Does Construction method matter to you?
 

From what I understand from my renter that used to be in the building business the FRAME homes are much more insulated than the concrete and precast homes. I have had both in Arizona.....Concrete does not seem to hold up very well in lots of rainy weather here. It deteriotes and you can still get termites with concrete. have NOT had any with the frame house so far.

[QUOTE=kkingston57;2158923]5 Years ago, block was 5K higher than frame in the mid priced homes. Defintely worth the extra money then. Block(CBS) is stronger and less likelihood of having termite problems and can be easily be re painted. Siding painting does require an additive to the paint and siding does fade. Pre cast is better than both(more uniform) and should be considered. Lived in Palm Beach County before moving to TV and best wind protected homes were pre cast. Pre cast can have a lifetime finish also. Need to ask if TV's pre cast walls are lifetime finished.


NOT TRUE about the termites !!!! They were in my home in Arizona that was block construction.........another home is FRAME no evidence on the frame home as of yet. Does NOT matter what style home you have for termites

I think the homes painted blue and odd colors actually look cheap........Frame is really not all that bad.......

The stucco does CRACK and the paint does peel IF you have stucco you can plan on repainting every few years about 5 years as the paint does FADE. I have had 2 in Arizona FYI

THANK YOU I totally agree and thats coming from Arizona now too..........I feel the same it does blister...........faster than you think

WRONG You still need to power wash the stucco and be careful as paint can and will chip...........I have seen my cousins home look very dirty and she has stucco......you see lots of cobwebs and bugs attzched to the crevices.....

BUT it will hurt more if the walls fall down on you for sure !!!

Certainly wrong on the termites!!! AZ house was block we had termites....Frame with stucco house Nothing.......Stucco needs regpainting and power wash also FYI

Do block houses, being thicker than pre-cast, offer more insulation and sound absorption? Also, don't vinyl siding homes, being smoother, seem to have more mold/fungus problems than block or pre-cast?

Well,
As usual, lots of good disinformation and rampant speculation here. I have an engineering degree, run major construction projects(all having to conform to FM Global wind shear requirements), and have 2 homes in TV. One is a 10 year old Wisteria, one is an 8 year old Jasmine so they are about the same thing, although the Jasmine is about 100 square feet more due to the bump outs. But overall same thing. Here are the facts as I see them, comparing the 2. They both have been through several hurricanes.
1. The frame house is about the same as the Block and stucco from a wind protection standpoint. They are built to the same Cat 3 hurricane standards, and the roof is wood in both, and would be the first thing to go. No difference.
2. Looking at the heating and cooling, I think the Wood frame house is a bit more energy efficient, but only by a little. Heck, with what it costs in TV, who really cares?
3. The siding is almost zero maintenance. It costs me about $100 to have it power washed twice a year to keep it sparkling white.
4. The block and stucco fades and has a few cracks, I will have to spend like $5000 to have it repainted in a few years. I also found out that if you try and cover the bottom with the original paint color, it doesn't match perfectly because the current paint fades.
5. For commercial construction, we use all 3 methods depenending on the job. Tilt up concrete is a bit less expensive, and the most durable, but you can't change anything once it is there, so we usually use curtain wall construction that can be modified more easily later.

Overall, I think all 3 are fine. The quality of the villages construction is very good. I really don't get it when people criticize it. Both my houses look almost new and they have both had many renters in them as well as my wife and I spending several months a year there. For ease of care and cost, go with frame construction and siding - it is the lowest maintenance long term. I will be keeping the block and stucco house because it has a golf cart garage and my wife and I like the look of the cement finish, more florida.
Either way, stay away from palm trees - they are high maintenance!!! (I know, doesn't fit this thread, but I just hate them so much had to share).
Ed

In a tornado it doesn't matter what kind of construction your house is. The roof is usually the first thing to go so you lose your protection in any of the 3 types of construction.

No sticks, no straw, if the big bad hurricane tries to BLOW your house down. Concrete blocks, please. I saw what happened to the 3 little pigs.
🐷🐷🐷

Stucco cracks are a simple repair. What do you do if the vinyl cracks, tears, or fades?

Where did you see the precast plant? I’ve never found it

We stopped looking at wood/vinyl as my wife preferred the brick homes. In her mind she just felt safe in brick. Also we liked the layouts of the brick at the time. We have a brick block home as the were just starting the prefab homes when we bought. So yes, the place we bought changed based on the building material.