7 Top Sustainable Building Materials for Your Home Renovation
Here are the 7 top sustainable building materials for your home renovation.
22/11/2023
The ultimate goal of sustainable practices in
the construction sphere is to reduce the
industry’s environmental impact.
The
primary principles revolve around conserving,
reusing, recycling/renewing, protecting nature,
non-toxicity, and high quality.
If you’re
an environmentally conscious individual looking
for building materials that aren’t harmful to
you or the environment, we have the perfect
guide for you!
Read on for the 7 top
sustainable building materials for your home
renovation.
Bamboo
Bamboo is a brilliant sustainable building
material that can help you get a high rating in
your home energy assessment and achieve your
NatHERS Certificate.
Bamboo, as you know,
resembles wood aesthetically. However, this
fast-growing plant belongs to the grass family.
In opposition to the 25-50 years trees need to
grow before harvesting, bamboo can be harvested
after 3 years of growth! This rapid regeneration
makes it an incredibly sustainable building
material.
Bamboo is highly flexible,
versatile, absorbs CO2, and doesn’t produce
waste (all leftover pieces can be composted).
You can use this cost-effective and easily
sourced plant for your walls, tiles, trim and
flooring, lumber, countertops, decking, roofing,
cabinetry, scaffolding, and supporting concrete.
Mycelium
Mushrooms are being used for everything these
days! And construction is no different.
The roots of fungi (mycelium) grow underground
without the need for an external energy source.
This vegetative structure is harvested and
dried. Then, combined with timber, sawdust, or
demolition waste, it’s molded into highly
durable bricks.
Build a home with nature
by incorporating this biodegradable,
chemical-free, renewable, and earth-friendly
resource into your home’s renovation.
These mycelium bricks are resistant to mold,
fire, and water. They’re stronger than concrete.
And more insulating than fiberglass.
Rammed Earth
Picture the dramatic and enduring Great Wall
of China. Now picture your home being built
using the same building method.
Rammed
earth, one of the oldest and most durable
building techniques, is created using a
combination of earth, gravel, chalk, and lime.
Soil and binder are placed in layers, which are
then compacted and pressurized to form a hard
surface that can easily replace conventional
concrete masonry.
Rammed earth is a
fantastic sustainable building material for
walls, floors, and foundations. It also allows
you to bypass installing thermal regulating
devices. The sun naturally warms the rammed
earth during the day and slowly releases warmth
during the cool evenings.
Cork
Cork is derived from a tree, which we are
trying to avoid. However, instead of cutting
down an entire tree, cork is harvested by hand
from the cork oak tree’s bark. Thus, harvesting
doesn’t harm the environment.
Cork has
many properties that make it a desirable
eco-friendly replacement for traditional
insulation.
Apart from being renewable,
recyclable, and having a small carbon footprint,
cork is noise-insulating and resistant to fire,
mold, rot, and water.
Install some cork
floor tiles during your home renovation for a
resilient, flexible house that doesn’t crack (or
warp) under pressure.
Reclaimed Wood
Wood is undeniably still one of the most
popular building materials. It’s easy to use and
all love being surrounded by natural beauty.
Unfortunately, wood goes to waste during the
deconstruction of any building.
These
days, reclaimed wood technology has been
developed to deconstruct lumber from old
structures, while still maintaining its
integrity. Now, environmentally-conscious
individuals can still have their beautiful
wooden homes while supporting the reduction of
deforestation!
Reclaimed wood can be used
to develop new building projects, home decor,
and furnishings, such as cabinetry and flooring.
Find reclaimed wood for your home renovation
through retired barns, excavation companies,
home modeling contractors and companies,
shipping crates and pallets, salvage yards, etc.
Just be mindful to have each piece’s
integrity assessed before construction.
Reclaimed wood may require reinforcement and
additional treatment before usage.
Recycled Plastic
Hundreds of millions of tons of single-use
plastic end up in landfills or pollute waterways
every year. Why not salvage this material and
give it a second life in your home?
Recycled plastic can be transformed into
incredibly useful building materials such as
plastic sheets, bricks, and lumber. Moreover, it
doesn’t require the toxic preservative sealants
that lumber needs for construction!
Plastic from 2-liter bottles can magically be
transformed into fiber to produce carpets. Other
forms of reused plastic can be used in the
design of cable pipes, roofs, floors, and PVC
windows.
Plant-Based Polyurethane Rigid Foam
Rigid foam has been around for decades. It’s
an amazingly effective insulator for homes and
commercial buildings. However, the story goes
that in 1976
CFCs were determined an
environmentally harmful compound, and were
intended to be phased out by 2010.
Unfortunately, this was a key compound in the
original version of rigid foam.
Plant-based polyurethane rigid foam was then
developed as an environmentally friendly
replacement with all the same properties.
This mixture of hemp, kelp, and bamboo is
the ideal
alternative building material for
walls and furniture. Save money on thermal and
acoustic insulation methods and protect your
home against mold and pests with long-lasting,
immovable plant-based polyurethane rigid foam.