The Different Materials on Homes’ Exteriors

There are some areas that you walk or drive through where each of the homes look identical to each other. Neighbourhood councils may prefer it that way, or it may have just been the most cost-efficient or popular material at the time, but you seem to have a sense of déjà vu as you traverse different streets, seeing the same thing over and over again. On the other hand, there are areas or even full cities that pride themselves on ensuring that every home on every block is as special as its inhabitants. It’s these neighbourhoods where the Valley Windows team guesses that you really notice the material that the exterior a home is built with. Our team loves these parts of the planning conversations with our prospective and current customers because they’re frequently so surprised at the number of options they have. Here are some of the most popular with pros and cons to determine if they make the most sense for you.

Brick – Brick has a storied past, since the beginning of building actual structures as home. Cultures that were living in especially hot environments and had previously depended on mud or straw, realized that the mud could dry very easily in warm environments and when fired properly in mobile kilns. Hence, it could be turned into smaller building tools called bricks. Red and white clay were the two favourite materials and there are cool examples that you can trace all the way back to the Ancient Egyptians and Romans.

Wood – Wood is one of those cyclical materials that not only was one of the originals but becomes the favourite material to build with all over again every decade or so. If you can imagine a more intuitive material to build with thousands of years ago, you’d be hard-pressed. With trees everywhere, timber seemed like an obvious choice for many of the most famous homes in history. More recently it’s been interesting to learn more about specific types of trees that work best, are most durable, are most cost-effective, low maintenance, etc.

Cement or concrete – Cement and concrete are having a timely celebration right now, especially as industrial-style homes AND businesses become increasingly trendy. You really can’t pick a more durable material, the least porous and – depending on what material or brand you work with – the best to keep all sorts of weather out. There’s a certain perception that cement and concrete can be the coldest and most sterile materials to build with, but that’s not the case if you work with someone with a creative head on their shoulders.

You know what’s even better about living in this day and age? You don’t need to pick just one. As long as you work with the right contractor or designer, you can have meaningful conversations about which materials make sense for different parts of your home, even as specific as room to room. We should know – call the Valley Windows team and we’ll start the conversation.