Homes In Argentina

[citygirl]

Well ours is hybrid as we live above the barn. The base of the structure is brick but the house part is wood/siding.
This is what the house looks like:

 

[ajoknoblauch]

I think the issue of properly aged and/or treated wood is a serious topic. In Chile, much of the construction wood is Monterey pine - not a timber species in its native California - that warps, sometimes badly, as it dries and ages, but Chilean companies have planted it because it grows fast. In Argentina, where quality timber is not so widely available for other reasons, I think metal framing may be a superior alternative, if those materials are up to snuff. In California, wood-framed houses are seismically safer, but that's not an issue in Buenos Aires or most of the rest of the country - except from Mendoza north along the Andes.

 

[ghost]

Stick with the local building concepts. You will never educated a potential buyer as to the relative benefits of wood frame, nor will you be able to train any local builder as to the proper methods and materials. How to run cables or run water lines or insulate and frame in double pane windows. Most of the builders here do a fairly awful job of building the traditional brick and mortar house and really don't understand that concrete blocks and the like have an R Factor of zip. They run the new PVC water lines inside concrete walls that may expand by inches during hot weather. Basically you need to know your stuff and watch every move like a hawk. Otherwise they will take shortcuts that will make your head spin and your blood boil. Good luck.

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

My house is constructed of bricks (the large ones). It is not well insulated, but in the winter I only have to heat one room during the day and I use an electric mattress warmer, making heating of my bedroom only necessary for about an hour or two at night for about two months of the year. I only have air conditioning in the master bedroom and use it less than ten times a year. Pedestal fans are enough to keep me cool when I'm inside during the summer, including when I'm sleeping.

My electric bill has fluctuated between $10-$15 US dollars per month durin the four years I have lived here and I am now paying about $450 USD per year for LP gas.

I can hear cars and trucks that drive past my house while I am inside, but there are so few that they never bother me. My neighbors are far enough from my house that I can barely hear their dogs or roosters when I am outside.

There has been a lot of rain this winter and the water table is high enough that now, after a heavy rain, there is standing water in the land next to my house, but that land is at least a meter lower than the land on which my house was built.

I would not recommend that anyone build a house of any material other than bricks or logs (solid).

"El Rancho Escondido"

Steve-san, very nice looking house. The drive way on the right could use some surfacing, perhaps a good coat of
gravel stone? Are these stones avialble in Argentina?

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

I recently came across a construction company on FB that caught my attention for services they provide in construction of wood frame homes. That and the Sipanel materials were very interesting to me as I'm considering a move and construction of a new home. Unfortunately, these guys are in Neuquén. Bummer.

The FB comments got me a little hot under the collar for the amount of ignorance many people displayed towards anything that is not traditional Argentine construction.

Hmmm. The #1 issue everybody has when buying a home is the humidity, but there is little to nothing to control it besides paint.

So, I wanted to poll the expat AND Argentine readers about their views on the matter, and discuss the rational behind the perceived benefits/pittfalls of one construction method or another.

I was waiting for steveinba-san to start this build a house and real estate in Argentina but never the less thank you for starting this thread. Expecting to learn many ways as to how and which type of house I should prepare to build for my future very possible living quarter there in the Grand Argentina soon. I would look into all wood/brick construction but also open to all different ideas, so styles
and methods of construction ideas needed, keep them coming!

 

[gpop]

This is [partially] the way I'd like to go. This was interesting example in that this has a mix of river stone, poplar wood, with brick walls, micro-cement and wood floor. What I would change is the walls to be built with steel studs and paneled with ply, wrapped, and siding. Also, an arched roof that's more securely anchored. The stone base was very nice, very solid and went well with the wood.
I estimated that the material and construction cost for a home like this would probably be lower and faster than the typical BA house types.
This was a cabin that I vacationed at in San Rafael. Most of the wood used there is not the run-of-the-mill pine that you get in BA province; poplar abounds there, and well carpentered.
Anyone think that porteños would buy a home like this?

 

[gpop]

I think the issue of properly aged and/or treated wood is a serious topic. In Chile, much of the construction wood is Monterey pine - not a timber species in its native California - that warps, sometimes badly, as it dries and ages, but Chilean companies have planted it because it grows fast. In Argentina, where quality timber is not so widely available for other reasons, I think metal framing may be a superior alternative, if those materials are up to snuff. In California, wood-framed houses are seismically safer, but that's not an issue in Buenos Aires or most of the rest of the country - except from Mendoza north along the Andes.

Stick with the local building concepts. You will never educated a potential buyer as to the relative benefits of wood frame, nor will you be able to train any local builder as to the proper methods and materials. How to run cables or run water lines or insulate and frame in double pane windows. Most of the builders here do a fairly awful job of building the traditional brick and mortar house and really don't understand that concrete blocks and the like have an R Factor of zip. They run the new PVC water lines inside concrete walls that may expand by inches during hot weather. Basically you need to know your stuff and watch every move like a hawk. Otherwise they will take shortcuts that will make your head spin and your blood boil. Good luck.

Good points. Although I agree with not going far from the norm for the sake of resale value; I also don't like the idea that I have to deal with the inherent problems that that brings. I currently have to replace the floor on my terraza because of shoddy work. Even though my house is 7 years old; I'm seeing cracks near the ceiling from shifting, leaks developing because this construction really sucks for dealing with the amount of rain/heat that occurs here. Also, heating and cooling is expensive to me without insulation and windows that hemorrhage the heating/cooling.
Wood stock is ridiculous in BA province but I've noticed that Mendoza has some better species... that said, I wonder how costly it might be to get stock from there instead of accepting the [available] pine here. I've not investigated if there is proper drying/treatment on wood from there, but it would be worth it to get more info.

 

[gpop]

My replies: Argentine, Hybrid, Resale Value and Security. Years ago I was very reluctant to accept that construction methods other than brick and mortar were any good. After visiting many places in the US, I came to the conclusion that a fast, efficient and more affordable construction if done right is as good as brick and mortar if not better - for repairs, etc -. This being said, I know most people here think they are cardboard, prefabricadas villa like houses and that would affect the resale value. Also, so many things are not done right, that security about materials - ie they are using what they say they are using - is a major concern.

My father was a builder from Europe. When we got to Canada and started working in construction he said the same thing. Construction in N.America does use material and techniques that deal more with the environment in which a place is built. ie) really cold winters and really hot summers makes the ground buckle a lot so materials evolved to adapt to those movements.

 

[ghost]

This is [partially] the way I'd like to go. This was interesting example in that this has a mix of river stone, poplar wood, with brick walls, micro-cement and wood floor. What I would change is the walls to be built with steel studs and paneled with ply, wrapped, and siding. Also, an arched roof that's more securely anchored. The stone base was very nice, very solid and went well with the wood.
I estimated that the material and construction cost for a home like this would probably be lower and faster than the typical BA house types.
This was a cabin that I vacationed at in San Rafael. Most of the wood used there is not the run-of-the-mill pine that you get in BA province; poplar abounds there, and well carpentered.
Anyone think that porteños would buy a home like this?

Scratch the steel studs and go with aluminum studs which are readily available here. Insulate like crazy. The Aluminum studs come ready to do wire and plumbing runs and neither is encased or trapped. Thus can expand and contract with temp. You will have to watch how stuff is grounded with al. studs, but it's not hard.

 

[gpop]

Scratch the steel studs and go with aluminum studs which are readily available here. Insulate like crazy. The Aluminum studs come ready to do wire and plumbing runs and neither is encased or trapped. Thus can expand and contract with temp. You will have to watch how stuff is grounded with al. studs, but it's not hard.

There is more availability of steel framing than before with the same cabling/piping benefits of aluminum stud. Mundoseco has some resources. There is some advancement at least.