What's the problem with cinder block houses? Except I'm sure they don't meet construction regulations.

[raccoon]

Why are they undesirable? Too hard to heat, to cool?

[Lurker Deluxe]

1. outside of cost ...

I did not know they were "undesirable".

*shrug

[raccoon]

6. I figured they were cheaper, and for that reason people

Considered them undesirable near their houses.

[czarjak]

2. Blah factor?

[snowybirdie]

3. There's a bunch

Of them in Florida. Why undesirable?

[raccoon]

5. I just figured they probably were, because I have never seen any of them

Ive heard they have them in Mexico.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

15. I assume Florida has a bunch because they're hurricane resistant

Have seen many anywhere else.

[sop]

28. Cinder block walls develop a lot of stair-step cracks when the slab foundation settles.

They are also very porous, allowing moisture in.

[Chainfire]

4. They are energy hogs for one thing.

My first home was a cinder-block job, of course then heating and cooling was cheap. (1975 or so) It needed painting (or cleaning) about every 20 years, and that was all the maintenance needed on the shell.

[ms liberty]

7. There are a lot of them in Florida and they're still building houses using them there

HGTV's 100 Day Dream Home is set in the Tampa Bay area, and they build with cinder block.
I grew up in Tampa, and my childhood is full of cinder block houses with terrazzo floors and jalousie windows.

I want. Especially the terrazzo floors (I have dogs!).

[Hekate]

17. In which climates are they energy hogs? Just curious.

[haele]

18. Poor insulation properties. The cement transfers heat and cold.

They typically aren't insulated particularly well, because it's a bit more difficult to get insulation to stick.
They're fine enough in breezy, temperate climates. But if it gets really hot or really cold, like in mountains or deserts, especially if there's winter storms and dry, baking heat, the gravel based cement block or cinder block doesn't hold up too well. Large river rocks, clay brick and mortar over a frame or adobe insulates better in those regions. And even then, you need to re-apply the clay mortar or adobe regularly.

Haele

[Hekate]

19. I get it. Thanks.

[Hekate]

8. Resistant to wind, rain, and termites. Use rebar in the hollow spaces for earthquakes resistance.

When I was a young thing in Hawai’i in the 1950s-1960s my neighborhood’s houses were constructed of single-wall boards, which when you think of it, suited the climate very well. There were also a few leftover Quonset huts here and there.

A new tract went in several miles away, and ooohh, the new upscale building material was cinder block. I never heard anything bad about it.

[raccoon]

10. Good points, especially Termite resistance.

[LuckyCharms]

9. I've lived in one for 46 years.

No problems.

The house was built in 1957, and it remains solid.

[demigoddess]

11. I lived in one in Mississippi years ago. It was comfortable and it

seemed to have survived hurricanes better than other houses on the block. It was only a block from the ocean.

[dclarston13]

12. Lived in one in Florida

That house takes Hurricanes in stride and it's about a 1/4 from the beach.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

13. I was just looking online at an $11.5 million dollar home built with cinder block.

(Not for me. It showed up in my Redfin feed because I looked at houses on Marco Island)

Anyway, I would take one in a heartbeat and insulate and cover the exterior with some type of siding.

[patphil]

14. They haven't made cinder blocks since 1947.

I think they were simply replaced by more energy efficient, stronger materials.
The attached article describes the difference in the types of blocks used in construction.

https://www.mmconcrete.com/ConcreteWebsite/post-cinder-blocks-vs-construction-blocks-whats-the-difference

[genxlib]

16. No problem at all

We build nearly all the houses in Florida out of them. Sitting comfortably in one right now. Wouldn’t want anything else in a hurricane.

Except we generally call it ma

It is a combination of wind load and access to materials. Cement and all the materials are mined right here.

I have even designed a few plants that make the blocks. You will never guess what we built them out of.

[raccoon]

20. Concrete mixed with coal cinders?

[genxlib]

23. Forgive me if I misunderstood

Concrete block (or Concrete Masonry Unit- CMU) is used extensively throughout Florida and it is what I was referring to.

Technically that is a different thing from Cinder block. However, it has become common to use the term cinder block to refer to the more common concrete block in colloquial language. If you google "cinder block" it simply directs you to where you can buy CMU. I am not even sure you can still buy cinder block anymore so google just takes the shortcut that most people really mean.

Sorry if I jumped to that same conclusion. Cinder block fell out of favor because it does not have nearly as much strength and a number of other challenges. Not to mention that the current technology tends to create different waste products from coal.

Which brings me to the twist in this question. The truth is that coal ash is still very much used in concrete and CMU. But now it takes a different form and purpose. Old fashioned cinder block used cinder to replace aggregate (sand/gravel) and was bound together by cement. Fly ash is a very fine powder used to replace some of the cement because it tends to have some of the same properties as manufactured cement. It brings some advantages to the concrete mix in to make it more dense, easier to work with and resistance to some chemicals.

So ultimately, there are incinerated coal products used in concrete including masonry.

https://www.cemexusa.com/products-and-services/fly-ash/types-of-fly-ash

Sorry for the confusion

[sl8]

24. Were you talking about actual *cinder* blocks, or concrete blocks?

I assumed that you were talking about concrete blocks, which are often called cinder blocks.

I thought that actual cinder blocks went away decades ago. Maybe not.

[eShirl]

21. my middle school in Maine was cinder block

I remember a winter, during the Arab Oil Embargo crisis (mid 70s), they had to keep the thermostat way down and everyone wore their coats inside during classes and lunch.

[dameatball]

22. I grew up in one that my parents had built in 1956. HillsboroughCounty, FL.

It was a grteat house. Terrazzo floors, brick fireplace. Still standing strong. Wish I still had it.

[Emile]

25. Moisture Problems

The cinderblocks can transfer the cold from the outside through to the interior walls in the winter. Those super cold walls will then condense any moisture inside the home on their surface.

[MOMFUDSKI]

26. A block house in Florida is the best thing.

Sturdy in a hurricane. Termite proof. My condo is 2-story. 2nd story is wood frame. A big hurricane could take the second-story right out, not to mention termites.

[dutch777]

27. As noted if concrete masonry units they can be reinforced and insulated to meet current codes. Also..

...have all the advantages noted of being then highly resistant to hurricanes, termites and rot and can be finished with stucco or an exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS) such as Dryvit to enhance appearance. I would still be wary of them in major earthquake zones as while they are reinforced with steel and mortar fill in the cells, when a major earthquake hits, while the building may stand, it is impossible to tell how much of the buried rebar has pulled loose of the mortar. I liken the system to a battery where it starts at 100% charge but each substantive earthquake eats up some of the strength except there is no way of testing or knowing how much has been used up without major damage to the structure. Further, in seaside environments where there is salt in the air, it is critical that walls are absolutely sealed against salt water or salt water vapor intrusion as rebar can rust and lose strength and cause walls to spall or rupture due to rust expansion. Again, not readily repairable to 100% condition without major expense. I would question whether structural masonry if finished as noted would be cheaper than more conventional stud construction.

[Beachnutt]

29. I think you mean "Haydite Block"

google it.

[JustAnotherGen]

30. Earthquakes

I'm about 6 miles from the center of the earthquake that NJ had last month.

The McMansions had problems with interior damage. I think people sacrifice quality to have a 6000 sq foot home at 1.2M A pop.

Conrast -We own a historic Tudor revival home framed with black walnut and the original plaster walls . . .I lost one piece of china, and a few pictures fell off the wall. The old servants building which houses my husband's blacksmith/sculpting studio - zero damage. Nothing. Smaller structure, all walnut, plaster, cement, black walnut window frames.

I remember hearing and seeing the dust after the big Haiti earthquake . . .I don't know that its safe.

For a few dollars more we could craft safe well insulated homes.