In SW Florida, especially close to the Gulf, the majority of our homes are built out of Cinder Block with Stucco as a finish (CBS). The first time I saw one of these being built I was very impressed. There is a solid footer poured, a slab and then the blocks are put up. Re-bar is put in the blocks and a portion of the blocks are filled with concrete. Roof trusses are engineered for the home and strapped down to a large solid header around the entire perimeter of the home. Then, the interior walls are built! Most of CBS homes do not have bearing interior walls (always verify before removing a wall!).
So, why do we use CBS instead of frame construction? The answer to that really depends on who you ask! Wood frame homes can be built to all of the current hurricane standards. Wood frame houses will 'give' in heavy winds, but CBS homes will stop flying debris, which can penetrate wood walls. Wood frame homes are going to be more susceptible to termites and dry rot damage, but CBS homes are not immune from those things either.
Probably the biggest reason for going CBS is insurance. Insurance companies prefer CBS, so the rates are less! There are potential benefits to the environment (it is estimated to take over 40 trees to build one house), energy savings, soundproofing, etc. as well.
CBS does present some challenges to the homeowner, however. If you try to hang something heavy on an exterior wall you will see what I mean. On the inside of the concrete block there is a firring strip for hanging the sheet rock. Because there isn't a lot of space between the sheet rock and the blocks it can be difficult to locate the firring strips. Even then, you don't have much to hang on, so you have to drill into the concrete and put in anchors. Not as easy as drilling into a wood stud!
CBS Homes are here to stay, at least until something better comes along!
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