Walked through a 1970s house frame today and noticed something

I was checking out a job in an old neighborhood near Portland this morning. The whole place was framed with true 2x4s, not the 1.5x3.5 junk we get now. I could feel the weight difference just lifting a scrap piece. Kinda wild how we used to build with solid lumber that didn't twist or bow after a week. Makes me wonder what these new engineered sticks will look like in 50 years. Any of you guys run into old houses that still surprise you with how well they held up?

2 comments

2 Comments

lane.drew8d ago

Man that hits close to home. I grew up in a house built in the late 60s and the framing was solid as a rock. Never had a creaky floor or a door that stuck. The new stuff just doesn't have the same feel.

cooper.viola8d ago

Oh come on, are we really acting like a 60s house had no issues ever? I've been in plenty of older homes where the "solid framing" meant you could hear someone sneeze three rooms away because nothing was insulated. And those solid doors? Half of them were painted shut by the 80s anyway. My buddy bought a place from '67 and spent two years fixing the foundation because the original builders just kinda poured concrete wherever they felt like it. New stuff might be lighter but at least the walls have actual insulation and the windows don't whistle when the wind blows.