DIY & Home Improvement

Mosby

(18,749 posts)

13. I suspect that there are a lot of regional differences

Sat May 23, 2015, 07:26 PM

May 2015

I live in Phx in a house built in 1972, it's has block walls, copper plumbing and 12 gauge copper wiring. The sheet rock is thick, roof is 3/4 plywood. When I replaced a faucet in the shower I found hand done mortar behind the tile not blue/green board.

In the '80s a lot of questionable building materials were used, paper/composite main drains (which is insane considering the amount of oleander in people's back yards), aluminum wiring and almost all framed walls with stucco.

Try upgrading windows in a stucco home, you have to basically cut through it, put in the new windows, re-mortar it and then paint your house.

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question about residential construction in the past versus now [View all] steve2470 May 2015 OP

What's the urban legend stuff to which you refer? Architect and builder here. NYC_SKP May 2015 #1

oh, just muttering over... steve2470 May 2015 #2

Frankly, they're correct about thinner walls and some component's ability to last. NYC_SKP May 2015 #3

my condo is exhibit A, sort of steve2470 May 2015 #4

You can put a fist through a modern wall. Don't try that with a pre-war home. NYC_SKP May 2015 #6

the resistance is because the local industry is afraid it will hurt sales ? steve2470 May 2015 #7

Part of it is frontier resistance to big government, and the energy lobby. NYC_SKP May 2015 #9

Thanks for your time with this, NYC_SKP steve2470 May 2015 #10

You're welcome. I now work entirely in the realm of energy efficiency and renewables. NYC_SKP May 2015 #11

she is! steve2470 May 2015 #12

Generally speaking, standardized building codes Warpy May 2015 #5

I think we all know that older homes murielm99 May 2015 #8

I suspect that there are a lot of regional differences Mosby May 2015 #13

To yer question Wash. state Desk Jet May 2015 #14

thank you so much for your input steve2470 May 2015 #15