Imagine a house you never have to repaint or a roof that never needs replacing. This dream can become a reality with the right materials.
Building maintenance costs are one of the fastest growing expenses in construction projects. These costs are often caused by design defects and can be reduced with efficient maintenance strategies.
1. Durability
Building materials must be durable enough to withstand normal wear and tear. They should also be able to resist extreme events like natural (and man-made) disasters. Longer-lasting materials require less maintenance and can save owners money in the long run. However, durability doesn’t come cheap. Some material options, such as concrete, are more costly upfront than other choices.
In addition to their initial costs, some building components can have significant life-cycle costs when they are damaged by natural or man-made forces. This type of damage is often caused by a lack of proper maintenance or the wrong materials selection. As a result, many researchers have focused on reducing maintenance cost and improving maintenance schemes.
While maintenance is a critical component of any building, it can be easy to overlook this factor when planning a project. This is especially true in developing countries where budget constraints and the lack of a maintenance culture can cause projects to overlook maintenance tasks or budgets.
In these cases, the best solution is to consider a more durable material option. For example, terracotta is a sustainable and durable choice that can add beauty to a building façade while providing insulation and thermal mass for energy efficiency. This durable material can withstand impact and corrosion, and it is available in various colors and textures to match any design scheme.
2. Energy Efficiency
A building’s energy efficiency can significantly impact its maintenance costs. Materials like triple glazed windows can reduce summer and winter heat gain and loss, which reduces utility expenses. Energy-efficient insulation also lowers heating and cooling costs.
These cost savings can have an impact on a local economy’s overall competitiveness. According to a Minneapolis Fed survey, rising material prices are having a negative impact on project demand and profitability for construction companies. In addition, the increased cost of building materials has a negative impact on labor productivity.
Energy efficiency is one of the most powerful tools to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases (GHGs). EERE’s Technical Offices are working together to enable energy-efficient buildings, homes, factories, and other facilities. This results in less expensive energy to run the facility, reduced need for new capacity on the electricity grid, and fuel savings for vehicles.
The impact of energy efficiency upgrades varies by housing tenure with low-income homeowners reaping the highest direct benefits. Because of the high upfront cost to invest in these improvements, it is important that policies recognize this need by supporting debt forgiveness or subsidized energy costs for low-income households.
Using recycled building materials is another way to lower maintenance costs and environmental impacts. For example, using reclaimed steel reduces the need to mine virgin materials and cuts down on waste. Additionally, using recycled steel reduces the energy needed to produce the material. Another sustainable alternative to wood is laminated timber, which reduces waste and unethical deforestation practices. It can be used for framing, trusses, and other structural components.
3. Recyclability
Recycling helps save energy, conserves natural resources like trees and water, and keeps toxins out of landfills where they could contaminate groundwater and the air. This protects ecosystems and habitats for wild animals, and minimizes greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution.
When you recycle paper, metals, plastics, glass and other materials, they aren’t sent to landfills where they can contaminate the surrounding environment. They’re taken to a repurposing facility, where they can be used for new products and materials. In addition, recycling prevents a variety of waste problems including overflowing landfills and toxic leaks from old landfill sites that can contaminate soil and water supplies.
The recycling process itself emits very few greenhouse gases, as the facilities that combine and create reusable materials use fewer fossil fuels. Using recycled materials instead of raw materials also significantly reduces energy consumption and helps lower production costs.
The primary benefits of recycling come from avoiding the need to grow, harvest or extract new materials from the Earth. This means fewer forests cut down, fewer rivers diverted and wild animals harmed or displaced, less pollution of the land, seas and air, and a better world for all of us. When you recycle, you also help to reduce the dumping of electronics and other “e-waste” into landfills, where they can release toxic chemicals into the environment. Many items, such as computer monitors and cell phones, contain heavy metals that leach toxins into the soil when they break down. You can avoid this by trading in, donating or recycling these items when you upgrade to a new model.
4. Ease of Maintenance
In addition to energy efficiency, durability, indoor air quality and acoustic performance, the building materials used to construct a structure also impact maintenance costs. While material prices are currently surging, there are creative ways to reduce these costs. For instance, designs may be tweaked and optimized to utilize less material, panelization can save on materials and decrease waste, and technology is constantly improving with new inventive solutions.
Many sustainable materials are less expensive than traditional construction options, as they offer cost savings during the initial build as well as lower utility bills and maintenance costs. Additionally, these materials often have built-in benefits that reduce environmental impacts and contribute to the health of occupants. This includes reducing the exposure to toxins and chemicals, which are often found in conventional building materials like unsustainable wood, Portland cement based mixes, steel, and paints that off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
When it comes to decking or siding, choosing sustainable and eco-friendly materials is key. Wood is one of the most sustainable options, as it can absorb carbon, and its industrialization generates significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than other materials. It’s also a more durable material, and it resists weathering and rotting better than other common decking and siding options. Machiche or Santa Maria hardwood, for example, are a great option as they are not only durable and attractive but also FSC certified from origin to destination.