Why does America choose wood instead of concrete to build houses?

What are American houses built of? The answer is wood. Instead of cement, why are American houses built of wood? Let's find out together!

In addition to using forest products for furniture, flooring, and paper, wood is also widely used in the United States for housing construction, making it one of the few places in the world where wood is the dominant material for housing construction.

However, this choice is often questioned because wood is vulnerable to hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and other disasters. But why is it the dominant home building material in the United States? Here's why the United States continues to build homes with wood.

Construction speed

Since the arrival of European settlers in the United States, wood has become a popular building material due to the urgent need for large numbers of houses in a short period of time. One of the biggest advantages of wood is the speed of construction, which is significantly faster than building with concrete or brick.

Easy to build

Another big advantage is that wooden houses are easier to build. The market even offers pre-designed plans and kits that allow homeowners to build them themselves.

In addition, the very short time to build a wooden house can respond promptly when there is a sudden natural disaster.

Another important factor is that in the US it is cheaper to build a wooden house than a concrete house.

In the US, building a house requires a tax, which is calculated based on the total cost of the house. Since wooden houses are cheaper, the tax is also reduced. Taxes are still paid when people want to demolish a house, and are also calculated based on the total cost of demolition.

In short, in the US building a house with concrete is quite expensive so wood is the suitable material to choose.

Marvin Fry

Update 13 January 2025