A home constructed with durable materials will outlast its current inhabitants by generations.
On the other hand, some of the parts that go into constructing a home tend to wear out more quickly and require maintenance or replacement if they are to survive the test of time.
Since many Australian homes are constructed with a 30-year lifespan in mind, and since some of these homes may only endure for the term of the builder’s guarantee before requiring substantial repairs, a lot of embodied energy is going to waste. Surely, we should be planning structures that will outlast our civilisation.
Certain dwellings in Australia are believed to be between 100 and 200 years old. In other parts of the world, many still-inhabited homes are considerably older. True longevity, however, calls for more than just the ability to endure for a specific number of years.
Finding the right home constructions company Melbourne is an important decision. Check out our range of the best home design constructions at Hitch Property Constructions.
Why do houses age?
How long you can expect your new home to survive on average is useful information, but do you know why this is the case? The durability of your structure depends on a number of different aspects.
With this information in hand before, during, and after construction, you can better guarantee that your home will last over the years and weather any storms or other extremes that may come its way.
Materials
Building your new home using eco-friendly materials that are also of high quality is one way to ensure that it will be a source of pride for future generations, just as higher-quality materials and goods tend to last longer in general.
Make sure to buy in the right products for your home so that they can last for many lifetimes, bearing in mind that the things you use the most will degrade the fastest.
Workmanship
If you want your house to last for many years, this is one of the most crucial things you can do. The commencement of issues that could have been brought on by a problematic join or an apparently “innocent” crack can be postponed by high-quality craftsmanship.
The condition of a poorly constructed home will degrade considerably more rapidly than that of one on which great care was taken during construction.
There are tens of thousands of new homes built annually, so it’s only natural that a small fraction of them may have problems. However, this is not exclusive to the building industry; it applies to all forms of mass production.
New buildings undergo stringent evaluations at each level of the building process to ensure that this sort of thing doesn’t happen. From the precision of the measurements to the quality of the materials, to a thorough examination of the results of each choice, everything is taken into account in these assessments.
Moreover, they must be very careful to follow all the norms and regulations to ensure that your house will last for generations.
Most newly built homes will come with a certificate guaranteeing the building’s structural integrity for 10 years, giving you peace of mind.
Find a builder or contractor with a solid reputation in the community if you want peace of mind that the work done on your home will be of a high quality and will meet all industry standards. Problems, replacements, and repairs may become essential earlier than expected if the work is poorly constructed or designed.
Maintenance
Your brand-new home, like everything else in the world, will eventually wear out, break, and get damaged over time. Some maintenance may not be necessary for the first few years, but that time will come. A well-maintained home will last its owners a lot longer.
While the structure of your home may be sound for many years, the various components that give your home its unique character and style are not guaranteed to have the same longevity.
Weather/Environments
Make sure your new house is suitable for the area in which it will be located. We can’t control the weather or the tides, so it’s crucial that your home’s design takes into account these and other elements of its natural environment. It’s important that your home be built to last through years of harsh weather and anything else that Mother Nature can throw at it.
Using materials obtained in your area is an excellent way to lengthen the lifespan of your home. This is due to the fact that products made using locally sourced materials took into account the specific weather patterns and environmental factors of your region.
It’s crucial to think about the surroundings and climate that your property will be subjected to during the building process and maintenance phases. As a result, you’ll have a sturdy house that will serve you well for many years.
Long-Lasting Building Materials Every Homeowner Should Consider
Building a home out of durable materials is essential if you want it to last for decades. At Hitch Property Constructions, we offer a wide range of home renovations.
Here is a rundown of some durable materials to think about as you plan and decide what to utilise in the construction of your new home.
Brick
It should come as no surprise that brick is one of the most long-lasting construction materials available. The Great Wall of China, the Pantheon, the Roman aqueducts, and the Taj Mahal are just a few of the world’s most recognisable structures, and brick was used in their construction.
It has been said that the great architect Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “Give me a brick, and it becomes worth its weight in gold.” He didn’t seem like he was trying to fudge the facts. The extraordinary longevity of brick means that brick buildings are more likely to retain their worth over time.
Stone
Stone, like many other building materials, has been used for many years and has proven to be durable. Since more effective quarrying techniques have been developed, the stone can now assume a wide variety of aesthetic forms.
It can be installed either in its unfinished state, for a more classic look, or in its finished state, for a more sophisticated and up-to-date feel. Because it is so resilient when it is correctly cut and polished, stone can protect dwellings from a wide range of environmental risks.
Steel
Steel has traditionally been used more frequently in commercial and industrial buildings, but it has recently gained favour as a building material for homes, especially in the form of steel windows and doors.
One of the biggest benefits is how long they endure; in fact, with proper care they can last a lifetime.
Like any other part of your home, steel windows will wear out over time without adequate care and maintenance, but with the right precautions taken, they can survive for far over seventy-five years. Having your steel galvanised and painted makes maintenance a breeze.
It doesn’t take much time or skill for a homeowner or a handyman to fix minor wear and tear around the house, such as touch-up painting.
Concrete
The durability of concrete is another example of a material that stands the test of time. In addition to its remarkable strength, concrete is lauded for its malleability, allowing it to be shaped into virtually any form imaginable. To create concrete, stones, sand, cement, and other binders are mixed together.
Although many people associate concrete with driveways, this material has numerous other useful applications and is sometimes overlooked because of this stigma. In addition to looking great, concrete pavers are more pleasant to walk on in the summer since they don’t absorb and retain heat. Especially so in warmer climates where air conditioning is less practical.
Some of the issues to consider when designing houses that last
Sustainable design
To begin, there is no point in building a sturdy home if it is not built correctly from the ground up. These fundamentals include a beneficial orientation and aspect, adequate thermal mass within the building (when appropriate), and a strategic location near public transportation and other services. Though improvements can be made later, it may not be worth the trouble if the house isn’t constructed on a solid base.
Currently listed homes for sale may be lacking in these areas. It is even more critical that we make the most of the housing supply we already have and that we improve it efficiently whenever possible.
When making environmentally friendly decisions now, it’s important to think ahead to the possibility of a warmer or more unpredictable climate in the future. In places of Australia that are increasingly susceptible to heatwaves, for example, is thermal mass important?
Flexibility
Words like “loose fit” are often thrown about while discussing sustainable architecture, referring to the idea that spaces should be malleable and adaptive.
It is possible for parents and adult children to share a home, or for adults to move back in with their parents after having outgrown the necessities of living at home.
A properly-designed house should be able to meet the needs of its current owners as well as their future ones without requiring frequent remodelling. Universal design can be used to tackle this problem by modifying the system so that it is accessible by people of varying physical abilities.
Technology also undergoes significant modification as time goes on. Can anyone even guess what kinds of kitchen gadgets will be on the market in only 30 years?
A built-in microwave and coffee maker are a convenient addition to any kitchen, but you may want to think about whether you’d be willing to replace the joinery in the kitchen if one of these appliances ever broke down.
Easily make room for more devices in an open style that features detachable panels and shelves.
Simplicity
A system’s reliability and maintainability both improve as the number of its constituent elements decreases. When planning for a long-term residence, it is important to consider whether or not a system can be repaired in the event that its original manufacturer goes out of business or stops producing the product or component in question.
As such, it’s best to instal solar hot water units that are close together instead of split systems. Therefore, a close-coupled system can save money because it does not require a pump to move water from the panels to the storage tank. Wooden window frames, instead of thermally fractured (insulated) aluminium, is another example that might be claimed.
This is due to the fact that it’s much easier to replace the hardware on wooden window frames if they break. The framework can be repaired or rebuilt entirely if necessary.
Durability
Although it is understandable that durability would be the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of a long-lasting design, I would say that it is not as important as the other factors I have already stated.
Unfortunately, not many materials can go a century without needing some type of upkeep or replacement. Weather and regular use will eventually take their toll on the wood, masonry, and concrete components of your home.
However, if their protective coatings, like paint, are kept in good condition, some materials can last for a very long time.
Additionally, the market is flooded with a variety of durable materials. As a result of the ocean’s extreme circumstances, these materials are often developed with durability in mind.
A product’s projected lifespan can be inferred from the length of the warranty. The most reliable data we have right now is the length of the warranty, the opinions of previous buyers, and reviews written in the prefered style.
The government might do more to incentivise product quality by legislating measures like longer manufacturer warranties or proper product disposal once their useful lives have finished.
Consider the many different examples of European homes throughout history; the ones that have survived are the ones with the most solid building practises.
Stone, brick, concrete, and rammed earth are just few of the durable materials that can be used to create masonry.
Using these materials as a protective skin has its drawbacks, though, because it’s probable that additional insulation will be required in some spots. Some of them also have a great deal of embodied energy, or energy that has been stored.
Common inert metals used for cladding include zinc and copper, which have a greater initial cost but often require no maintenance for sixty years or more. Church ceilings in Europe that date back over two centuries are only one such example.
Similarly, high-end traditional metal roof sheeting, such as Colorbond Ultra, which comes with a 25-year warranty, is resistant to the corrosive effects of salt air.
Remembering the beach shacks of the 1970s should serve as a reminder that even lightweight and affordable materials like fibre-cement sheets may last for a very long period. Forty years on, the structure appears to be sound.
Consideration of durability is essential when working with timber. About every 25 years, exposed external wooden surfaces may need to be replaced, however this varies greatly depending on the species and orientation of the wood.
Painting weatherboards increases their longevity but also increases the frequency of maintenance. Because internally polished timber floorboards can only be sanded back three times before they become too thin, it is advisable to utilise oil finishes that can be touched up without sanding or to supply coverings to portions that see the most wear and strain.
Embodied energy
Embodied energy must be considered because a major goal in creating durable structures is to minimise the energy that is wasted over the building’s lifetime.
The manufacturing and transport of the materials used to construct our homes and the furnishings we keep in them consume vast quantities of energy.
Forty percent of the waste generated by the construction industry accounts for the total amount of rubbish sent to landfills, according to some estimates. Offcuts, flawed, or over-ordered brand new materials fall into this category.
However, the embodied energy of bricks, lime for concrete, aluminium, and similar materials can be reduced by considering the product’s expected lifespan, maintenance needs, and location of manufacturing (hence transportation requirements).
Materials should be reused or recycled whenever possible instead of being produced from scratch (reduce, reuse, recycle). Reusing what is already in place is one of the most effective ways to lessen the amount of energy “embodied” in the process of building our homes.
Considerable weight is also given to factors such as design, durability, maintainability, embodied energy, and reusability when determining longevity, in addition to the materials themselves. When deciding, it is crucial to keep all of these things in mind.
How can you increase the lifespan of your home?
There are a few things you may do to make your home habitable for a longer period of time. Practically all of it can be reduced to elementary measures that significantly reduce the likelihood of a disaster. Check out our Melbourne home repairs to help you to build your dream house.
If you give it the once-over on a regular basis, you can catch any new problems like cracks or wear before they become major and costly to fix.
The structural integrity of your home can be preserved for much longer if you take care to do routine maintenance and repair as needed, such as those described below.
- When you keep up with your cleaning duties on a regular basis, you reduce the likelihood that your home will become damaged by the proliferation of bacteria, mould, and fungi.
- Correct garbage segregation and disposal
- Search for bugs, insects, and termites. Doing so prevents termites, vermin, and insects from wreaking havoc on your property and its environs.
- Watch out for moist walls, water seepage, and leaks.
- Check the bases, foundations, and plinths of everything that has to be checked for stability.
- The right stuff to meet your house’s needs and wants.
- Upkeep that is both consistent and thorough
While the aforementioned statistics might give you a general indication of how long your home and its features will survive, you should keep in mind that environmental conditions, heavy use, abuse, and neglect can all shorten that time considerably.
Keep this in mind when you’re out house hunting and weighing the cost of renovations against the age of the property.
Conclusion
When built properly, a house can outlive its current inhabitants by multiple generations. Some of the materials used to build a house have a shorter lifespan than others. Investing wisely in durable things for your house so that they can last for generations. At each stage of the construction process, new structures are evaluated thoroughly. A certificate guaranteeing the home’s structural stability for ten years is standard for newly constructed dwellings.
Your house needs to be sturdy enough to withstand the elements and anything else that Mother Nature can throw at it for many years. It’s true that brick is one of the most durable building materials around. Brick structures can last forever if they are well taken care of. Because of their adaptability, they can be moulded into almost any form. If the structure is not built properly from the foundation up, it will not last.
If it’s built well, a home can serve the demands of its current owners and those of their children and grandchildren without constant updating. Sustainable design, flexibility, and minimalism are all crucial in constructing long-lasting dwellings. Reliability and ease of maintenance for a system rise as its component count falls. Rather than using split systems, which require more space, it is recommended to instal solar hot water units in close proximity to one another. The length of a product’s warranty or feedback from satisfied customers are good indicators of its durability.
Zinc and copper are two of the most used cladding metals because of their inert properties. Colorbond Ultra, a premium traditional metal roof sheeting, has a 25-year warranty. When possible, materials should be recycled or reused rather than manufactured from scratch (reduce, reuse, recycle). By keeping up with regular maintenance and repairing problems as they arise, you can extend the life of your home’s structure. Design, durability, maintainability, embodied energy, and reusability are all given serious consideration while picking a house.
Content Summary
- A home constructed with durable materials will outlast its current inhabitants by generations.
- The durability of your structure depends on a number of different aspects.
- Building your new home using eco-friendly materials that are also of high quality is one way to ensure that it will be a source of pride for future generations, just as higher-quality materials and goods tend to last longer in general.
- Find a builder or contractor with a solid reputation in the community if you want peace of mind that the work done on your home will be of a high quality and will meet all industry standards.
- Using materials obtained in your area is an excellent way to lengthen the lifespan of your home.
- It should come as no surprise that brick is one of the most long-lasting construction materials available.
- The Great Wall of China, the Pantheon, the Roman aqueducts, and the Taj Mahal are just a few of the world’s most recognisable structures, and brick was used in their construction.
- The extraordinary longevity of brick means that brick buildings are more likely to retain their worth over time.
- Having your steel galvanised and painted makes maintenance a breeze.
- The durability of concrete is another example of a material that stands the test of time.
- To begin, there is no point in building a sturdy home if it is not built correctly from the ground up.
- When making environmentally friendly decisions now, it’s important to think ahead to the possibility of a warmer or more unpredictable climate in the future.
- When planning for a long-term residence, it is important to consider whether or not a system can be repaired in the event that its original manufacturer goes out of business or stops producing the product or component in question.
- Additionally, the market is flooded with a variety of durable materials.
- Consideration of durability is essential when working with timber.
- However, the embodied energy of bricks, lime for concrete, aluminium, and similar materials can be reduced by considering the product’s expected lifespan, maintenance needs, and location of manufacturing (hence transportation requirements).Materials should be reused or recycled whenever possible instead of being produced from scratch (reduce, reuse, recycle).
- There are a few things you may do to make your home habitable for a longer period of time.
- The right stuff to meet your house’s needs and wants.
- Keep this in mind when you’re out house hunting and weighing the cost of renovations against the age of the property.
FAQs About Home Constructions
What Are the Strongest Houses Made Of?
What is it about these buildings that makes them so incredibly hardy and resistant to the effects of natural disasters? They are typically built out of exceptionally long-lasting materials such as concrete, steel, and stone, and many of them have been engineered to respond to and adapt to the punishing effects of a natural or man-made disaster. In other words, they are extremely resilient.
What Is the Strongest Structure for a House?
The triangle is the most stable shape because it maintains its shape, has a base that is very strong, and also has a support that is robust. The shape of the triangle can be found in a wide variety of building trusses and supports.
How Long Can Brick Houses Last?
Brick Buildings Built to Last
According to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (IACHI), brick buildings are built to last 100 years or more. Of course, that only happens with proper maintenance and normal wear and tear.
What Is the Most Efficient Shape for a House?
Because they have fewer corners, homes in the shape of domes are the most energy-efficient type of home. This makes it possible for wind to easily pass over the house without causing changes in air pressure; as a result, air penetration is reduced, and the home is able to keep a more consistent temperature.
Is It Cheaper to Build a Rectangular House?
Building costs are reduced and the construction process is facilitated when rooms are kept straightforward and rectangular in shape. The construction costs of homes with a square shape are typically lower than those of homes with a rectangular shape.