7 Benefits of a Lightweight House
Traditional construction always used heavyweight building materials. Heavyweight construction materials include tiles, concrete, and bricks. Heavyweight construction is what most people are familiar with when building their homes. Some people opt for this more traditional construction for their homes for the mere reason of availability. While others go for heavyweight construction because they are comfortable with how it looks and feels.
Eventually, the disadvantages of heavyweight materials outweigh the advantages. Heavyweight materials can result in higher energy bills. And the construction costs are also as high. That’s because transporting the materials and preparing the construction site before you begin the work costs a lot.
Putting all these into consideration, perhaps it’s time you turn to more conventional ways of constructing your homes. Lightweight houses are the most outstanding innovation yet. Lightweight construction materials come in handy to build better homes. And it’s not just homes but also commercial buildings like offices. These materials include;
- Structural insulated panels
- cross-laminated timber, often referred to as CLT,
- polystyrene building products
- lightweight steel framing,
- pre-fabricated products,
- glue-laminated timber (Ghulam)
While lightweight houses were only a few in numbers a while back, new technology and innovations are making it possible for you to now build your own. Alternative building materials are now readily available, and you can make your lightweight housing dream a reality.
Here are some benefits of building a lightweight house;
- Reducing your carbon footprint
Lightweight houses made from CLTs and several other lightweight materials have a lower carbon footprint than other heavyweight materials. That is mainly because the production process of this lightweight construction material produces zero waste. And you can quickly source timber from certified and sustainably managed forests.
On the other hand, heavyweight houses often use materials whose production processes are not entirely environmentally friendly. If you want to go green on the construction of your home, you should consider lightweight houses.
- Flexibility in designing
Heavyweight houses tend to follow the good old traditional designs. But if you are looking for something more unique in strategy, you can consider constructing a lightweight house. Lightweight materials have exceptional flexibility that allows you to get your dream house design.
A good example is polystyrene blocks in lightweight houses. This material allows you to shape it in numerous unique and innovative ways. The finishing can be a shape you like, and the result is just
incredible.
- Lightweight materials have cheaper production and transportation costs of construction materials.
One thing that most people fail to recognize is how cheap, lightweight materials are. The production cost is relatively low and, as a result, means you’ll pay less for them. Transportation always poses another challenge for constructions. But lightweight materials are also cheap to transport if you are looking to have your retirement home built in a rural area.
In rural areas, there’s the availability of abundant materials like timber that you can use for building your lightweight house. You will therefore require lower costs for both production and transportation. But even more remarkable is the little amount of both time and work it will take in the preliminary site preparations. That means that the overall cost of building a lighthouse is lower than a traditional heavyweight house.
- Better insulation
Lightweight housesused made of materials such as polystyrene has way better insulation than of concrete houses or bricks. You can use this material for your lightweight home for you’re under floors, roofs, and walls. You can use this material for thermal insulation. That means that your home will be warmer.
And if you are thinking of cutting costs by using your heating system, then lighthouses are just the home for you. You can turn off the heating system and relax, enjoying the efficiency of your home.
- Better and cooler temperatures
Suppose you live in warmer climates that mean that you can take advantage of the wide range temperature fluctuation and thermal mass of lightweight materials. Lightweight houses can come in handy in ensuring that you are comfortable. Lightweight materials tend to respond quickly to changes in temperature. Most lightweight materials like timber have a smaller thermal mass than others. When the thermal mass gets adequately used, it can moderate in-house heat by averaging the diurnal dissipation. That means more comfort but at a lower and more efficient energy bill.
And even more impressive is the fact that your house can cool rapidly overnight if it gets too hot for comfort. So, you get a goodnight’s sleep because of the even temperature in your home, even when you’re a/c is not functioning well. It saves you on cooling and heating bills.
- Reduced energy rating
Materials used in the construction of lightweight houses generally have a low embodied energy rating. That implies that the overall life cycle energy use is lower than in heavyweight materials. Embodied energy is the energy spent in the construction of a building. That includes the entire process from the mining, processing, and manufacturing of the materials you will use in the structure. T also consists of the transportation and delivery of the same. To build a lightweight house, this embodies the lower energy than the traditional construction. What makes lightweight homes more adaptable is how durable and the long-life design they have. That, in turn, reduces the embodied energy. Although there were speculations that the operational point has more effect on the life cycle, it is now clear that embodied energy has the most impact. That is pure since embodied energy is not dependent on the consumer.
- Reuse and recycling
Have you ever heard of prefab houses? Well, you can also make lightweight houses from previously used prefab products. You can call it a reused and recycled home. Amazing right? Well, that’s just lightweight houses for you. These houses are the future of zero waste in construction. That means more environmentally friendly homes with less pollution and a highly reduced carbon footprint.
Lightweight housesused recycled materials are still significant, elegant, and sustainable. It is wrong to assume that the house won’t be as great just because the material is not new. There are numerous lightweight materials that, after recycling, they work better than new. The only difference is how cheap these materials are when compared to new materials. Therefore, you get a more affordable house with less environmental impact and remarkable elegance that comes with the designs.
Final say;
Apart from the seven mentioned in this article, there are many more benefits of constructing a lightweight house. But of all these benefits, what stands out the most is how environmentally friendly light housing is compared to heavyweight housing. Going green in all sectors, including construction, is the future global goal. And lightweight homes offer a way of doing that. But it is also equally essential to consider the cost.
Most individuals are looking for a way to have affordable housing, and that what lightweight construction provides. You still get the perks of owning your home but at significantly reduced costs. There’s no better way for you to have your home. But keep in mind that just because it’s cheaper, it doesn’t mean comfort is reduced. You still get the same convenience of even more efficiency.
You can also consider combining the benefits of both lightweight and heavyweight materials. That way, you get the best out of both worlds, and you can enjoy a composite construction.