Building materials consist of lumber, steel, concrete, etc. A large part of the cost of construction is due to the building materials used. That’s why it is important to find good building material distributors. Costs of building materials vary between different vendors and so does their quality. Negotiations on rates will reduce the overall construction cost by a huge amount.
It becomes imperative to double-check the correct amount of building materials that would be needed for construction before embarking on the project. This would ensure that one is not left with unused material once the construction is complete. It also becomes easier to negotiate prices when one has a clear picture of the correct amount of materials needed.
Materials for building must be purchased for their performance rather than looks. While buying stone, brick, concrete and other such fundamental building blocks, it is the rigidity and tenacity that matters and not just their aesthetics. It is wise to know well in advance what purpose the construction will offer before zeroing in on a particular construction block.
There has been a wide range of building materials used over the ages. Almost every moldable and adherent substance has been used at one point of time or the other as a building tool. People have used substances like mud, metal, even plastic and glass to craft building structures. Nowadays, steel and glass are much in vogue for office buildings, while brick still remains the popular choice for residences.
Apart from the basic construction material, there is requirement of cement, concrete, limestone, sand and other adhesive and protective materials. Again these materials should be selected for their efficiency. New materials with modifications are continually thronging the market.
One important factor in the availability of building material is the location. Locally available materials are cheaper and more easily found than materials imported from foreign places.
Ancient structures are still built with traditional materials like wood and stone as in Victorian, Georgian and Edwardian homes. People in the tropical rainforests of Africa use anything from animal hide to tree leaves to construct their tent settlements called yurts, while the Eskimos are famous for building their igloos entirely of ice blocks. Wood is considered by many people even today for its tremendous visual appeal. It can be acclimatized to any type of environment and can be made pest-resistant and water-resistant. It can be made to be highly tenacious and flexible. Compressed wood is known to be very strong.
In recent times, green building materials have gained a reputation for being highly environmentally friendly. These materials are composed of renewable materials, and hence they can get degraded in the environment and do not pose an ecological threat. However, the use of green building materials is still a developing field as of now.