What Materials Should You Consider Using for Your Custom Home?

Building a custom home takes a lot of time and a lot of effort. If you’re in the process of building your home, you’ve definitely had to consider different materials to incorporate. But in that process, it’s easy to get sucked up in choosing materials based on their aesthetic value; but make sure to consider its durability and other factors as well.  

Stone

Stone is one of the most versatile materials you can use in the building of your home. There are so many types of stone and styles that will go with any type of home. You can get stone that is cut more roughly for a more natural look or you can get clean cut stone for a more modern look.

Stone comes in such a variety of colors and types that while its originality is definitely part of its appeal, it can be difficult to know exactly what you get because there is so much individual variation.

Steel

Steel has major benefits when used in various capacities throughout your home. Steel can actually be a relatively good option for siding for your home if it matches the style that you are going for. Steel tends to be incredibly durable, relatively inexpensive, and can often be very flexible—you can usually find it in different colors and textures.

The only problem you might encounter with steel is the possibility of rusting. If steel siding gets chipped or scratched, the exposed surface can come in contact with rain, causing it to rust. When steel starts to rust, its durability, beauty, and texture can be compromised.

Concrete

Concrete is a great material to think about when building your home. It can be used for a variety of different things—from patios to driveways to exterior siding to flooring. The way you use it really depends on the design scheme of your home. As you think about using concrete, remember it’s often cheaper to use concrete in your backyard than it is to hardscape it. Concrete also tends to be extremely durable and strong.

But it also can have some issues that you should be aware of. First of all, it is susceptible to cracking if not properly maintained. And secondly, if you intend to paint your concrete a specific color, it will have to be periodically repainted.

Hardwood

Having hardwood floors, beams, or even siding can add elegance and variety to your home’s appearance. As you consider hardwood, there are so many different options to look at. Hardwood tends to be a nice choice in homes for a variety of reasons—namely, there are so many types of wood in so many colors that it can work with virtually any design scheme. Additionally, wood is also easy to change and update as time goes on because it is easy to paint.

But you should also be aware of the different risks that come with having wood in your home—it tends to be more vulnerable to destructive pests like termites and it tends to degrade faster than other sturdier materials.

Brick

Brick is a great and timeless choice when it comes to exterior materials. And even though it’s easy to lump all bricks together, there actually is significant variety in the different shades and types of brick that you could use when building your home. Brick lends a beautiful traditional look to your home so it’s very important that you think carefully about the particular style of home you want.

Overall, brick tends to work well. It’s durable, it lasts for upwards of 75 years, it’s fire-resistant, and it acts as a good insulator. But on the other hand, brick can also allow moisture to seep in if you don’t maintain the brick carefully and watch moisture levels.

Glass

Having glass in your home’s design might seem obvious. A home without windows would seem like a prison. But figuring out the exact way you want to incorporate glass into your home design might be a bit more complicated than you think. There are actually a variety of different types of glass that you could use. There are more natural wavy forms of glass, sheets of glass for floor to ceiling windows, or glass that is paneled.

Stucco

Another awesome material to think about is stucco. Stucco has a variety of great benefits when it comes to house exteriors. First of all, it tends to be easy to work with and relatively adaptable to your particular architectural design desires. Additionally, it can be incredibly long-lasting—lasting over 50 years and tends to also stay durable if it is properly installed and maintained.

The cons to stucco? It can be expensive to install compared to other exterior materials. And if it is installed improperly, it can end up being very expensive to repair. So make sure that you install it well and make sure you pay careful attention to moisture levels because it can crack and get damaged when exposed to too much moisture.

Copper

When it comes to designing your custom home, it’s nice to think about the different accent materials you might be interested in. Copper can be a great trendy option for light fixtures, faucets, and gutters. Having copper as an accent material on the exterior of your house for things like gutters can have a beautiful clean shiny appeal to it. But it’s also important that you think carefully about some of the upkeep required.

Using copper for things like gutters, faucets, and tubs can actually be much more expensive than other materials. The pros? Copper tends to last for a long time—in fact, you can expect copper gutters to last you upwards of 80 years. And when it comes to your design scheme, copper tends to work with a variety of different colors and types of materials. Just make sure you’re comfortable with the cost of the specific copper fixture you are thinking about.

In summary, there are a variety of great materials you should consider as you build your home. Make sure you actually consider the breadth of different options before you start the building process, or you might miss out on something you love. If you take your time to research and study each option, you can be sure that your home will be both beautiful and strong.

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