The cheapest building materials. The ceramic block is a durable and modern material. Ordinary and front bricks and their purpose

Home is what we leave behind, what connects generations. What this memory of us will be, depends on us. True, the construction of a house strongly depends on the amount of our money, and on the climate of the area where it will be located. And from the variety building materials now dazzles in the eyes. Therefore, in order for the house to be strong, comfortable and stand for a long time, it is imperative to take into account not only the advantages of this or that material, but also its shortcomings, so that our beauty does not decay and crumble in a few years.

Gravel is a very simple building material used in any job. Gravel is used in foundations, beams, slabs, floors, etc. But this building material also has several alternative uses. One of them is in the laying of the exterior of the house. When combined with concrete slabs or wooden sleepers, gravel flooring can create a beautiful finish.

Larger gravel, such as brittle 4 and 5, can be used to create a gabion, which is a box filled with stone. This building material can be used to make small retaining walls in your home, or even front or wall walls.

Basic materials for building a house

With all the diversity and dissimilarity of houses, we build them practically from only two materials: wood and stone. For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that they are specially processed, they are given the properties necessary in each specific case.

Let's look at a tree: a rounded log, a simple and glued beam, a carriage. Everything seems to be made of the same material, but the characteristics, for example, of glued beams and rounded logs, differ like heaven and earth. But there is still frame houses, also consisting of wood and insulation.

The cost of such a wall is about the same as the total Brick wall towed on both sides. In this case, a decorative differential is considered, which creates a rustic and natural decor. This material has many uses, from floors and walls, or even shelves and bins.

Wood loft is one of the most used materials in construction. The sleeper can be used in many different ways in your home. And, besides, it creates a kind of decoration. Dormant can be used to create speakers and beams. The rustic look of weathered wood creates a very warm and natural decor.

A stone generally does not mean a wild stone (basically it goes for backing up under a foundation or on decorative trim), but artificially created. Well, since it was created by the mind and hands of a person, the properties of the stone were given such that a person needed. And no matter how frightening the abundance of brands and standards of such a stone, it easily fits into the following classification:

Another option is to use this material to make garden paths and outdoor floors. In this case, it is interesting to cut the sleeper in half to make better use of the wood. During construction, a lot of doubts often arise. The desire to choose the best materials for a perfect home is first on the list. Nobody wants to spend money on materials that will soon have problems. To avoid disruption, many people forget that research and information before starting work is the best solution.

While there are a few materials to sell, most won't always be ideal for your job. You need to understand what type of construction you are planning to do, what the landscape is, what environmental factors can affect the construction site and how long the construction can take. All of these factors must be judged by a professional who can point out which of them are the best materials. Understand a little about how all these variables work and know some materials that may help you.

    Brick;

    Blocks where the binder is cement;

    Building blocks made without the use of cement, based on lime or clay.

The greatest variety of manufacturing technologies (and therefore types) exists in the second group, that is, the group of building blocks made on the basis of cement.In housebuilding, lightweight concretes are most often used, which differ among themselves by the brand of cement, the composition of the filler, and the composition of the heat-insulating component. And already, depending on these characteristics, it is possible to distinguish cellular concretes, where air or gas bubbles serve as thermal insulation, and blocks, where expanded clay, wood chips or foam balls play this role. However, in order ...

Wall materials - why are they so important?

Walls are a support for the home as well as aesthetic appeal. Importance the right choice for wall materials is critical to the success of the building. At this stage, economics does not mean buying the cheapest material, this choice can lead to several future problems. Yes, no one wants the same end for their job. Make sure of the quality of the products you will be buying.

From the beginning, you need basic items like brick, lime, cement, sand and mortar. Make no mistake, there are several differences between the two. In the case of lime, sand and cement, care must be taken when handling these products, as well as in their cleanliness and storage. The advice in relation to them is to always check before buying which are of the highest quality and check with your team the exact need for these items, so there is no waste.

Brick: pros and cons

Yes, the brick is strong, frost-resistant, not afraid of fungus and does not rot. It is not afraid of precipitation and does not burn, solar ultraviolet light has no effect on the brick. The brick is durable, and also meets all environmental and aesthetic standards. The strength of the house is explained both by the quality of the material and by the way of laying - each next laid row of bricks knits the previous one, that is, there are no vertical seams passing through at least two rows.

Bricks can also interfere with the purchase of the above products. The most common are ceramics and concrete, and different options can be found between the two. The first step is to determine the type of construction and take into account that depending on your choice, your work may take more or less, and all this can be decisive for the acoustic comfort in the environment.

Can mold be prevented?

Many homes are becoming suitable places for mold to grow. Ideally, after the walls are ready, waterproofing is carried out so that water does not accumulate and does not penetrate into these places. There is waterproofing for tiles, walls, roofs, floors, foundations and pools. Each of them has specific characteristics, so it is good to inform yourself before buying. There are waterproofing agents that can affect internal ambient temperatures. If you intend to reduce the heat in your home, this might be a good bet.

This masonry requires a certain skill, especially when linking corners and laying a wall with a thickness of more than one brick. Thus, the complexity of building a brick house requires highly skilled labor. Another significant drawback is the weight of the brick: you need a reinforced, solid foundation.Due to the high thermal conductivity of the brick, the house cools down quickly, and it takes several days to warm it up, so that it does not seem that the house is damp. This is quite simply explained: when laying, the thickness of the mortar is somewhere 1 cm , and with the small size of the brick, such a thickness of the mortar is no longer a "bridge", but a real "bridge" of cold. Deadline for delivery brick houses usually delayed, since they cannot be plastered right away for two reasons: the shrinkage of the house (and the house will surely settle due to its significant weight) and the moisture in the solution, which takes several months to completely evaporate. In addition to all these disadvantages, a brick can collapse if it absorbs moisture before winter. And this is possible even if all brick-making technologies are followed, if clays with salts dissolved in it come across: the water will wash the salt out of the brick, and it will itself occupy the voids. This is the beginning of a destructive process.

And one moment. The cost of brick production is not less than one and a half times, more expensive than the production of other materials from which the walls are erected. Considering that a brick is several times smaller than any other building block, the complexity of construction increases significantly. Together, the price and labor intensity make brick house quite expensive.

After waterproofing and a primer that provides a base for the paint, it's time to paint the walls. It is in this case that the waterproofing agent gains an ally against the mold. Most exterior surface paints contain mold, sun corrosion, and other treatments.

However, there is no right recipe for dealing with mold. Before buying a product or trying any solution, it is worth consulting with a professional. Most of the time, mold develops due to a variety of factors. Only when they are discovered and controlled can this plague be eradicated once and for all.

Aerated concrete properties

Aerated concrete includes aerated concrete and aerated concrete blocks. Inside the concrete, in the first case, there are cells with air, in the second - with hydrogen. In the first case, bubbles are formed as a result of foaming; concrete hardens under normal conditions. In the second, aluminum powder or paste is added to the solution, which, when interacting with water, release gas (hydrogen). The solution "grows", it is sent to an autoclave, where it solidifies at a certain temperature and pressure. Let's see the pros and cons of these materials separately.

When designing a residence or any other job, an engineer should consider aspects such as luminosity, sunrise and sunset, frequency sun rays inside the building and the route of the winds. All this affects not only the design, its structure, but also the choice associated with the type of floor, tiles, windows and even decoration.

What helps control the humidity level of your home is the brightness and the drafts it receives. Some tricks and tricks can help if your house is already built and does not allow for many of the changes it may contain. useful tips... However, if you are not planning on tackling this problem with an already prepared home, it is best to plan in this direction. Observing nearby houses can also help. Homes built too close can face similar problems. Also pay attention to the landscape, if there is near its structure and other factors that can cooperate with high humidity.

Foam concrete we knew it in the middle of the last century, but they began to build from it recently, when everyone started talking about heat saving. Still, air is an excellent heat insulator. At the same time, sounds almost do not pass through the foam concrete. Since the foam blocks are light and larger in size than bricks, laying does not become a time-consuming process. And it's easy to make walls for communication systems. How easy it is to give the block different shapes, which means you can create bay windows, make an oval wall, etc. In addition, foam concrete does not burn and is easy to transport.

Prices vary, choosing quality materials should be a must in this regard. Always remember that cheap can be expensive. The total cost of the work will also depend on how often material is replenished and lost throughout the entire process. Therefore, the choice of renowned professionals to perform this service can be in a good way save money.

Good planning will help you control the cost of the job in general, but the letter should be followed. Keep track of how materials are used and stored. Often some loss occurs during storage. Try to ignore the costs that compromise the quality of construction materials, but keep in mind that ceramic bricks, for example, are cost effective, but on the other hand, concrete bricks use less mortar, can settle in less time, and may even refuse. from using the finish line.

The disadvantages include a fairly high moisture absorption (albeit at a shallow depth). The walls require annual precipitation, and they must stand on stable foundations-slabs, otherwise significant cracks appear on the blocks as a result of deformations.

Aerated concrete even lighter than foam concrete, perfectly processed (it can be cutwith an ordinary hacksaw, drill with ordinary drills, etc.). Thermal insulation and soundproofing functions are also at their best. Lightness requires less labor, and good heat-shielding properties reduce the amount necessary material... With all this, do not forget about the high strength at a relatively low price.

Knowing these variables from each of the selected materials can help you save good money at the end of the project. You can combine materials, make specific options for each use, and enjoy the characteristics of each product to your advantage.

Which ones are easier to use?

There is one more point that needs to be specified as a variable. There is no rule for the choice of material, its ease or complexity of use. It all depends on the type of construction you intend to do. Returning to the basic principles of construction, it is good to keep in mind that structural masonry, where the walls themselves determine the support of the work, without the need for pillars and beams, the work can gain flexibility and economy. However, this type of construction loses the front of the concrete blocks that can be manufactured at the construction site, becoming more cost competitive.

Disadvantages can manifest themselves in two cases. The wall breathes and therefore gradually accumulates moisture. To eliminate this phenomenon, you need a wall finish with good waterproofing. The second minus is the fragility of aerated concrete, that is, the wall should not experience any movement in order to avoid cracks. And for this you need a solid strip foundation.

Other lightweight concrete

These concretes are heavier than cellular ones: instead of gas or air, which change properties wall material, they contain heavier components. Therefore, these concretes are about 1.2 - 1.5 times heavier than water, while dry aerated concrete and aerated concrete can stay on the surface of the water. Nevertheless, these components are not crushed stone, gravel, but wood, expanded clay, that is, in comparison with heavy concrete, this material has a significantly lower specific gravity.

Ease of use falls to the ground again in this regard, because nothing is challenging for a team specializing in any of the materials. How to build cheaper without giving up quality? This is the question that I am always asked.

Unfortunately, what families spend on building a home is almost always more than the right price. Both the material and the craftsmanship. Route changes in the middle of the track; buying materials without planning and losing power in negotiations, delegating design solutions and technologies to unskilled but "qualified" specialists and self-medication, use a familiar language. So let's rephrase the question: how to build your home with no more and less investment required to ensure quality?

Expanded clay concrete contains in its composition a relatively light component(foamed and burnt clay). With a low weight of the blocks, this material is durable, versatile (not only load-bearing walls, but also partitions, and also fill the frames in monolithic housing construction). The material is an excellent sound insulator, it is more moisture resistant than concrete, it resists aggressive environments better, and is not inferior to cellular concrete in terms of the rest of the best qualities.

Haven't you completed your project program yet?

Before you even choose your architect, go ahead! Do you find it too time-consuming to complete the project and its work planning worksheets? In your area in your identity in your pocket according to the laws of your city. ... After dedicating the energy and time required for the project, stay true to it.

This is not to mention the unintended consequences of unplanned interventions in the project. You hire labor resources on a contract basis, that is, for a ready-made service, regardless of the time it takes. But make no mistake: the contractor has calculated the amount based on the time it will take to complete it. If it takes longer, it will charge you extra for what it pays your staff per week.

The porosity of expanded clay concrete, improving its thermal and soundproofing qualities, reduces frost resistance, due to the ingress of moisture into the pores. Porosity also affects strength: you always have to accurately calculate whether the lower blocks will be able to withstand the load of the rest of the building (does our private developer know about the strength of materials?).

Be careful not to create delays, for example. Make sure you are not responsible for delays. Before closing a purchase or hiring, look for additional services. Purchase of materials: for example, check the shipping costs and even the truck unloading service. Services: For example: the work will be high, but the contractor does not include scaffolding or stairs that you will have to rent. There are some that don't even include tools: you have to buy from Mason at the booth. Nothing against it, as long as it is correctly taken into account when comparing budgets.

V polystyrene concrete the role of heat and sound insulator is played by polystyrene balls evenly distributed in the concrete. It seems that the material is good for everyone: it is both warm and durable, it stops noise well, it is light and not expensive, but everything negates one drawback. But what ...In a fire, polystyrene begins to melt, releasing toxins.

Basic material: bricks, sand, stones and steel take up a lot of space on the ground, while cement - with moisture. You can't stock up, which prevents larger purchases from negotiating prices, right? Make a quote from all the basic material you will be using so you can negotiate lower prices and not waste material.

Ideally, you should spend the amount on Friday and it will be delivered on Monday mornings. Thus, there are no outputs that can spoil or risk being stolen. Be careful not to compare the price of a cat to a hare. The product may seem more economical and actually incur other costs.

Slag concrete the name is collective rather than specific. The point is that inAs a filler in this building material, there can be both slag and coal, ash, an admixture of expanded clay with something, screening, etc. Specifically, slag is used from metallurgical waste. To comply with environmental standards, it is kept for a year under open air... For external walls, blocks with a coarse filler fraction are ideal, for internal walls - with a small one. Thermal voids are created using special molds for the production of this type of concrete. The material is strong, cheap, very durable. The high speed of erection of cinder block walls is also important.

The disadvantages include low sound insulation. It is understandable, the denser material is the higher the sound conductivity. Also, the material is afraid of water ingress, therefore it is advisable to veneer it. But if you impose a brick on a house made of cinder blocks, then this significantly increases the cost of construction. In addition, it is bad to lay communications in cinder concrete, and, if any groove or hole is needed, it is better to foresee them in advance and put a bar in the cinder block blank in the right place.

Arbolite blocks Is a building material, the main components of which are concrete and organic filler: wood chips, flax fiber or seed cake, from which oil has already been squeezed out. Of course, most often it is wood chips. A characteristic feature of wood concrete is that, unlike other lightweight concrete, it contains only 10 - 20%, everything else is chips.A house made of such blocks looks more like wooden house, but unlike him, it is practically not susceptible to microorganisms and fungi. One of its interesting material properties is that the wood concrete block is able to restore its shape when the maximum loads are terminated. It retains heat and does not allow noise to pass through. Does not burn, but when exposed to open fire begins to smolder. It is worth removing the seat of the flame - smoldering stops. Eco-friendly, breathable material.

The disadvantage of wood concrete is increased moisture permeability, and therefore, inside the room, the relative humidity cannot exceed 75%, while outside there must be a lining. The foundation must rise above the blind area by at least half a meter so that the spray does not fly onto the wood concrete blocks. For the same half a meter, the overhangs of the roof should extend beyond the walls so that water rarely falls on the wall.

Cementless blocks

Choosing a material for the construction of walls, you can stumble upongas silicate ... Attention! Do not confuse it with aerated concrete. We already know that cement is needed for the production of aerated concrete. In the production of gas silicate, lime acts as a binding element. The porous structure is acquired due to the gases released during the interaction of quicklime with aluminum particles. And what is the difference between the qualities of gas silicate and aerated concrete? Aerated concrete is more durable thanks to cement, gas silicate, thanks to lime, reduces heat loss and better protects against noise. With all the high qualities of gas silicate blocks (lightness, insulating properties, low cost, etc.), fungus may form in them, as in foam concrete, due to the porous structure.

Ceramic blocks also do not contain cement. In addition to clay, they may include sand and sawdust. The voids inside the blocks resemble honeycombs. Outside, on the side faces, the blocks have grooves and protrusions. This makes it possible to do without vertical seams when laying. As a building material, ceramic blocks are durable, they can be used to erect multi-storey buildings. They are very light, they aregood noise protection and thermal insulation. A significant drawback of walls made of this material is the impossibility of perforating (and often just drilling) and fixing something on the walls, since the abundance of voids and the fragility of thin partitions do not even allow installing a cork.

Any of these materials are used in construction. The choice depends on many reasons: on the whim of the owner, on the state of finances, on climatic conditions, on traditions, on the construction industry of the region. In addition to these wall materials, there are others that are less commonly used: they can be local materials, experimental, etc.

More articles on bricks:


An individual developer is necessarily faced with the question of choice optimal material for the construction of a residential facility. The choice of building materials for the walls takes into account climatic features, embossed nuances, financial capabilities, etc. There is no single formula on this score. All materials for construction have different strengths, require the use of a unique construction technology, and have different levels of thermal conductivity.

  • What determines the choice of material for the house

    Building walls accounts for a quarter of all home building costs. A careless attitude to the choice of material will entail additional subsequent expenses. Therefore, it is worth considering and considering all important criteria and factors when choosing better material for building walls at home:

      Labor costs... For example, the cost of time and effort will decrease if you build a house from panel blocks, rather than from bricks and other small elements. Modern panel houses can be done several times faster, especially if it frame structures.

      Thermal insulating properties of the material... When choosing a deliberately cold material for the walls, the developer will pay a high price in winter for such a rash step. The owner will also have to deal with the insulation of the walls of the house from the outside. When calculating this indicator, the current climatic conditions are taken into account.

      Price question... If you give preference to a durable and lightweight version of the material for the walls, then you can save on the construction of a powerful foundation, which is expensive to make.

    Considering also the subsequent costs of Finishing work... Today there are modern smooth wall materials that do not require finishing.

    Log house - one of the options for walls that do not require finishing

    Types of materials for walls

    The building materials market offers a wide variety of different options for building the walls of your home. There are several types of bricks alone: ​​silicate, clinker, ceramic, fireclay. And wood has been one of the most popular and demanded building materials for many years. The cost of such raw materials depends on the type of wood (pine, oak, birch, cedar), the type of material (logs, boards, beams). A very popular and more economical option is different kinds blocks: foam blocks, ceramic blocks, thermoblocks, lightweight concrete blocks, etc. In Europe, for example, houses are most often erected. frame method which is very fast and inexpensive. About 70% of the private housing stock in Europe is occupied by frame technology construction of buildings. Builders also note the cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency of SIP panels.

    Consider the main types of materials:

    Log cabins and log houses

    A log house is an object made of cut trunks of a solid tree. Work such as cutting corners, adjusting joints and grooves is always done manually.


    Such houses look presentable, soundly and have a lot of advantages:


    Architectural version of a log house

    The disadvantages of log buildings include:

    Log house

    Glued or profiled timber is a cheaper building material for the walls of the house, which is in great demand today.


    Pros of a bar:

    In addition, such material is relatively inexpensive.

    However the cant:

    They say that such a structure can be built alone, with certain knowledge and skills. But the scheme of its construction is more complex and ornate than, for example, a brick one.


    Frame house under construction

    All the advantages of frame houses:


    The disadvantages of frame structures include:

      The resonance of walls and ceilings;

      The need to have a competent construction project, where all the drawings and diagrams of fasteners and assemblies will be.

      The disadvantages of such houses can also be attributed to the conservative mentality of our citizens, who look with apprehension at frame structures, considering them unreliable.

    SIP panels

    Canada and America have been actively using frame-panel technologies in construction for more than half a century. In our country, this method is not yet so popular. SIP-panel is a three-layer building material, which is made of two layers of OSB and internal insulation of expanded polystyrene.


    This is what the SIP panel looks like

    Advantages of SIP panels:

    In addition, SIP panels are an environmentally friendly building material.


    This is how a house built from SIP-Panels looks like without facade decoration

    Its disadvantages include the following aspects (of which, by the way, there are many):

    Brick walls

    Brick is the most common and most affordable material for building the walls of a house from the outside. It is usually made from clay and is enhanced with various impurities. All the advantages of bricks:


    The disadvantages of building materials include:

    Expanded clay blocks

    Ceramic blocks are made of red clay, just like bricks. But the blocks differ from them in more overall dimensions. This option for building walls from ceramic blocks is very similar to the technology of building brick houses.


    Pros of ceramic blocks:


    The disadvantages of ceramic blocks include:

    Foam blocks are a versatile type of building materials for walls. They consist of aerated concrete, which has good performance characteristics.


    Advantages of foam blocks:


    The disadvantages of foam blocks are:

    What material is better to choose

    If construction is necessary stationary dwelling, then you need to give preference to bricks, blocks, stone. This will provide heat capacity and limit heat loss.

    For seasonal living, houses made of timber, SIP panels, frame buildings... Such structures can be easily preserved for a while and also quickly heated if necessary.

    When choosing the best material, it is worth considering all the necessary factors that will make your home convenient and comfortable.

    Read about the following stages of construction:

    Read about the previous stages of construction:

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