The ‘American Dream’ with clear air, advanced opportunities, and minimal homes, is a goal for so many Indians. There are many who dream about living in a suburban home in the US, with lush green gardens around them, growing herbs right outside their doors, and reclining in comfy chairs looking at the setting sun.
But this same dream is a nightmare for many others! How? An IITian has explained.
In a viral post on X, Amit Paranjape, an IIT Bombay alumnus who has lived and worked in the US, shared how so many homes in the US are weak and lack structural design strength.
In his post, Amit wrote “After all these years… (including living in one for a few years), I still wonder about the structural design strength (weakness) of a typical American home!
So much wood – so little steel, concrete… and remember – quite a few of these homes are in severe weather regions (tornadoes, hurricanes, hail storms, heavy winds/rain, snow, etc…)”
After all these years… (including living in one for a few years), I still wonder about the structural design strength (weakness) of a typical American home!
So much wood – so little steel, concrete… and remember – quite a few of these homes are in severe weather regions… https://t.co/lUOk7VHkHk
— Amit Paranjape (@aparanjape) April 7, 2025
And this statement was in response to another post on X where someone shared a video of a house under construction collapsing owing to the heavy winds in Texas. The post read “A new home being built collapses during a storm near Houston, Texas”.
In the video it was visible how an all-wooden structure of the home immediately collapsed, falling right onto the ground as the wind speed increased.
Poll
Do you believe wooden homes are a safe option in storm-prone areas?
And on the original post by Tara Bulls came in a plethora of views, both positive and negative. While some people said “sadly this is going to be the quality of homes in the near future.. especially if the housing boom hits again..”, others commented on how the structure could have been made better.
A person with username ‘SpohrerA45780’ said “They should have put the 4 x 8 sheets on the corners as they were building each floor. As well sheet up the first floor before going to the next.”, and yet another said “That’s why you use bracing before sheathing the walls. It should have been sheathed before starting an upper floor. That’s basic carpentry knowledge. Who are they hiring to build these things?”
The problems with wooden structures
Wooden homes, while aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly, come with a ton of drawbacks, especially when it comes to standing the test of weather.
And one of the biggest concerns, as highlighted in the post by Amit and the video shared of a collapsing house, is the fact that wood, unlike concrete or steel, is more susceptible to damage. In areas with high rainfall, humidity, or frequent storms, wooden structures will absorb water and lead to swelling overtime, or as happened in the video, a complete collapse of the structure. Without a strong concrete or steel foundation, these homes are unstable, right from their foundations, and could lead to not just loss of money, but also life in adverse conditions.
And as many people commented, building a wooden home with weak foundation in a hurricane or tornado-prone area, would be dangerous for human life.
Wooden homes, when weak from the base and joints, cannot stand the high winds as effectively as steel-framed or concrete buildings, and so when storms strike, flying debris can easily puncture wooden walls, and roofs.
