Building Materials & Supplies

When I built my last house my sons were eight and ten respectively and just on the verge of teendom, I knew the combo of their loud music and my night shift schedule would make it hard on all...

Compared to conventional stick frame building techniques there are many different means and materials to construct a house.My personal favorites is straw bale . To me this is among the greenest...

Measuring out the materials needed for wall framing depends on the wall being framed. For a single straight wall, framing requires studs, a bottom plate, and two top plates. As you progress into...

Precast wall panels are used in a wide variety of construction projects, especially where sturdy reinforcement walls are needed. They are almost always made of concrete, but the precise design...

Insulation is imperative to keep homes at comfortable temperatures without wasting money on heating and air conditioning and wasting non-renewable energy sources. Like many other home improvement...

Drywall is a building material made from natural gypsum, sand, water and other minerals. It is widely used to construct buildings throughout the world and may be used in both homes and commercial...

Since the early 20th century, many homes and buildings have been constructed using cavity walls. This means that the exterior walls of the home are separated from the interior walls by an empty...

Many different types of concrete walls are available today. You have the option of a concrete wall that looks like stone or brick. The wall can be made right on the premises or shipped in...

A metal building is a steel or aluminum structure designed primarily for storage or as a workshop. These buildings are considered a cost-effective alternative to traditional framed construction,...

Building insulation for basements is often used to protect the interior from external temperature fluctuations. In Canada, thermal insulation is especially important for basements in areas that...

This article explains the basics about building an insulated earthbag home. Most earth structures are in hot, dry climates. The techniques presented here enable you to build an earthbag home in a...

This article explains the basics about building an earthbag home. Earthbag building has evolved from 100 years of building military structures out of sandbags. Modern-day builders are using the...

By keeping your heat in your home longer, home insulation can keep your energy bills from getting too high. This type of insulation comes in fiberglass, foam and cellulose. It is placed inside the...

The majority of concrete building is found in commercial applications, such as malls and individual retail stores. In some locations, residential homes feature concrete exterior walls, designed to...

Drywall mud, or joint compound, is one of the most versatile products in the interior of a house. The different applications of this product are what lend to its versatility. Consumers use drywall...

There are a number of ways to use old tires to put them to work rather than having them go directly to the landfill. There are also products out there that use or incorporate recycled tires. Here...

An adobe home is a mud-brick house. The bricks are made of natural materials and dried in the sun. Adobe homes are common in dry climates. They are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The...

If your new home will have a basement, there are some basic ways to estimate the cost of completing it. While basements are still one of the least expensive construction projects when figured on a...

Learn How to Calculate Area of Walls for a building or remodeling project in this free home improvement video from our construction expert.

When calculating how much paint you need for a room, it's important to calculate paint waste for interior projects into that number. If you don't allocate a certain amount of paint to waste, you...

One of the oldest methods of building low-cost homes is through a material known as cob. Cob homes have a good deal in common with adobes or rammed-earth homes, as the principal construction...

The practice of building homes with earthbags or sandbags is not new. These materials have been used to construct homes for many generations. Even today, the military uses sandbags to construct...

Straw homes have come a long way from the days of the "Three Little Pigs." Despite the fears of traditional homebuilders, homes made from bales of straw have proven to be structurally sound, well...

Rammed earth construction is nothing new. Portions of the Great Wall of China were constructed with rammed earth. The method of building a house from rammed earth is similar to building an adobe...

Poured earth is very similar to standard cement. A typical poured earth mixture will even use a small amount of Portland cement to bind the other materials together. Whereas cement contains a...

Straw homes have come a long way from the days of the "Three Little Pigs." Despite the fears of traditional homebuilders, homes made from bales of straw have proven to be structurally sound, well...

Rammed earth construction is nothing new. Portions of the Great Wall of China were constructed with rammed earth. The method of building a house from rammed earth is similar to building an adobe...

Poured earth is very similar to standard cement. A typical poured earth mixture will even use a small amount of Portland cement to bind the other materials together. Whereas cement contains a...

One of the oldest methods of building low-cost homes is through a material known as cob. Cob homes have a good deal in common with adobes or rammed-earth homes, as the principal construction...

The practice of building homes with earthbags or sandbags is not new. These materials have been used to construct homes for many generations. Even today, the military uses sandbags to construct...

Papercrete is a building material made from Portland cement, sand or other aggregates, and paper. It’s a relatively green building material, because it generally uses recycled paper, and lasts for...

Eco-friendly homes and buildings are becoming increasingly popular. Alternative methods to providing insulation in buildings include using straw bales. Following these steps will help you to use...