Depressing Pictures

[galwaytt]

The only wood constuction in my garage will be roof trusses, door/window frames and initially the roofing material (when funds allow the roof will be tiled).

Bricks tend not to catch alight. I'm surprised more of you guys in the USA don't go with brick.

...70% of all new build in Scotland is Timber-Frame, with masonry/brick outer leaf. England won't be too different. Even here in Ireland, it's over 30%. So where does that leave us ? Brick doesn't actually catch fire, that's correct, but after a brick building burns, it has to be knocked - Fire exposed brick is useless, structurally, so now you have to pay for demolition. Concrete, when burnt, 'spalls'. The net result for all, is the same.

The tax assessors around here love brick. Not to mention the much larger up front cost for putting it on.
But brick is just like siding. It goes over your exterior sheating.

I'm guessing most fires start on the inside anyway so what diference would brick make?

By the way, I'm in the bricklayers union.

Brick over here is often outside 4" cavity outside a 4" conc block, or, a the wall is a double course of brickwork.

WOW! This has opened my eyes. I'm just to the point of insulating and putting in walls in the new garage. I thought about osb because it's cheap. I have changed my mind. I'll spend the money on firestop sheet rock and steel sheeting over that for the ceiling. If i would lose my garage, I would lose what has taken a lifetime to collect.

Steel won't help, and can make matters worse. It will transfer heat through conduction, even without breaching it, and everything behind it will burn anyway. But you have to rip it out to get behind it...........which means you'll run out of time. There's nothing wrong with using OSB, just don't use it as firestop. Put up your frame. Insulate it. VCL it. OSB line the inside if you like (I do). But, and here's the key thing - put your 'sheetrock' over it. 1/2" at a miniumum, and double slab it is even better !

Heck, the ideal answer, to deliver your firestop AND structure, instead of OSB, is a material like 1/2" Fermacell. Truly great stuff. But oh, catch: not cheap !