Whether you’re looking to build a new home or commercial building, the materials used in construction are nearly infinite. Instead of looking to the future, many are looking to the past. In the past few decades, using recycled building materials has become quite popular and in this piece, we’ll examine why.
“What are the benefits of using recycled building materials?”
The perks of using recycled materials range from the economic to the environmental to the aesthetic.
Environmental Benefits
The environment is one of the main reasons why people started using recycled construction materials. The process of manufacturing many construction materials is environmentally taxing. Mining operations in order to manufacture cement and bricks use an immense amount of energy usually in the form of fossil fuels. Logging operations in order to manufacture wood products are a leading cause of deforesting. Using recycled building materials drastically reduces the number of environmentally harmful processes as well as keeps these materials out of landfills.
Aesthetic Appeal
Try as much as we like, it is extremely difficult to replicate the look and feel and of historic structures. This becomes a unique issue whenever we want to maintain the historic look and feel of a certain neighborhood or city district. Using recycled materials allows builders to construct new structures that do not detract from the established historic aesthetic of the neighborhood or side of town. Even newer homes can achieve a timeless look and feel with help from recycled materials.
“Which building materials can be recycled?”
Wood
Certain wood elements can be repurposed for a variety of uses. Undamaged wood can often be re-milled, refinished, or possibly even ground into engineered materials.
Metal
Among some of the most easily recycled, scrap metal from building materials is a huge industry. Aluminum, steel, and copper can be recycled and turned into a variety of products.
Concrete & Bricks
In order to reduce the impact of mining, the recycling of cement and bricks is very prevalent. Whole bricks can be recycled to give newer homes a more historic feel. Cement is typically ground down to make new cement, bricks, or other similar mineral-based building materials.
Interested in learning more about incorporating recycled building materials into the design and construction of your ideal home? Let the home construction professionals from Perry Hood Properties answer any question you may have. Learn more about how to get started designing and building the home of your dreams today.