Moisture damage in Finnish wooden houses

Finland is one of the world's leading countries in terms of wood construction. Traditionally, wooden houses in Finland have been mainly single-family homes. Since the late 1990s, Finland has invested strongly in wood construction and has tried to increase the use of wood in all types of buildings. Wood structures nevertheless have been met with some suspicion because not all experiences with wood in construction have been positive. Serious damage from moisture has been found in 82 per cent of single-family homes built since the 1950s. The majority of the damage seen today in wooden buildings is concentrated in wet areas, base floor structures and the joints between the base floor and wall structures. In order for timber construction to become common again, people must learn about the causes of the damage and be able to build sound and long-lasting timber structures. One step in this effort is to renew the building regulations related to moisture.