Building Materials 101: What Is Your House Made Of?

g that is used to construct a building, from theFrom plastic siding to the plumbing pipes, plastic is
cement that pours the foundation to theused almost everywhere within a common
decorative cornice moldings affixed to the ceilings,household. It is a completely synthetic material
is considered a building material. Building materialsthat ranges in flexibility, size and strength that can
manufacturers generate billions of dollars inbe used in a multitude of construction applications.
revenue every year due to the ongoing growth inOver the years, plastic has replaced wood in
global population, demand for developingsome instances, including window frames, siding
environmentally-friendly facilities and the risingand flooring. Areas of a house that you can find
needs for companies to update and improveplastic building materials include:
facilities. Although the market is seemingly basic,• plumbing
the building materials industry offers an• electrical outlets, covers and light switches
assortment of diverse products, including woods,• flooring
plastics, metals and others that range from• gutters
completely natural to fully synthetic. Here is aMetals
basic breakdown of common materials found in aMetal is seen in new construction more and more
home.each day. The aesthetic appeal of metal is
Woodmodern and contemporary because it can literally
Wood has endless possibilities in construction, frombe shaped into almost anything with
being a part of the framework of a home to thetoday’s technology. In particular, aluminum
cabinets that hang from the walls. Today, usingsheet metal is appealing to the eye as well as
modern technologies, manufacturers haveenvironmentally-friendly; it never rusts and can be
developed engineered wood that looks like wood,used again and again. You can find metal within a
feels like wood and even might have somehousehold in the following areas:
elements of natural wood in it, but it is a• electrical wires
man-made material. In some cases, manufacturing• plumbing
synthetic wood costs less, saving the homeowner• beam wraps
money. Whether using natural wood or synthetic• cornice moldings
wood, here is a brief list of where wood is used in• column covers
a common household:Since there is virtually an infinite variety of building
• framework for walls and foundationmaterials, this article is only able to skim the
• furnituresurface of introducing the many different
• cabinetsmaterials used in new construction. From wood
• flooring, both sub-floor and finished floorflooring to architectural sheet metal, houses today
• wall trim and moldingsrequire a multitude of building materials.
Plastic