Having a home which is made of brick and stone may seem like overkill and quite costly, and whereas that is true enough, might I remind everyone that the oldest manmade structures on the planet are the Egyptian Pyramids? They’ve withstood the test of time for a good reason. Stone and brick weather storms better, and although they don’t always do so hot in a major Earthquake, if they are built correctly they fair better than you might think. Wooden homes have challenges, and they aren’t so good in flooding events, title surges, or major wind storms. Okay so, let’s talk shall we?
There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on November 28, 2012 titled “Stone Structures Stay Sturdy by the Seashore – Before Sandy, Many in New York Beach Community Viewed Brick-and-Block Newcomers as Ugly, Now Some See Their Practical Side,” by Barry Newman. Now then for anyone in the construction trade that deals with brick, block, and stone, well, hell we already know this, and had you asked perhaps your home and fences wouldn’t have been huffed-and-puffed and blown away or taken out by Super Storm Sandy’s brute force and title surge.
Look, we live on the surface of the planet here, and things can get tough if you live in Tornado Alley, near a raging river, or along a Hurricane prone coastline. It’s better to be safe than sorry, not just for building your home, but for the fences, retaining walls, and everything else you do. Why? Simple, as the article said, it’s practical and it will still be there the morning after the storm. Homes which have half their walls made of brick and stone did much better than those of all wood.
Out in California we do have Earthquakes and stone buildings, or those made of brick must be reinforced properly, and we have Earthquake building codes for that. Too we have big fires out here, giant wildfires and well, wood burns if you catch my drift wood? Sometimes I think that humankind has forgotten more than it has ever learned, the Egyptians, Mayans, Aztecs, Incas, and many ancient civilizations uses stone and brick. The Romans did and so too did the Greeks, and their remnants have survived, and are still with us today.
All the rest, well, it’s all history, in the ashes and dust. Old civilizations which once were turned back to the elements and nature, with no trace whatsoever. Indeed, maybe you should consider using brick and stone on your next home? Think on it.