Was anyone else surprised that a $500mm house is still built with cheap plywood and such? I mean, I get that every penny counts, but surely it would only increase the cost of the building by 0.1% if they used nothing but first grade cabinet plywood everywhere or better still, didn't use any plywood.
> The main thing to understand about L.A.'s growing crop of no-expense-spared spec homes is that they are not actually homes, in the usual sense of the word. Most buyers live on other continents and visit these properties for only a week or two each year, using them mainly as places to park their wealth.
No one is going to live in it. Like the most expensive art, the one-of-a-kind nature of this property is what makes it attractive (for investment purposes).
Honest question: what's wrong with plywood? Wouldn't it all be covered up by the end of it? Surely it's got some advantageous properties (lightweight, strong(?), earthquake resistant). Is the problem that it will wear down easier?
Show me 100 year old (or 200 year old!) reclaimed plywood and you'll have made me a convert.
I'm not so worried about earthquake performance because as long as you way, way over engineer you should be fine. The 3" teak isn't for strength (that's what steel is for) it's just so that it looks very solid.
For $500mm I would expect a safety factor in the high single digits. I know that's not what this house is about so I know it's not there, but I can't help but be an engineer.
Isn't it a little strange to be comparing plywood with 3" teak? Can you even get sheets of teak that aren't a veneer? Wouldn't LVLs or glulams be a more apt comparison?
I noticed that as well. Simple stick framing and flat joists. If I was paying 0.5 Billion dollars for a house, that thing better be built with carbon fiber, titanium alloys, and gorilla glass.
To be fair all of the above were built before 1970s. There are a few modern buildings like "The Broad" that are quite interesting. But overwhelmingly LA architecture is now dominated by tasteless developers like the one described in the article.
Thanks for your feedback on the quality of the architecture. Are you suggesting that I try to come in with a starting offer of $350 and see if we can close somewhere just north of $400?
