Upgrading to Stone Houses

[MasterEddie38]

So just bought this, in my first game built a ton of wooden houses to start. Now I've started building stone ones, and went to upgrade my existing wooden ones. I then realized the upgrade cost is the same as building a new one. Am I missing something or would it be more efficient resource wise for me to just destroy the wooden houses, get some of the resources back, and then build new stone ones in the same spot? Obviously that would take longer and I would need excess housing for the people whose houses I'm destroying but I feel like in the long run I'm better off doing things this way.

[ocmersh]

Well. That's exactly what happens when you upgrade. It even says on the uprade button(i think so at least) that some of the materials will be reclaimed. It's about half of the materials used to make the wooden house.

[Rogue]

I usally wait for spring to destroy and rebuild a house. People can survive outside while it's being done and you don't need alternate housing. I've found it is faster to destroy the house and then rebuild than to use the upgrade button. The costs are the same.

[jconan7777777]

What slowmo said

[Horoai]

Like ocmersh said. It's also important that you have free boardinghouses and don't upgrade too many homes at once.

[MasterEddie38]

Originally posted by ocmersh:

Well. That's exactly what happens when you upgrade. It even says on the uprade button(i think so at least) that some of the materials will be reclaimed. It's about have of the materials used to make the wooden house.

Woops I had missed it does say it when you hover the upgrade button. I'll try it both ways just for fun

[Maverick]

Originally posted by Yggdrasil:

Like ocmersh said. It's also important that you have free boardinghouses and don't upgrade too many homes at once.

This. Before I upgrade I make sure I have a free boarding house. That way if the job gets hung up, your villagers stay warm... and fed.

[jensenthecat]

I just build stone houses right from the beginning. Bit slower to get everyone housed and I may lose one or two from cold.

But it works.

[gjnehpets]

Originally posted by jensenthecat:

I just build stone houses right from the beginning. Bit slower to get everyone housed and I may lose one or two to cold.

But it works.

this.

once I realized they burned less firewood I stopped building wooden homes, overall less cost.

[Ottomic]

I'm not entirely sure at what population numbers stone houses start being more practical than making fuel for wooden houses, but I would just like to chime in that stone houses are a ♥♥♥♥♥ to rebuild when a tornado ravages 60 of them at the same time, and take precious stone and iron you'll need to rebuild other stuff with.

[jensenthecat]

Nasty. I've never had a large disaster. (Touch wood.)

[Maverick]

Just started a new map with every intention of maxing everything, you know, stone roads, stone houses. At 225 something people I have turned off most of my woodcutters and foresters but I have 2 stone mines working flatout to keep up!!

Firewood is an easy export but I don't need anything from the trader anymore so no gain there. Convinced stone housing is just too punishing to bother with before you even add the disaster factor.

Conclusion. Nah. Too hard and benefits are pretty marginal given the ease of wood gathering.

[Ottomic]

Originally posted by Maverick:

Firewood is an easy export but I don't need anything from the trader anymore so no gain there. Convinced stone housing is just too punishing to bother with before you even add the disaster factor.

You can trade firewood for stone at a 2:1 ratio, I think. I'm doing it now, in anticipation of the inevitable tornado. However, I agree with you in the marginality of it all. 400 pop village, all wooden houses and 8 woodcutters seem to keep up with both consumption and trade well enough.

[gjnehpets]

Originally posted by Maverick:

Just started a new map with every intention of maxing everything, you know, stone roads, stone houses. At 225 something people I have turned off most of my woodcutters and foresters but I have 2 stone mines working flatout to keep up!!

Firewood is an easy export but I don't need anything from the trader anymore so no gain there. Convinced stone housing is just too punishing to bother with before you even add the disaster factor.

Conclusion. Nah. Too hard and benefits are pretty marginal given the ease of wood gathering.

Agree with disaster factor, but consider that most people export firewood - assuming a 500+ pop town (or 1k+ by the time I consider a map done) you are burning through sooo much more firewood needlessly, 50% more literally, with trading firewood for stone and having a few Quarry spots I have no problem with stone housing personally.
Not to mention someone has to carry that 50% more firewood to those 400+ houses, ick.