Building your house!

well i dont know about availability of treated woods, i think you should ask in the mill, well after you finish your learning process ;)

fancie shmanzie ..

wooden houses are not suitable for the lebanese climate and harsh weathers. especially at those price ranges.
wooden and prefabricated houses were the first time brought to lebanon at the late sixties and the begining of the seventies. even then when the country was doing better, the products did not last beyond a year.
technology and product refinement has improved the sustainability but still can not handle the harsh weathers in lebanon.

- there is only a few type of wood that can handle extreme fluctuation in temperature and humidity. even these particular types of woods need to be treated before usage. you can not just take any wood form the woodshop and use it. these construction woods need to be dried up either naturally or in ovens. there is a broad classification for how well they are dried up. some are for short and others for long usage. the more the wood is dried, the more it is vulnerable to humidity. in lebanon, both temperature and humidity have huge fluctuations. both can degrade the sustainability of the wood in in 1-4 years.

- in scandinavia, such wooden houses are precise measured. the wood quality sustains in a stable weather condition. harsh summers take a toll on the wood surface and paint work. humidity and drainage rottens the wood from the core. in both cases, you have to continously perform maintenance work. e.g. repaint the house every 2-5 years depending on the paint quality and weather. this applies to the newer houses because nowadays, to cut costs, the average thickness is about 20-25cm. in the old days they were much thicker having a longer longevity.

- yes you have termites in lebanon. termites and insects can be a huge problem.

- if anything, lebanon doesnt have clean air. there is always lots of dust in the air. hence, you will have to clean your house from all the dust not only for esthetic reasons but also so that the dust layer would not spoil the paint coad and the wood.

- maintenance, because of the fluctuating weather conditions, the wood will not remain static, it "lives" over time. that is it bends or tears up. such things obliges owners to perform maintenance check and work at intervals. it is custom to perform a full maintenance every decade or so. the whole house would be checked, woods replaced, bolts tightened etc.

- security, wood safety wise is not the best, you can saw thru it, you can burn it etc.

best long term solution is to build of brick and decorate with wood where required.

wood is nice, surreal and romantic but in lebanese weather, its a waste of money unless you really are pitching into top quality materials and have a good fund for maintenance.