New and Innovative Building Materials for Custom Homes

This is a guest post by Natalie Akins. Natalie Akins is an editor for the Innovative Building Materials blog and a content writer for the building materials industry. She is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that save money, improve energy efficiency, and increase property value.

Every year, a new range of building materials are released, giving builders a wide range of options apart from the more traditional options such as concrete, bricks, and wood. Interestingly many of these innovative newer options are cheaper and are capable of filling the needs of homeowners.

Here are some innovative building materials for constructing a custom home. Keep in mind that the climatic conditions where you live should also be put into consideration when choosing any of these materials.

1. Concrete

The use of concrete in buildings has become almost a tradition over the years. But in recent years, innovative ways to use the material were developed. It is now common to spot homes using concrete panels for their exteriors. If you’re looking to construct a custom home with a concrete look, these panels offer you an easier way to achieve this. There is also the option of choosing concrete roof tiles for your roofs.

2. Insulated concrete

Many areas that were once ravaged by tornadoes and hurricanes are now choosing to rebuild using concrete framing options to make concrete block homes. This is mainly because insulated concrete is safe and disaster resilient. It is also energy-efficient, as the thermal mass of the wall isolates the interior of the home for extreme external conditions.

Although one downside to using insulated concrete is that fact it reduces the floor space of a small home due to its thickness. Remodeling a house built with insulated concrete can also pose a challenge as adding such things as doors or windows will mean cutting through the concrete.

3. Fiber cement sidings

Although there are different types of home siding available in the current market ranging from wooden sidings to vinyl sidings to stone sidings and a handful of others, fiber cement siding is one of the best house siding material options you can lay your hands on at the moment.

They are durable materials as they can withstand different weather conditions. Fiber cement siding is also less expensive when compared with some of its counterparts like the brick or stone sidings. Also, unlike the stone and brick sidings, fiber cement sidings are much easier to maintain.

The major disadvantage of opting for fiber cement siding is the fact that they are quite expensive to install as it requires more manpower.

4. Stone cladding

Homes built with stones are such a beautiful masterpiece to behold. But an indisputable fact is that stone homes can be very expensive. Stone cladding makes it possible to get that gorgeous stone look without having to spend so much. These stone claddings are decorative covering applied to the exterior of a home.

Stone cladding can either be applied to the entire exterior of a home or just a portion of it, such as the base of the home. Stone claddings are cheap which is great if you're building on a budget, coupled with the fact that they can take the appearance of various types of stone finishes. Generally using stone claddings provides an aesthetic appeal, low cost of maintenance, and durability.

One major con of using stone cladding is the possibility of moisture getting trapped within the walls of the building. Also, during cold weather, it cannot prevent heat loss which is why an extra insulation layer is necessary.

5. Synthetic shingles

Synthetic shingles come in various designs, some of which look very similar to stone slate, wood shake, and clay tiles. The interesting thing about synthetic shingles is the fact that they are way cheaper than the original types they mimic. And for the price, you will get a durable material with a life expectancy of over fifty years.

One major concern of using this material is that it doesn't do well against fire. And although it is cheap, it is not the cheapest option available in the roofing department.