Construction Materials That You Need as Homeowners | Simply explained
Updated: Jun 27
Whenever you think of building a home for yourself or a commercial place, there are some essential materials that you will definitely need to complete the construction process. You will need many different kinds of materials while constructing a building, and some of them are really essential. Without them, you can’t even think of modern-day architecture.
No matter what kind of structure you decide to build, for whichever purpose you build it, you will need a set list of materials for the construction, and they are a must for the process. As a massive number of construction materials are used in every construction, pointing out the essential ones will help you while you are listing the materials you are going to get for your construction process. The essential materials you must own for constructing a building are-
Brick
Bricks are the foremost material of any building, as you already know. They are basically a kind of rectangular block that is traditionally made from dried clay and bounder together with mortar. But apart from clay-made bricks, nowadays there are a variety of materials that are used to make bricks. Bricks have extremely high heat resistance and high compressive strength. But they might easily break if you drop them.
Bricks are used in almost every kind of construction out there. Walls, pillars, fireplaces, pavements, etc., are heavily dependent on bricks for construction. You can bring in different aesthetic looks for your building by using different bricks. You can safely build modern houses by reinforcing the brick with steel rods.
Concrete
Concrete is one of the most common and essential building materials. It includes crushed gravel, stones, sand, and all these are bound together with Portland cement. The composite material, which is generally known as concrete, has a very high thermal mass and a high compressive strength. But it needs extra reinforcements often, as it has a low tensile strength. You can reinforce the concrete blocks with rebar in case of loadbearing walls. Rebars are basically vertical steel bars that provide concrete with the tensile strength it lacks.
You can use concrete for walls, floors, foundations, supports, tile grouting, roads, sidewalks and for constructing massive structures such as dams. But it is a huge problematic matter that concrete construction is a huge source of the emission of greenhouse gases because of the calcination process, which is required to produce the cement.
Wood
Wood is a natural and hard material, and it is one of the oldest materials that is used as a building material. Depending on the tree species, the characteristics of woods vary. But mostly, woods are inexpensive, lightweight, can be modified easily, and they provide insulation during cold weather. But there are also many aesthetic-looking and expensive varieties of woods that are being heavily used these days in modern homes, mostly for interior designing purposes. Even though many other materials are available these days, most people still prefer to have wooden doors for their houses. Some even go for wooden windows to give the house vintage and aesthetic outlook.
Apart from direct natural wood, there are other different types of engineered woods that are used nowadays both in households and commercial spaces, for both construction and decoration purposes. Some popular types of artificial or composite woods are plywoods, laminated veneers, particle boards, etc. Both natural and artificial kinds of wood are used in exteriors, interior designs, walls, floors, decking, structural frameworks, roofing materials, fencing, decorative materials, etc.
Ceramics and Tiles
Tiles are one of the essential materials for building any space. Tiles are now used almost everywhere, in every kind of modern structure. There are tiles of different types, colours, designs, and textures, and you can choose them differently for different spaces. All the rooms, kitchens, bathrooms can be decorated with tiles, and you can use them on both walls and floors. Tiles have become an integral part of interior designing too. It is impossible to think about construction without using any kind of tiles these days.
Even though tiles are of many types, ceramic tiles are mostly used. However, ceramics are not only used to make tiles. They have many other forms of usage while building a house or something. Ceramics have high durability, and fire and water resistance, and their uses are manifold. You can use them for decorating any kind of particular space of your house, but the most common usage of ceramics are at countertops, sinks, basins, roofing, bathtubs, fireplaces, chimneys, etc.
Cement
Well, if you are building a structure using bricks and concretes, you will definitely need cement for the construction process. It works mainly as a binding agent in constructions, as it helps to bind other stuff together, such as bricks, woods, etc. They are needed for tiling, roofing, flooring, other different exterior works, etc.
Glass
Glass is heavily used in many buildings for its transparency. There are many types of glasses, and these types include laminated glass, insulated glass, and obscure glass. Glasses are used in many different spaces. They are used as walls, facades, skylights, windows, doors, etc. Glass is nowadays heavily used as building exteriors, as they provide immense beauty and aesthetics to a building. It is used for different interior designing purposes too.
Plastics
Plastics are mainly utilized as feelings in partitions and rooms. They have huge durability and work great as interior portions. You can easily form and mold plastic into anything of your need. That’s why they have manifold usage in interior designs.
Metals
Metals are a very common material used in constructions. Steels, coppers, aluminium, etc., many kinds of metals are used in constructing different things. Metals are used to give a building a sturdier and more steady framework.
Aggregate
A versatile and essential material that homeowners will most certainly need is aggregate. Aggregates come in all different types and sizes and serve different purposes. Some aggregates are used as a base for driveway construction, some are used in the concrete pouring and construction process to add strength to the concrete, and some are used in other ways ranging from landscaping to irrigation.
The type of aggregate a homeowner would need varies greatly on a lot of different factors such as use, cost, and especially location. Someone living in Austin and ordering aggregate from an Austin freight broker would undoubtedly need to order a different selection of aggregate than someone ordering aggregate for a home in Vermont, as the climates are completely different.
