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Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by marky1991 on Friday January 17, 2025 @08:25AM (#42737261)
"It's also why houses typically don't have attics anymore."

That's really strange to me, every house I've ever lived in (5 houses since 1991 , all in the southeast, all new construction) has had an attic and I can't even imagine what a house without an attic would look like. (I guess a flat roof, but only weird modern houses and apartments have flat roofs and there are not many modern houses)

Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by brudgers on Friday January 17, 2025 @11:18AM (#42739519)
“Attic” has several usages. Traditionally it is a habitable story between the eaves and roof. An analog to a basement.

In a lot of contemporary construction it is an uninhabitable space between the eaves and roof. An analog to a crawl space.

In contemporary construction, habitable attics usually get listed as bonus rooms.

The GP is thinking of something reached by stairs. Nonhabitable attics usually are accessed by ladders or ladder like objects.

Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by foobarian on Friday January 17, 2025 @08:34AM (#42737331)
Additionally every single new construction I've seen in greater Boston metro area in the past 20 years has not brought in any pre-assembled elements from outside. Just piles of various sizes of lumber and assemble on-site.

(Edit: to be clear this is for residential construction which tend to be small 1-2 story buildings.)

Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by pfdietz on Friday January 17, 2025 @11:29AM (#42739757)
Here's an example of a Boston area builder doing just that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f4nqf_HgnY

Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by foobarian on Friday January 17, 2025 @02:05PM (#42742036)
Sure but I don't buy it's being done at scale. Even in that video they are mentioning an unusual design as a partial reason for the pre-fabbed elements.
Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by wbshaw on Friday January 17, 2025 @09:05AM (#42737618)
Attics have been replaced by engineered trusses to hold up roofs. The trusses are made of.... wood. These trusses are also made offsite. This leaves very little room for usable attic space.
Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by brudgers on Friday January 17, 2025 @11:23AM (#42739609)
When designed for minimal load on the bottom chord, plate connected wood trusses cost significantly less. Not just for materials, but less to install because they weigh less.
Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by throw0101a on Friday January 17, 2025 @01:12PM (#42741429)
> This leaves very little room for usable attic space.

There are things called attic trusses:

* https://design.medeek.com/resources/truss/trussgallery.html

You can also use (vaulted) parallel cord truss:

* https://www.dimensions.com/element/truss-vaulted-parallel-ch...

See also various other configurations:

* https://www.menards.com/main/buying-guides/building-material...

Re:Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why by seanmcdirmid on Saturday January 18, 2025 @12:49AM (#42746182)
Even new slanted roof houses go for vaulted ceilings over having attics. Flat roofs are only viable in places without much snow (and were common in California in the past, so aren’t really a new thing).