Building Science in Switzerland - They Nail the Details! 

I would love if you did more foreign reviews, more details, more into the weeds. Even reviewing the supply stores was interesting.

9 years in Europe with the USAF here. I REALLY miss the Euro style shutter/shades. As you lower them, there is space between the horizontal slats which will still let in some light and air even when they're down. As you continue to lower them, they have tongue and groove construction and compact into essentially a solid wall. Total blackout and security. I'm amazed that they don't use these in hurricane country here in the US. No more truckloads of plywood when a storm is coming. Just lower the blinds.

I lived in Switzerland for 12 yrs, married to a swiss builder. My office was right above that train station. The Swiss are extremely smart, efficient and excellent planners.

Best way to test that insulation for water absorption: weigh it before and after soaking.

I lived in the Swiss Alps for a few years.. They do not treat the wood siding at all, they generally have very little humidity and not much wind..The old homes are multi-gneraltional and very common for the homes to be passed down for 100's of years.

I lived in Germany for a couple of years when I was a kid, and I was always very impressed with the quality of the doors and windows. They feel like they could work for submarines. ;-)

Thanks Matt for the very informative videos on building techniques in Switzerland. 12:30 One note on the exterior shades they are usually made of metal but now can be found made of PVC for cost savings. There is only one layer of outdoor blinds, that are horizontally slotted in the small area between each slat when the blind is left loosely hanging allows light and air flow. When the blind is allowed to close completely stacking each slat tightly together the slotted opening are covered and prevent light and airflow, allowing a blackout effect. Great idea for NA homes with hurricane or hurricane dangers to protect all windows and patio doors. Love your videos!

Those exterior shades are often SOMFY brand (at least in France and most other places I’ve seen). Another comment already described the tongue-and-groove way they work. They also act as storm shutters and security shutters all at the same time.

I loved that bridge in Lucerne. The story of the fire on that bridge was fascinating.... The few paintings left, blackened. very cool, hope you noticed

Some quick comments. 1. Gutex is similar to Rockwool as you mentioned, but less environmental impact when manufacturing. Gutex is very messy in that particles get everywhere when cutting. Would likely need a mask when cutting. 2. Nice thing about the blinds being on the outside too is that you can open your window and still have the blind down, so some airflow, but minimizing light 3. Currently exploring some CLT and wood portal frame structure for a build..

Instead of guessing if it is wet, just use a kitchen scale and weigh it.

Interesting video, one of the reasons I like watching is seeing different construction methods. Being from the UK (Cornwall) where traditionally houses were built from stone & brick without any damp proof membranes, then block, in an era of drafty houses with open fires to sealing up old buildings, changing to gas & electric heating & dealing with damp issues that resulted as it's so cold & damp for most of the year with little or no air handling. Even in a modern world I think there is still a lot that can be learned from traditional, tried & tested building methods.

Great episode, brings back memories of lots of Swiss business trips. I am heavily involved in the mass timber market in NA, and CLT is exploding as a building material for multi family, office and institutional construction . Nice to see you do a story that includes it. If you want to do a piece with a NA plant tour, let me know.

My family and I are planning to build a multi-generational home out of Cob and Timber frame in the next 2 years. We are super excited. Thanks for this video Matt.

One of your best videos! Love seeing details!

Pretty wild how they can make a literal wooden sponge that won't absorb water, but Huber can't make a sheet of oriented strand board that won't turn into a water balloon if it gets damp.

Hey Matt, great stuff. I was born and raised in Switzerland and my wife and I visit family every year. About the outside shades that you might missed is most are made out of metal and prevent burglars from entering your house. My brothers neighbors on both sides where burglarized. They left his house alone because his metal shades on the ground floor where down at night. Maybe ask your builder buddies there about this.

@23:15. There will be some insulation on those 2 building. the swiss law requires a U value of 0.2 W/m2k. So 18cm to 20cm of a good EPS.

Fascinating, Matt. Wonderful what can be done with building science in a dry, alpine climate that does not have any need for mechanical cooling. Humidity control via ventilation. Rather the reverse of our HVAC design concerns here in North America.

I became aware of SIGA around 2014... I am impressed by their methodical approach to releasing their products in the NA market- they want their products to be installed correctly, and are committed to educating builders as they make those products available to us.

Swiss here. Fun to see an American perspective on how we build houses. Come and visit if you can. Its an AMAZING country.

If you do water absorption tests like that again, you really should weigh the sample before and after the test.

I was walking through a farming community of typical Swiss one story chalet houses just outside of Bern when I noticed that one of the houses with two front doors symmetrical around the center of the almost A frame front wall, were open. Through the first I saw a crib and children's toys scattered around the floor and through the second, a cow munching on hay. The house was divided longitudinally, half barn, half residence. (1989)

Good vid, I've been to Switzerland.., I loved the old traditional architecture, it must have worked well for the local conditions. But I'm all up for the modern upgrades and interpretations!

Exterior shades are also extremely common in Latin America, keeping the sun out but still letting air in. During the summer months, we often don't close the windows at all for weeks, and open the shades only when the sun is down, whilst in the winter months, you can open the shades during the day to let sunlight in, but keep the windows closed. At night, we close the shades to, providing an air cushion for insulation (for economic reasons, windows are usually not up to the insulation standards of Europe). This way, we manage to keep (often rather poorly built, by European standards) houses at liveable temperatures at outside temperatures from 0°C to 40°C with just a ceiling fan and a small heater. This is the traditional way, very energy efficient and sustainable, though modern houses tend to be fancier with air condition and more powerful heating systems. For my personal taste: I prefer the traditional way, as air quality is so much better, especially in summer.

Most of the exterior window covering has a area that will allow air to come through and keep bugs and people out. We did four years in Italy and how they build is very different then here.

I agree that I love the foreign content, please do a video on Australia. I’m curious to know what innovations are happening over there and how they are Different than us in the US. Australia because of the climate and how it’s similar to the challenges we face here in Texas! Keep up the great work.

Always interesting how other people look at our buildings. Even better when it’s not the standard “we have windows that open like a door” take. Btw. i know some of those “Schmid & Rüssli” guys. And that region is actually my homeland.

Thanks Matt, Ive seen all the videos but awesome to remember them, I wonder if we could get a swiss building book, like a how to build like the Swiss. That would be Amazing, I want to build my own home one day and I would like for it to last for hundreds of years. I love the ideas I got from you, and would love it if you would do a trip to Japan or anywhere else that is known for there structures...even Russia has amazing old buildings, I wonder how they build... Im glad to see you living the "This old house" dream brother, I grew up watching it too and you have created a modern version which I feel blessed to have found, I've seen every video you made on the day you released them for the past 4 plus years! Get yourself the new Ford Lightning, you deserve it bro, plus you got to use your platform to encourage sustainable energy use...please look into solar/wind energy combo for homes and help us create a world that our children can be proud to inherit.

Hi matt,most exterior shading also used as a security screen. Love "the build"!

Dynamic mics like that shure mv7 really work best when placed about a fist-length away from your mouth. I think changing that would solve a lot of the audio issues mentioned here

Lucerne, sounds like LOU-SIR-N, beautiful - thanks Matt.

I love the woodfibre, if i ever come around or renovate or build a new house where i have one now im going to use it, basiclly i can use all wood to build the house if you take away the nails/screws, not connected to the electric or water grid so now shower and not 24/7 use i can skip the plastic barrier inside. Hunton is a Norwegian brand that have alot of woodfibre products, they even got sheets like Zipsystem for the outside in woodfibre you can tape so it's air tight and as you saw water dosn't stick to it and won't be a problem if you have wood panel with a ventilation gap.

Since you tested soaking the Gutex in water, try setting it on fire.

Hey Matt, just a suggestion; every time you rest your arm on the table after movement it registers in the microphone and out our speakers as a thud. Maybe adjust the settings or mount the mic higher.

Gutex is blended with 5-10% resin to maintain shape and resist water. There's a new US-based manufacturer of wood fiber insulation starting in Maine but with limited production. It's a great eco-friendly product since waste lumber can be used. Problem with wood fiber insulation is mostly shipping cost. I was going to use it in a home in Hawaii but couldn't get comfortable with termite resistance qualities since it's mostly used in northern climates. Ended up going with rockwool in roof deck and sheepswool in walls to minimize offgassing.

It would be really interesting if you did a video with a bit more of a deep dive on vapor permeable and vapor impermeable strategies in high performance building and how climate might affect the decision.

Hey Matt, US equivalent is GO Lab opening up in Maine. Hopefully they're able to make it fully available soon!

Very smart putting the sheathing on inside layer, protection of structure is good. Outboard insulation is very good also; the wood fiber must mediate moisture quite naturally. Curious about the wall detail at the ground.

Matt, I just noticed you're almost at 1M subscribers. Congrats!

NIce photos, Matt! 😁(seemed you were hoping for some appreciation, but they are beautiful...)

One big difference between central Europe and USA is planning and code requirements. You got permission/inspection while planning but near to no inspection on every step while building. This is possible because construction is much more regulated and only craftmans are allowed to do the jobs knowing what they do. And don't compare highest value homes in Switzerland to average US homes. Just buying some property you will pay more than a complete building in US will cost. E.G. in a 10'000 residents (small) city in Germanyland will cost $ 30 per sqft and more for a lot of about 5'000 to 10'000 sqft. You may build only inside city borders.

Utility installation cavities with vapour and airtightness behind to avoid penetrations are really common in Sweden. A “perfect wall” is in essence just one big installation cavity. I believe Europe actually could learn a thing or two from high performance builders in North America and save money buy building a “perfect wall” that does not split vaporous and water barriers in two different layers.

My biggest pet peeve in any home/apartment, drafty and noisy-bouncy floors. You often hear everything your neighbor does.

Go Lab in Maine is attempting to start up domestic wood fiber insulation production. If it can be cost competitive, it is an interesting product. Termit resistance is something that I wonder about.

Awesome content, although the microphone could really use to be closer to you, sounds like you're across the room.

You brought up a great point! Well many more but the one to me that struck a cord was that maybe in the US we need to look less at “affordable housing” and actually think about housing more people in a large home? A well constructed 2000 square foot home can at least hold a family of 4. Out smaller house we live in now, upfront cost more for 1744 sf but way better designed and built then our 2700 sf production home. My energy bills are also 20% of what they were.

When I saw the user picture I thought 'that looks just like the chalets in Wallis', and that's just what it was! That town is pronounced more or less like 'Reader-alp'.

Excellent video, next do one on Finnish carpentry.

LET'S GET GOIN 👍👍👍👍

These wood fiber insulation has fire retardant and is made of renewable material (wood). It's becoming one of the most prefered insulation material in Europe due to its caracteristics and being eco friendly.

I relocated due to work (IT job) in a place of south Europe (Malta) where they have no insulation at all inside their buildings (and there is no central heating at all). My question is, if I build my own house in this climate (lowest temp during winter is 7-10 degree celsius), how do I insulate walls+ceilings the smartest ways while at the same time avoid mold etc? The only heating system we use here is split-AC units in each room. Usually these people here just build in brick without any insulation at all, but I wanna take it 1 step further because they are a little "behind" in how to actually build a home tbh. EDIT: Im asking this because, sometimes I might wanna go away from my home and not have my AC-split running, I wanna figure out a way to insulate a new home without getting mold if AC is turned off.

The claim with wood fiber is that the product is too dry to host termites but given that we don't really have the data on a long term use of these products in the US, it's a question. I think it would be interesting to compare this product to the new Hempcrete block products that are being produced in terms of insulation, air sealing, ease of use, cost, structural strength, and fire/mold/insect resistance. I would love to see this video!

A more proper test of water absorbency would have weighed the fiber insulation before and after insertion into the water bath. That way you can truly test how much, if any, water was absorbed.

Wood fiber insulation has only recently started to be made in the US. So if someone really wanted they could get wood fiber insulation in the US, and have it be locally sourced if they are building in the north east.

They nail the details, we screw them up. Potato, potahto.

“…I don’t know, 4 or 5 inches….” A decimetre, Matt. 10 centimetres.

I couldnt imagine a more expensive way to build a building , we achieve same results in Canada by using a lot less material

Thanks for the video. One small complaint though, the audio was bad. Every time you touched something with your hands it was picked up, quite distracting.

Would love to buy one of those build sweat shirts or hats. Do you sell these?

Well as someone living in the Basel Area 36°C or 96,8°F is pretty normal here. 85°F is maybe on higher elevation true but on our lower levels we reach several day a year more than 34°C or like this year even above 38°C or 100.4°F. And no, a lot of wood is NOT typical actually. It is also a regional thing like in the alps you used the wood from the forest as this was easier to organize than concrete and bricks. Where you will always have wood is on the roof if it is not a flat roof type of Building. CLT and such stuff is not that used that regularly. It is on a rise but no it is not typical. The typical, especially on multi story houses is steel concrete and brick walls. I have a normal sized family home which is built on a steel concrete Fundament (basement and bunker, Garage) and then over that with sandwich walls (brick-20cm insulation-brick) which was typical for the 80s and 90s way of building it. The fundamentals, however, of getting a air tight hull and control the air/water transfer etc. remains the same if it is wood or concrete. To be honest I do not want to live in a wood I don't like it. As you pointed out the build to last forever attitude needs to get more into the American way. As the prices went ridiculous on some parts of the US for houses I think also the multi-generation approach will also flow over overseas rather soon to cope for the higher living costs.

You realy have to disconnect the microphone from the table. Everytime you put your hands down it makes a rough sharp noise which moves through the material into the microphone.

Stucco over wood fiber? That'll require some more serious detailing. Curious if they are targeting the US market with that Gutex. Noted that the sample label has Imperial values included. Your test would have been more complete if you weighed it before and after.

Swiss modern construction is nice but at what cost? Plenty of high end stuff to buy in the US too. I recently got a quote on Marvin Modern series patio doors (big one 10' wide x 8" tall) and they were over $17k each not installed! I settled on their Ultimate patio doors that were around $7k each. Yikes!

You only have to look at the plumbing, at the electrics.

23:20 - Every time you tap your desk, it has a hollow drone sound that is deafening... You gotta get your audio guy to fix that! Put your mic on a arm so it doesnt pick up vibrations from the table.

1:48 This picture you took in Engelberg does NOT show the (Mount) Titlis, but the (Mount) Hahnen. Hahnen means cock in English, which is beacuase the top of this mountain resembles a cockscomb. I went to the boarding school in Engelberg.

Europe, especially Germany is not as dusty as the US and that makes external shades much more viable

I would love to know how long the windows last in Switzerland. How often are they replacing them?

Very cool… I love it ..but its a different climate, and a different culture… I didn’t see any ductwork?… I wonder how their humidity is? I wonder what climate zone in the US is most similar to the average Swiss climate?

Sound insulation in solid timber and even hybrid (with concrete) multifamily houses is a nightmare. I once was in a brand new home in Berlin which was awarded multiple prizes for its construction and heard clearly noticeably steps from the apartment above. I strongly advocate for conventional construction for multifam houses.

Put a Lav mic there Matt, or normalize your audio. Brutal audio levels.

Only vapor inward, no? I am more familiar with Intello, but I thought the same idea.

Wood fiber insulation sounds incredibly flammable.

Are you going to do a show on TimberHP by GO Lab?

🙏

24:20 Insulation spotted

Matt, you need to man up and spend the $12 a month on the youtube premium subscription. no more commercials. game changer.

I like your show and I also like swiss wooden house construction. But I have to correct you for one thing: Cuckoo clocks are from the black forest / south Germany and are modelled after typical southern black forest farm houses. But its quite close to switzerland. Here a link to a museum where they preserve old black forest houses. The archiecture in the canton of Berne is quite sililar though. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ouhGMwyRG-c.htmlfeature=shared

Switzerland is known for their ability to stay energy…neutral…with their home builds.

The inwards opening windows annoy me, they take up a lot of inside space when open, I love in Europe but from the UK where the windows open outwards, also a lot more impermeable if windows open outwards.

I'm not a glazer, but thanks for saying triple glaze and not triple pane.

Shout out MN 😂

Love your stuff. The background in your studio is very distracting. It's almost like camouflage. Way too busy.

That audio issue was pretty annoying. Fascinating video, though.

🔨 Have you seen an odd nail from a neighboring country? LignoLoc, wooden nails.

no copper pipes anymore even in Switzerland?

Mount what-less?

Ubakus free pro software /insulation hydrometry, & with (to pormote) naturals materials

Wood fiber insulation sounds like tinder to me.

if you want to come and see luxury chalets made by Italians in the Chamonix valley at the foot of Mont Blanc, I am happy to host you

Unfortunately the Chapel Bridge burned in 1993 and rebuilt.

Please take your microphone off the table to get rid of all the noise when you bump/bang the table

I 💙 how he just can't bring himself to say "AAC." (2:31-2:37) That "other block" he sees all across Europe and SA is AAC. Yes, it has the *worst* name - sounds like you're stuttering. But you can get it here in the US, too, Matt. Ah well, wood is our blood here so we can't talk about it, even if AAC is a million times better (or not).

Why don't you read some books and material descriptions first before you make something up? There are even US books on this theme ..surprisingly .. like "Passive House details " and books like that.. or books from Josef Kolb who actually is Europe based and has the right amount of experience with passive houses and up-to-date constructions.

Yo dawg, I heard you like youtube videos...

Your microphone is picking up banging on your table it's very annoying you need to fix it. Listen to your own segments.

They do Job good at end these worker end up in hospital stress Nummer in Switzerland. Get catch you don’t Switzerland.

When you realize Matt spends 900 K on his house, makes a good income off youtube with 953K subs, but still sits through youtube ads because he wont get youtube premium. Lol

Whatever microphone you use when on a construction site, sounds better. Stop tapping on your desk or isolate your microphone better.