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How to Build a House in 1 Day [Video]
sugoijapan.blogspot.com — This is a wood framing technology, originally from Japan, that I led the effort to transfer to the USA. Essentially a small group of untrained people can erect an entire house frame in 1-3 days
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- vinwal, on 10/21/2007, -7/+4Cool!!
- MetaTitan, on 10/27/2007, -2/+12Very interesting. I don't know how comfortable I'd be living in a house built in 1-3 days though, especially in an area like Japan (they can have some intense weather).
- newtonlove, on 10/21/2007, -1/+5Meta, you should see the Gers in Mongolia. They build in 30-60 minutes and they have some shocking weather. For example, the world's coldest capital city. The amount of time taken really doesn't mean too much.
- j1337, on 10/22/2007, -1/+33-Little or no insulation
-no double-paned glass windows
-no central heating
-When somebody dies or moves out of a house, they are usually torn down immediately so that the empty lot can be sold. This is because such poorly-built houses go through so much wear and tear that most Japanese home owners prefer to live in newly-built houses.
"the average life span of residences from construction to demolition is about 30 years, compared with 77 years in Britain and 55 years in the United States."
Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071020TDY04 ...- themouth, on 10/22/2007, -1/+4There are many modern modular building methods similar to the one in the video that do provide all of the features you mention above. In the US most building codes require insulation providing at least a minimal R-value and you'd have to search pretty long and hard to find any prefabricated single-pane windows. I write software for the HVAC industry and we have to adjust for various construction methods and materials in our calculations so I'm fairly aware of what's up in coming in the construction industry. Some of the modular construction that's fresh out on the market or due out soon provides incredible R-values (two to three times average stick-built/fiberglass value) as well as being easily customized from the factory to account for ductwork, wiring, plumbing and windows.
- NSResponder, on 10/20/2007, -2/+2Steel-framed houses can go up that fast too, and they're as rugged as anything could be.
-jcr
- digitalfever, on 10/21/2007, -4/+0I'm definitely saying that to someone today.
- j1337, on 10/21/2007, -5/+19According to Japanese government statistics, "the average life span of residences from construction to demolition is about 30 years, compared with 77 years in Britain and 55 years in the United States." (http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20071020TDY04 ...
Personally, I'd prefer a well-built house that lasts 70 years to a pre-hab piece of junk that won't even last half that time.- ChromaVita, on 10/21/2007, -3/+20Then just die when you're 30 and you're good.
- Killerah, on 10/21/2007, -1/+6This is assuming you moved in as soon as you came out of the womb and then never moved out even though you were 30 years old. I guess maybe that kind of thing is normal for diggers?
- Error601, on 10/21/2007, -0/+4I'd guess that has more to do with the high population density and expensive real estate. The more expensive the land, the more cost effective it is to replace buildings especially if you're replacing it with more units.
- TripcodeMel, on 10/21/2007, -0/+3Yeah, but that's based on residences which are just now currently being demolished. You have no idea how long the structures of today will stand, by comparison.
- cresswga, on 10/21/2007, -0/+8British houses are typically brick. US and Japanese houses are typically wooden hence the shorter lifespan.
Modern pre-fab houses in the states are actually stronger than regular houses because they have to survive the transportation process and so are built to a stronger code. You also have the advantage of not having all of your lumber left out in the rain during a lengthy construction which, in a place like Florida, is a lot of rain.- Markpdotcom, on 10/20/2007, -0/+2Also many UK banks won't offer mortgages on wooden framed houses, or not the same amount as they would a brick/steel house.
- vulcanius, on 10/20/2007, -7/+2I think it's more reasonable to assume that they are constantly upgrading. I don't think there's a country of more bleeding-edge obsessed people anywhere else.
- vulcanius, on 10/21/2007, -2/+4I think it's more reasonable to assume that they are constantly upgrading. I don't think there's a country of more bleeding-edge obsessed people anywhere else.
- Roblodocus, on 10/21/2007, -1/+4My house is about 130 years old, is made from brick and stone,the outside walls are about half a meter thick and there's not a thing wrong structurally with any of the houses in my street. A rubbish house lasts 30 years. A well built one lasts for hundreds of years.
- vertinox, on 10/21/2007, -2/+4Brick wouldn't work well in Japan due to earthquakes. Sure it won't last 30 years, but since the earthquakes are going to knock it down anyways, you wont' be crushed under a pile of bricks if you happen to be in there at night.
- sanman, on 10/21/2007, -1/+3No, you'd be crushed under a pile of lumber
- nufoto, on 10/21/2007, -0/+3No wood is more flexible than Brick wood will sag or splinter not collapse as brick structures do.
Build what works in your area!
- salinemist, on 10/21/2007, -0/+3I agree, why buy a $20,000 prefab car when I can have them ship ore to my driveway start the smelting process RIGHT THERE!
The way we build houses now is silly and due for a revolution.
- ChromaVita, on 10/21/2007, -3/+20Then just die when you're 30 and you're good.
- DavyRockett, on 10/21/2007, -2/+14What's the cost savings compared to a normal built house? If it's under half the cost of a normal built house, it might be well worth it.
- otatop, on 10/21/2007, -7/+9There's a video section so you don't have to post them in news with a [video] tag. Buried.
- carpespasm, on 10/21/2007, -4/+24and IKEA house. huh.
I've actually seen houses in subdivisions that go up as fast. they have construction yards where they build entire sides of houses, then ship them to the site and tilt them up, cover them with tyvek and screw on chipboard and hardyboard(a concrete panel that has a wood pattern stamped into it). The bad thing is that those places can literally be kicked through to the interior of the house.- Salzar, on 10/21/2007, -3/+7You say bad, I say feature.
HERES JOHNY! - askjeffro, on 10/21/2007, -0/+8IKEA indeed. I feel the title is misleading as this is less of a house being "built" and more of a house being "assembled".
There is a lot of time and energy inherent in the design and fab the parts they are using.
- Salzar, on 10/21/2007, -3/+7You say bad, I say feature.
- FireForEffect47, on 10/20/2007, -9/+5http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuEIzBhbuNw
Skip the blog spam - odecom5, on 10/23/2007, -1/+5http://www.livinghomes.net/
this is like that, but done right.- kineticarl, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1Saw that in Wired. Beautiful.
- copperhead, on 10/21/2007, -0/+2I'll give them a call when I have my $750,000 budget to build a house.
- alexp162002, on 10/21/2007, -1/+9why don't they just go lego style ?
- jhshukla, on 10/21/2007, -0/+2too many pieces
- compgeek, on 10/20/2007, -2/+2interesting I'd wonder how much such a house is and they are saying that the wall panels can be uninsulated only time that would be practical is in tropical climates anyways neat story
dugg - thelimopit, on 10/21/2007, -1/+12I'd never build a house like that if I had to listen to such awful music whilst I was doing it.
- grantmoore3d, on 10/21/2007, -3/+13Clearly it can't be used in many places, but it is an interesting solution for what it was designed for... here in Canada, that thing would fall apart after a couple of winters.
- Bardak, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1unless you live in Vancouver
- stinkypyper, on 10/21/2007, -1/+21Most of that is prefab. Look at how many framers there are. The foundation was already complete when they started. That is a lot of man hours when you add it up, for a flimsy little piece of *****.
- Salzar, on 10/20/2007, -0/+4And definitely cant have a small team of unskilled works finishing it. Who is going to do the plumbing. It be nice if they worked out some prefab method, so that its like an RV or a trailer hookup for your gas and waste.
- spiralspirit, on 10/20/2007, -1/+21) foundation would need to be poured before traditional framing too.
2) plumbing is not part of the frame/envelope. Even in "traditional" would frame houses this is done afterwards by a plumber, so lack of plumbing is not an issue.
- spiralspirit, on 10/20/2007, -1/+21) foundation would need to be poured before traditional framing too.
- Salzar, on 10/20/2007, -0/+4And definitely cant have a small team of unskilled works finishing it. Who is going to do the plumbing. It be nice if they worked out some prefab method, so that its like an RV or a trailer hookup for your gas and waste.
- unagiguy, on 10/21/2007, -0/+3Hmm.. cool idea, but I don't know if I would trust someone like Ikea to build my entire house...
- tecknoplasma, on 10/21/2007, -2/+2It's not built in 1 - 3 days, it's "put together" in that time. Would take WAY more than 3 days to manufacture the entire house; steel brackets, foundation, etc. It's a cool idea for a country that's entirely over populated though, but for North America- I'll stick to a real house!
- Kelmon, on 10/20/2007, -0/+2There's a program that was shown (may still be shown for all I know) in the UK called "Grand Designs" that typically featured epic home construction jobs, usually by people with no prior experience, that take years to completed. However, on one episode the house was literally built in about 3-days by a German company who brought all the parts over from Germany. In fact they would have finished sooner had they not been delayed by the late arrival of the British crane that came from only 20 miles away... The house constructed from that was much more impressive than the silly thing they construct in this articles video.
- BeckyBD, on 10/20/2007, -1/+1Love the story, small houses are where it's at.
- SuperCUBE, on 10/21/2007, -2/+6And after the 20 mph wind of '08, the house was completely destroyed.
- crusadernm, on 10/20/2007, -7/+0Uhhh...all houses are made from wooden frames. You'd know that if you were in the housing development business.
- rsilva, on 10/20/2007, -0/+4Not where I live.
- HOOKSTER1231, on 10/20/2007, -0/+3Here in Florida all houses have to meet hurricane codes so everything is poured concrete or concrete block and steel frame, my town home is poured concrete but my parents newer home is concrete block with a center steel frame. Also we would visit the construction site so we do know what the inside under the drywall looks like and is made out of.
- RockinRoel, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1We Belgians mostly build brick houses. You see a wooden frame house sometimes, but mostly it's bricks from the ground up, not frame first, then the rest. The structure of our houses is only seen at the end of the rough build.
- Kelmon, on 10/20/2007, -1/+3You don't get out much, do you?
- nufoto, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1unless steel framed. double brick, Adobe or Insulated Concrete Forms [LEGO style] ..and I'm sure there are other forms of house building.
- rsilva, on 10/20/2007, -0/+4Not where I live.
- bsmeteronhigh, on 10/20/2007, -2/+5A parade of butt-joints held together with metal fittings. Headline is totally misleading: Foundation excavation, forms, pour at least three days. When they put up the posts the mention that they can stand upright, but I couldn't help noticing the 2x4 braces in the very next shot to assure they didn't fall over! Scaffolding to put on siding would add a bit more time....And that was just for an unfinished exterior shell sans roofing material.
- spiralspirit, on 10/20/2007, -0/+2this is true about any construction. how long does framing itself take? usually 2-3 days with skilled framers. this is claiming 1 day framing with unskilled help - definitely a different approach. say what you will about the method.
- theonlywizdum, on 10/21/2007, -2/+0Haven't built many houses have you?
- spiralspirit, on 10/20/2007, -0/+2this is true about any construction. how long does framing itself take? usually 2-3 days with skilled framers. this is claiming 1 day framing with unskilled help - definitely a different approach. say what you will about the method.
- CanadianGuy, on 10/21/2007, -1/+4That would make an excellent cottage, but as your primary home, I don't think so
- BluesFan, on 10/21/2007, -3/+2SuperCUBE----How would it be destroyed after a 20 mph wind,it's anchored to the concrete foundation?did you watch the video?
- angusware, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1no that's what reply is for.
- HappyScrappy, on 10/21/2007, -0/+1Absolutely zero diagonal bracing. That's a problem.
- SamPollock, on 10/20/2007, -8/+2I AM GETTING MY IPOD TOUCH
- nwoantibody, on 10/20/2007, -0/+3Aah, so that's how they rebuild quickly everytime there's an earthquake that messes the whole city up.
:) - mstrebe, on 10/20/2007, -0/+3Firstly, I have a hard time seeing how that's easier than typical tie plates. The work is in having a crane handy to lift all the beams into place.
Secondly, I've been building a house for a year, and the framing only took two weeks. So, that would be eleven months two weeks if I had just used this method! - dasbush, on 10/20/2007, -0/+3I like how they didn't show the roof being installed. I'm sure doing that would have been more complicated than just using a mallet on some wood.
- lare911, on 10/20/2007, -1/+0>The bad thing is that those places can literally be kicked through to the interior of the house.
that's the one good thing about it. . .if you forget your key your inside in a couple of minutes, just wear your boots if you are forgetful.
But honestly, I don't think that wood houses are ever going to catch on. There are insects who like to eat them. . .- oirvine, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1hu? most houses are wood.
- RockinRoel, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1Not where I live. Surely, if you treat wood right, it doesn't have much issues, but it still "works", so you may get issues with wooden houses. Imagine what moistness would do after a while, compared to a brick house.
- oirvine, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1hu? most houses are wood.
- pyokopon, on 10/20/2007, -0/+0Build the house with better materials than the Japanese variant and maybe it'll last more than 10-30 years... It's awful how they use stuff that are not only bad for the environment but also deteriorate at a fast pace (nails that rust and so on). The building industry is earning a buttload for a reason over there.
- RockinRoel, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1There were no nails involved. Did you watch it? They used like... steel thingies.
- Arrakistor, on 10/21/2007, -1/+7Buried as worthless. Those who don't know much about construction might be impressed by this. Here in Texas, a single crew frames a house in 1 DAY without the need of this erector-set bs.
- spiralspirit, on 10/21/2007, -1/+2ya, but the difference is that the framers are experts. this person is claiming that unskilled laborors could do this. who knows?
- aogail, on 10/21/2007, -0/+2And he's completely wrong. Scaffolding around the entire house, crane operator, etc. None of these can be handled in one day by a small group of unskilled people.
- waynetheman, on 10/21/2007, -1/+1I think that misses the point. How large are the crews in Texas, and how much $$$ does it cost to access their experience? While a house built like in the video would clearly not be a quality house, the savings in labor costs could be a boon for poorer neighborhoods (or poorer regions of the world.)
- spiralspirit, on 10/21/2007, -1/+2ya, but the difference is that the framers are experts. this person is claiming that unskilled laborors could do this. who knows?
- Sogui, on 10/21/2007, -0/+3I volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, where we have to build small houses with a standardized floor plan all the time. This would make work so much easier, I just can't help but wonder if we could start using that method.
- waynetheman, on 10/21/2007, -0/+1Habitat for Humanity sounds like a perfect outlet for this sort of thing.
- azscott, on 10/20/2007, -0/+2Yes, but can I load the entire house up in flatpack boxes that fit in the back of my truck? And does it come with wordless instructions illustrated with cartoons? And can it please have a cool, ironic name like HᾸUS or FRᾸM or RTHQK?
- ZenFountain, on 10/20/2007, -1/+1Ikea house! Neat idea, America already has tens of millions of shoddy suburban homes though.
- advil, on 10/20/2007, -0/+01-3 day multiplied by the number of people who are working on it is the actual "put together day".
- spiralspirit, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1true for any construction, not just this one.
- secretivecoward, on 10/20/2007, -1/+1Windows Live OneCare said this website had a trojan.
See the video, skip the virus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuEIzBhbuNw
Trojan:JS/Agent.FA is malicious Javascript embedded in a Web page. ... Trojan:JS/Agent.FA may download and install additional malicious software, . - dgh1973, on 10/20/2007, -0/+3Nice "Ikea" house... I just know my wife would make me put that one together alone to...
Nice jazzy music in the video to. - wheresaldo, on 10/20/2007, -2/+1There might be a Trojan:JS/Agent.FA on the page
- aogail, on 10/20/2007, -0/+2Then don't use IE.
- ptoomey, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1Definitely a misleading title, I was expecting to see some sort of pre-fab panel house assembled and ready to go in a day, that would be impressive. The truth is, in my are of the U.S., "speed framers" get a house that size framed in less than 3 days using traditional dimensional lumber and nails. The framing is the fastest and cheapest part of the construction anyway so I'm not sure how much value there really is in this. The real time and labor expense is in everything else like foundation, drywall, exterior finish, plumbing, electrical, appliances, paint, etc.
I do, however, like the idea of snapping the pieces together and not needing highly skilled and fast working framers. It may also make a decent looking and efficient exposed frame building like pole barns and garages/workshops.- eagle123, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1read the other diggs
http://digg.com/offbeat_news/speed_building_Japane ... - ookxtreme, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1i here what your saying... i think it looked to be all laminated beams, studs etc(inexpensive over solids)... i think that was a large underlying point that it may be a pretty "green" way to go; although i'm not "green" nut bag...... i'd like to find more about this type of construction.... like you said "the idea of snapping the pieces together" etc... seem like an interesting idea......
- eagle123, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1read the other diggs
- bradkovach, on 10/20/2007, -1/+3Imagine being the neighbor, leaving for a day, then coming back: "HOLY CRAPOLA! THAT HOUSE... WHERE... HOW... ZOMG"
- spiralspirit, on 10/20/2007, -0/+3there is plenty of prep work happening before the house comes - survey, excavation, foundation pouring , etc.
- RockinRoel, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1You haven't seen holy crap yet. I once saw this program where they moved an entire church, now that was something crazy. You actually saw this church nearing slowly down the lane. That's one holy crap thing to see. I think it was Mega Movers on Discovery Channel.
- agentmedia, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1The title should be "If Ikea sold houses"
- mishaco, on 10/21/2007, -0/+2i don't think thats considered 'up to code' where i come from .
- CaviMike, on 10/20/2007, -2/+2In case you haven't noticed, this is the 21st century. Houses have electricity, running water, and sewage drains inside them, to say the very least. Buried as inaccurate.
- spiralspirit, on 10/20/2007, -1/+1this is just the shell/interior envelope. they arent put in first thing on houses framed traditionally, either. you are buried as ignorant.
- vagarach, on 10/21/2007, -1/+1Check out the other posts on that blog, some typically weird stuff from japan, like girls in cat bikinis doing some sort of ad (?) or something for a hotspring.
- robjohnston, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1of course, its going to be cheap on the initial outlay, but int he long run [e.g. a life time] you might have to fork out that much £/$ three or four times.
- ookxtreme, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1i'm not digging you down or anything... just want more insight on your comment? you think to many "squeaks and rattles" in this type of construction over the long haul? the joints just look to be a different type of "mechanical" fastener system then what we typically build with today......it's almost a "modern day tunge-n-groove" system.... it should be interesting to see if this evolves into something here in the states..... i know i'd like to test a 2500 sq/ft system out....
- eagle123, on 10/21/2007, -1/+1for the guys who said is just the frame, this is a response digg from another with photos that showed how to make a house in 1 day
http://digg.com/offbeat_news/speed_building_Japane ... - hexayut, on 10/20/2007, -2/+0http://hexayurt.com is a Free / Open Source design for a very, very rapid shelter construction.
Good for Burning Man:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/participat ...
Good for natural disasters in America:
http://disastr.org
Good for disasters and housing for the very poor abroad: (pdf, sorry)
http://www.archive.org/download/HexayurtPresentati ...
We think we can get the price down to $100 per room-sized shelter, with a possible life of more than 10 years in many areas of the world (possibly decades depending on glue quality and a few other issues.)
World changing technology, and all in the public domain.
It's good for earthquake areas because it is so lightweight, and stands up quite well to 50 and 60 mile per hour winds.- spiralspirit, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1doesn't have any insulation - won't work anywhere it gets cold
has no ventilation - not good in fire heated conditions
Its a good temporary shelter - i think it does it really well, but i can't see it lasting 10 years anywhere.- hexayut, on 10/20/2007, -0/+0Oh dear. Next time try and read the links.
Firstly, it's **made of insulation** - the boards it's made of are polyisocyanurate insulation. Although you can use a wide variety of materials of course.
As for long duration, with the correct facing materials, hexacomb cardboard with blown cellulose insulation is good for the lifespan of a real building - they used it in California in the 1980s for real houses.
Any more questions?
- hexayut, on 10/20/2007, -0/+0Oh dear. Next time try and read the links.
- spiralspirit, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1doesn't have any insulation - won't work anywhere it gets cold
- ookxtreme, on 10/20/2007, -1/+2that is cool!!! i'd build one!! sign me up for one in northern michigan!!
- BabaRamDass, on 10/20/2007, -0/+2Reminds me of steel homes:
http://www.kodiaksteelhomes.com/media/videos.html - blindflacker, on 10/20/2007, -0/+1I've seen a section of 6 townhouses go up in a weekend with a 5 man pneumatic crew and pre-built sides.
- daxsymbiont, on 10/20/2007, -0/+3haha, wood + hammering = bad idea without spare parts. you'll end up with lots of fire wood.
besides, 1 day? good luck, more like a month. if you have time. - xomp, on 10/20/2007, -2/+0wtf fart fetish
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