Frequently Asked Questions

Do wooden building successfully fight time?

Wood as a building material is very durable. As an example of its fantastic characteristics we have wooden buildings all over the world, set in different climates, for example a1,000 year old church in Norway, more than 1,500 years old temple complex in Japan, and objects from Egyptian tombs, dating back more than 3,500 years , still in supreme condition.

If the wood is properly treated and preserved it has close to unlimited lifespan.

Does wood require a lot of maintenance?

Free moisture passage has a specially important role in the maintenance of wood. Facades made following proper treatment criteria prevent the ingress of moisture into the structure of the building, allowing adequate drainage of surface water and, thanks to good air circulation, providing rapid drying of wood components. The color of wood varies from brown, silver-gray to dark brown in color, depending on altitude, climate and location. These color variations are just fine surface layers, protecting completely healthy wood below.

Wood is flammable - or a wooden houses a fire hazard?

Wood burns slowly and evenly. The burning rate can be accurately determined, therefore wood can easily meet the fire resisting standards.

Wood has a long maintained capacity at high temperatures, while other construction materials at same high temperatures completely loose their properties, for example steel. The fact is that the risk of fire in wooden buildings is not greater than in differently constructed buildings, especially since the greatest risk of causing combustion represent carpets, curtains, ...

Wooden buildings are poorly soundproofed?

This bias in respect of sound insulation, it is completely false, if the construction of walls and ceilings is executed properly. The "Sandwich" construction, which is most commonly used for sound insulation, reaches values that are consistent with those of conventional buildings, or even beyond.

Are prefabricated houses ekokoncept passive or low energy?

At ekokoncept we find that a 3-5 liter house is an optimal low-energy house.

The low energy house design does not mean “Napoleon's building” with small windows, but a thoughtful design, that creates a compromise between energy consumption and comfortable living.

Wooden houses are cheaper / more expensive?

Keeping in mind that quality has its price, careful planning by a multidisciplinary team reduces costs and eliminates costly on-site improvisation, which is often the case in on site building with bricks and concrete. Construction with timber is a fast, dry, clean and professionally efficient, also because of subsequent low operating costs.