3 Things To Consider When Choosing Materials To Build Your Own Home
House hunting can be a long and frustrating process. You will have a list of priorities and sometimes, you just can’t find a home that meets all of those requirements. In some cases, you might be able to make a few compromises and let go of some of the things on your list, but if you really don’t want to compromise, you should consider building your own home instead of buying one. If you do it right, it can be a lot cheaper and you will be able to build the exact home that you want. As long as you can find some suitable land and hire the right contractors, it’s not as hard as you think to build your dream home, but there are a lot of things that can go wrong along the way.
One of the most important things that you need to consider when building your own home is the materials that you are going to use. Choosing the wrong materials is one of the biggest mistakes that people make when building their own home, and making the wrong choices now could have long lasting effects on the quality of the build and the running costs of your home. There are more options than ever when it comes to building materials which is good news for people that want to build their own home, but it does also mean that it’s a lot harder to choose the right materials. If you are about to start planning your own home build, these are some of the things you need to consider when picking materials.
Cost
Before you start thinking about anything else, you need to consider the cost of materials. It’s so easy to get carried away during the planning stages and design a house that you simply cannot afford to build. If you budget properly, building your own home can be a lot cheaper than buying one, but if you don’t make the right choices with your materials, it’s so easy to go over budget.
If you are looking to cut costs, you might think that it’s best to buy the cheapest possible materials, and instead of buying heavy machinery like bulldozers, crane you can take them on rent from industrial crane services that will also cut the costs. If you buy cheaper materials, it’s likely that they will need to be replaced far more often than the more expensive alternatives. Ground rods are a good example of this. They’re a very important part of the construction process because your property will be unsafe if the electrics are not grounded properly. There are a lot of different ground rod materials available, and they vary a lot in terms of longevity. Galvanised steel rods are the cheapest option, but they will need to be replaced every 10 to 15 years. Whereas copper bonded rods will cost more, but they have a lifespan of around 40 years. Galvanised steel rods might be cheaper initially, but you will spend more money over time because you will have to replace them 4 times during the average lifespan of copper bonded rods. When you have to replace things regularly, it’s more expensive over time, so you may actually be better off spending a bit more upfront to make savings in the future.
On top of the cost of materials themselves, you need to think about the cost of installation. Certain materials are a lot harder to work with and your contractors will charge you more for the installation. In some cases, cheaper materials could cost more overall when you factor in the installation costs and longevity, so make sure to consider the full cost, not just the initial price.
Safety
Safety is another big concern when you are building your own home, and the materials have a lot to do with that. On a general level, you need to consider how well the materials will stand up to general wear and tear from the weather. When you are choosing materials for the roof, for example, you need to make sure that they will hold up under heavy rain and storms. If you get serious roof damage, you are going to get water leaking in and that can be a big hazard. You also need to think about things like fire safety. It might look great to have a lot of wooden surfaces in the house, but that can be incredibly dangerous if a fire breaks out. The way that the house is designed does have a big impact on safety, so you don’t always have to make compromises with your materials, but it’s definitely something that you should consider.
During the construction process itself, some materials can be a problem. If you are using hazardous materials that are dangerous to humans or the environment, you will need to account for that during the build. It’s up to you to make sure that things are installed correctly and any waste materials are disposed of in the right way. If you do not do that, you may put people at risk and you could also end up with some big fines.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is a priority for so many of us these days, and it’s definitely something that should factor into your decision when you are picking building materials. If you want to reduce your impact on the planet, you can make a big difference if you build a more energy efficient house. There are some more obvious changes that you can make like adding solar panels or wind turbines to the property, but you should also think about things like insulation and better windows and doors. If you pick the right materials, your house will take a lot less energy to heat, which is good for the environment and it saves you money as well. You should also consider the energy used to manufacture the materials that you use and the impact that they had on the environment. Things like reclaimed materials, for example, are a lot more eco-friendly than buying brand new, and they’re cheaper as well.
As long as you consider what your priorities are when building a house and think about these different factors, you will be able to make the right decisions about materials.