Best construction material- Wood- Stucco- Brick -Stone? (price, commercial, building)
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Which are the best construction material to use for a house exterior?
( wood,stucco, aluminum, vinyl,brick, limestone, other stone, cement block)
So that readers can easily use the results please describe by category that way this post can be helpful. A discussion of the pros and cons of each would also help. Thanks
Brick is manufactured of clay and cement specfically to be the most uniform and durable material. That said I have seen house with both brick veneer (brick on studs) and solid brick (face brick over structural brick) as well as commercial style "brick on block" that have failed due to improper labor practices. It really cost very little more to find skilled masons but when there are labor shortages things just go by the wayside...
That said I have seen WOOD houses that are hundreds of years old that are in SUPERB condition in even harsh climates because care was taken by those who built them AND by those who maintained them.
As far as cost (and speed, becuase time is money) the best compromise can come with a TOP NOTCH construction crew using vinyl siding. Further, with modern insulation the total energy of a well designed rigid insulation and vinyl siding home is probably lowest. There is a lot of technical debate over the "thermal mass" aspects of stucco/dryvit and brick, but in my experience in both hot and cool weather the vinyl with top grade insulation is hard to beat.
Stone is beautiful, but becuase of its irregularities even the most skills masons cannot cost effectively deliver a home.
Avoid cement block as an exterior surface except in areas of the south that insects make other building materials too fragile. Though it can be done right, too often the skills of those laying the blocks, and the shortcuts taken with regard to moisture proofing and frost planning lead to disaster.
Stucco made of old fashioned plaster is very labor intensive, and the modern subsitutes do sometimes show promise in the controlled conditions of the building supply companies that develop them. Too often the skills of the field workers is not up to the task of making this a durable finish.
Stucco made of old fashioned plaster is very labor intensive, and the modern subsitutes do sometimes show promise in the controlled conditions of the building supply companies that develop them. Too often the skills of the field workers is not up to the task of making this a durable finish.
I agree, and especially with your last sentence. That is dead-on.
Brick is manufactured of clay and cement specfically to be the most uniform and durable material. That said I have seen house with both brick veneer (brick on studs) and solid brick (face brick over structural brick) as well as commercial style "brick on block" that have failed due to improper labor practices. It really cost very little more to find skilled masons but when there are labor shortages things just go by the wayside...
That said I have seen WOOD houses that are hundreds of years old that are in SUPERB condition in even harsh climates because care was taken by those who built them AND by those who maintained them.
As far as cost (and speed, becuase time is money) the best compromise can come with a TOP NOTCH construction crew using vinyl siding. Further, with modern insulation the total energy of a well designed rigid insulation and vinyl siding home is probably lowest. There is a lot of technical debate over the "thermal mass" aspects of stucco/dryvit and brick, but in my experience in both hot and cool weather the vinyl with top grade insulation is hard to beat.
Stone is beautiful, but becuase of its irregularities even the most skills masons cannot cost effectively deliver a home.
Avoid cement block as an exterior surface except in areas of the south that insects make other building materials too fragile. Though it can be done right, too often the skills of those laying the blocks, and the shortcuts taken with regard to moisture proofing and frost planning lead to disaster.
Stucco made of old fashioned plaster is very labor intensive, and the modern subsitutes do sometimes show promise in the controlled conditions of the building supply companies that develop them. Too often the skills of the field workers is not up to the task of making this a durable finish.
Stucco of course dominates the southwest and California. So it is reasonably obvious that vinyl is not competitive in this high sun, low humdiity, low rain conditions. This is conventional stucco not the later versions. Those however do seem to work in europe over masonry structures.
As you drop into Mexico the structures are stucco over concrete block...
I think water is the big divider. The dry places go stucco and the wet vinyl.
I have seen stucco look incredible in the New England climate either because it was constructed or maintained properly. I have also seen some poorly maintained stucco. Nonetheless, it is not the most popular building material in NE.
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