Only about 20% of new timber-framed houses in Japan are of light-frame construction, which is North America's most common structural frame type for houses. The rest, nearly 80% are of conventional Japanese-frame construction derived from traditional post-and-beam joinery structural frame.
"Light-frame lacks in remodel flexibility": In Japan, that's almost always the comment. But in reality the vast number of light-frame house remodels in North America as well as some in Japan indicate otherwise: major floor plan modifications that involve removal of walls and creating larger window and door openings are quite common.
Perhaps those comments only reflect Japanese builders' overall unfamiliarity with light-frame construction. In any case, that seems to be light-frame's major disadvantage in Japan.
Yet when seismic durability, thermal performance, construction time and cost, declining average skill level of Japanese carpenters are considered altogether, light-frame may be a bit more advantageous for a house project, although still depending on the builder's experience level. Based on our experiences in remodel projects of both timber structural frames, in our view LF seems to offer similar, if not substantially greater, level of remodel flexibility to conventional Japanese-frame.
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