Block vs Stick Construction

[beady]

Anyone care to share thoughts on the pros and cons of either type of construction.

[LG]

Both built to the same building code. Stick has better insulation in the walls R11 / Block R5 unless foam injected 9 which most are not ). May be less problems with termites..but everyone treats for them so it is a wash....

Block is stucco covered and has a nicer appearance, but requires painting evedry 5 to 7 years.. Vinyl needs to be power washed a couple of times a year.

They did a test and fired a 2x4 at a block wall at 100MPH... went right through it....

[villages07]

Block houses seemed to weather the tornado better than stick...although a couple of block homes were damaged to the point of being torn down. Insurance is cheaper on block; block house is more expensive to begin with; no vinyl siding issues with block.

I guess it comes down to what you can afford, concerns about future maintenance, and what aesthetically appeals to you. To me, block and stucco is part of the Florida look.

Patio villas and ranch homes are only stick/siding; courtyard villas and designers come in both; premiers are almost exclusively block (I did see one or two that did not have a stucco finish);

LG is right, though...both are built to same hurricane standards.

[Avista]

Our Savannah Courtyard home is poured concrete and stucco, not cement block.

[Lil Dancer]

We bought a block and stucco home because we thought it would be more safe during hurricanes. After living thru the tornado last year, having a block home was the best decision we made. The vinyl sided homes crumpled like matchsticks. The vinyl peeled off like wallpaper. From what we observed, the block homes didn't sustain anywhere near the damage that the vinyl ones did. We also get a discount on our homeowners insurance for having a block home.

[beady]

:) I guess we will be favoring block construction when we are looking in September. Thanks all for the insight.
As my 7 yr old grandson would say this forum is "awesome"

[Barefoot]

I was told by an Insurance Company that block homes are sturdier, less expensive to insure and also less prone to termites.
But from reading the posts, I guess they require more maintenance.