, we don’t want that, definitely not rustic *yuck*! But that is possible too. We didn’t bother at all with any kinds of stones or inquire about corresponding trades, but were with wooden house builders right from the beginning. Since we now have one who also builds wooden basements, it was only logical for us to make the basement out of wood as well. There, in the utility rooms (storage, technical room, and workshop), you will also notice that it is a wooden house, because the walls will stay as they are, wood in industrial quality, and the floor will be MDF boards. The rest will get Fermacell with clay plaster.

But that was our decision. We are convinced of it. However, I am not so blinded that I don’t also see the advantages of a masonry house.

Therefore: you have to make the fundamental decision yourself (wood or stone); if stone, then which one and then find the corresponding house builder. I don’t think anyone here will give you a clear statement: do this, it’s the very best!!!

And if someone does, don’t take it seriously ;-)

If you ask me, I’ll bore you to death about how great a wooden house is, how long people have already been living that way in Scandinavia, how wonderful the thermal insulation is, that you don’t have to chase slots, the great indoor climate from the start, and so on.

Ask Nordlys, then it sounds different :-D But it’s not wrong either.