When you plan to build a house, you will have a lot of choices regarding building material.
Whether to use a drywall or concrete is a debate that will not end shortly.
In this article, we are going to discuss the positives and the negatives of the concrete house. Let's dive into it!
Benefits of Concrete Home
1. Strength
When talking about concrete, the first thing that came to my mind is its strength. Concrete bonding is so tough and the wall made of concrete is so hard that you can’t easily damage it.
The strong bonding of the concrete ensures better privacy inside your home.
2. Energy efficiency
Since concrete walls are thick and do not absorb much hit or cold from the environment, it is energy efficient. You won’t need to use an air conditioner or a room hitter to make your interior comfortable unless the environment outside is cold or scorching hot.
If you have a concrete floor, you will feel a comfortable cool in the summer beneath your feet. So, this is a plus.
3. Temperature control
As the earlier heading suggests, the concrete walls are protective against the outer environment. For this reason, you will have better control of the interior temperature when you have an air conditioner installed.
4. Noise control
Thick concrete reduces the spread of the noise. The bonding in the concrete materials and the thickness of the wall protects the noise from spreading through it.
So, if you are looking for a wall material that can reduce the noise, concrete is a good choice. When all the doors and the windows are shut, you will barely hear any sound from the other side of the wall.
5. Durability
With all the positives above, the concrete wall is durable also. A perfectly made concrete wall can serve you for a hundred years.
You’ll find some concrete structures that were made three to five hundred years ago but well in place without any major damage to it.
6. Fire resistance
When the concrete is cured, it becomes fire and water-resistant material. That's why fire won’t catch on it.
If you have seen fire on buildings made of concrete, that’s because of the furniture. Sometimes, the paint applied on the concrete can catch fire also. But the concrete won’t.
7. Green Construction
Since concrete controls the room temperature to some extent, we can say it as green construction. It saves energy.
You do not need an air conditioner or a room hitter if the environment is not that rude in your area.
8. Economic Value
Concrete structures do not require much maintenance. So, you do not need further expenses on other things.
Most importantly, concrete made buildings are often sold out for a value that is higher than its developing price.
Disadvantages of Concrete Home
1. High Cost
The main thing that makes people think twice before choosing the concrete walls, is the price of it. The concrete buildings cost way more than the wooden houses.
If you are on a tight budget, you will face difficulty to manage the cost of it.
2. Pipes and Wires are not Accessible
When you are building the house with concrete, pipes, and wires goes into the wall. You can’t access those without breaking the wall.
So, a simple leak in the pipe or a damaged wire can cost you a significant amount of money to repair.
3. Less Diversity
Comparing to other building materials, the concrete homes are not diverse. You can’t go beyond some limitations.
Although modern engineering is making everything possible with the concrete, those will cost you more if you choose to do that.
Final Words
As you are here, you already know the pros and cons of the concrete houses. I hope this article helped you to learn both sides of the concrete home.
When choosing a material for your house, consider your need first. You will have a lot of options to pick one. To pick the perfect material for your sweet home, ask yourself!
What do you prefer to have in your house?
What do you consider more important than the other for your home?
If we have missed anything in this article, please take a moment to leave a comment for us. We appreciate your suggestions and comments regarding our contents.
My son is trying to build an outdoor office, and a guest house this summer. He is thinking about the best materials that he needs to use in order to get the job done correctly. It sounds like a concrete building is great for energy efficiency which is very important to him.
I like how you mentioned that you will feel cool in the summer by having a concrete floor. My wife and I are wanting to build an attachment to our house for an office and we were wondering what material we should build it from. I’ll be sure to tell her that we should consider building the office out of concrete so we can stay cool in the summer.
I like that you mentioned that fire resistance is one of the perks of using construction concrete. I’ve been thinking about having a new home built someday in order to be able to move my family to a larger living space. Hopefully, I can manage to make the preparations soon so that construction can begin within the year.