Having a custom home built means doing everything your way. However, that comes with a lot of choices. From the size of your bathroom to the type of floors you have, you get to choose as much as you want. So, have you considered one of the most important choices you can make? What will your home be made of? Choosing the right material for your custom home can be hard. So, let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of each material.
Clay Bricks
Clay bricks are a really classic choice for homes built in North America. They go way back to the very early years of the US and Canada. After all, clay was so abundant, it made perfect sense to use it for all kinds of construction projects. And it made such beautiful, red bricks.
The great thing about clay bricks is that they’re hardy when built into a house. Even today, there are brick houses still standing that were built hundreds of years ago. This reliable material can stand the test of time, and look great while doing it.
Notably, clay bricks are fairly easy to replace. If one cracks or is damaged by external factors, it can be chipped out of its place and a new one can be slipped right back in.
On the less fortunate side of things, clay bricks can’t be insulated internally. Because they’re solid, the only way to insulate a single layer of bricks is to put up a wooden frame inside them. Then, you can put insulation and drywall over that frame. This is very effective. However, it does hide the bricks from the inside. If the appealing part of bricks is the way they look, both inside and outside, you may be able to do a double layer of bricks with insulation between them. However, this will be twice as expensive as one layer. Doing this for one focus wall may be something to consider, but not for the whole house.
Stone
Stone houses, such as those made from stone brick, come with much the same benefits and drawbacks as clay bricks. However, those made from rocks and mortar are a bit different. These types of walls are more prone to breaking over time, or getting water in them that then expands and causes cracks. If relying on stone, opt for bricks, or ensure your raw stone isn’t making up the bulk of your foundation.
Wood
Wood houses are exceedingly common in North America for a few reasons.
- They’re cheap to make. Wood is abundant in the US and Canada, so it’s much more affordable than something like stone, that must be dug up.
- Wood houses are easily insulated, as the walls are made up of wooden frame and then covered with other materials. Therefore, the walls are hollow. That makes them easy to fill with insulation.
- Wood is more flexible than stone, making it better at handling shifting ground and earthquakes, which are more common here than many other parts of the world.
Building Your Custom Home
No matter what material you opt for, if you’re looking to build a custom home, Heidan Construction is here to help. Give us a call if you’d like to set up a consult or have questions you’d like us to answer.
