When you build your dream home, you want it to be around for as long as possible. Your choice of house building materials can make a significant impact on the durability of your home.
To learn more about durable building materials, check out this helpful guide!
Wood
While this may seem like an obvious choice of material, wood does offer several advantages. It can be used as an accent or for a support structure, blended with other materials, or make something like a log cabin. Wood can be made stronger by being seasoned to remove moisture and is much lighter than stone.
However, wood will eventually decay and could be subject to dry rot and fire. There is also the risk of the wood being compromised by wood-eating insects like termites. An HPLC column is beneficial for determining the durability of your chosen wood.
Stone
If you want your home to stand the test of time, you could do much worse than stone.
Stone can support an impressive amount of weight and can be stacked without the need for mortar, unlike bricks. It can help your home maintain a stable temperature while protecting from fire, withstanding the elements and resisting deformation.
If you want to build your home out of stone, be prepared to spend a lot of money. All of your building stones must be excavated, moved and accurately cut to be effective materials. There are also a large number of modern alternatives to provide the look of stone without the need for quarrying.
Brick
One of the oldest man-made building materials, bricks have been used for construction since the Sumerian civilization. Bricks are very resistant to weather and fire, easy to make, durable, and easy to work with. Homes made entirely of brick need less heating than other homes, which will have you a lot of money in the long run.
Using bricks as your only building material can prove very costly when building your home from scratch. Bricks are also less strong than stone and must be plastered together, making them vulnerable to moisture over time. There is also a limited range of colors and styles to choose from, which can limit the visual appeal.
Concrete
Though concrete has been around for hundreds of years, reinforced concrete has made modern construction much more straightforward. By including rebar when being poured, concrete can be used for foundations, frames, walls, and entire houses. You can even use pre-cast concrete that has been made under factory conditions to limit damage and warping.
Given the ratio of weight to tensile strength, concrete often needs to be reinforced to prevent it from cracking in the first place. It is also difficult to draw out concrete without making it brittle.
Steel
Steel can be used to provide a building foundation or be used to make an entire building. Prefabricated steel can make construction go very quickly, allowing your builders to rivet, bolt or weld it into place. Steel is also completely recyclable, which can appeal to green sensibilities.
Steel offers much less fire protection than concrete and can be corroded. The costs of fabrication and the material itself can also be expensive.
Choose the House Building Materials That Best Suit Your Needs
There are many options for house building materials to make a durable home.
Depending on your budget and preferences, you can make your dream home and know it will last for years. Check out the rest of our website today for more articles like this!
-This is a guest post not written by the site’s owner.