Consider concrete over wood for home’s walls
Due to demand, builders today are constantly learning about the new and advanced technologies for home construction. Homeowners want to be assured of living in the healthiest, most durable, least wasteful house possible — and therefore, building a home from the ground up is the best opportunity to get it right.
“In addition to fixtures and materials, be sure to ask for the most advanced construction methods,” says Todd Blyth at Nudura, a leading name in building system technology. “For example, more and more builders, on request, are discarding the traditional wood-framing method — now seen as inefficient and wasteful — in favor of concrete walls.”
Why concrete?Nudura walls consist of pre-assembled, interlocking forms delivered to the construction site. The specialized panels consist of two, stay-in-place forms of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) connected with a hinged, folding web. The forms are stacked, reinforced, and then filled with concrete, creating a solid monolithic wall.#147;The benefits are extensive,#148; Blyth explains. #147;Architects are inspired by new design possibilities; builders cut their construction time in half; and the homeowner (or commercial building owner) can feel satisfied for cutting back on an enormous amount of wood.#148;As importantly, the quality of life continues long after construction is completed, he continued. As time goes on within #147;the most technologically advanced walls,#148; your energy bills could drop by as much as 70 percent.#147;This type of concrete building envelope delivers twice the efficiency compared to stick frame walls #8212; and with no wood rot and mold it delivers none of the related toxicity. Concrete walls are up to three times more sound resistant; up to four times more fire resistant; nine times stronger; and far more resistant to thermal bridging where outside cold seeps in to cause uncomfortable cold spots, drafts, and mustiness.#148;Floor and ceiling construction is now far advanced too. More information is available online at www.nudura.com.