Newer Homes, Better Homes: Engineered to Perform Better Homes and homebuilding have changed
noticeably
over
the
years. More than five decades ago,
small
builders homes.
jack-of-all-trades
were
building
Today,
most large
homebuilding corporations that employ specialised contractors are the ones building them. While new homes look similar to older ones, behind the walls is a different story. Builders carefully engineer and optimise them to save energy, last longer, and easier to maintain. Energy Efficient Old homes, because fuel back then was cheap, tend to leak heat from windows, doors, and cracks, and experience problems like damp insulation
and
ineffective
drainage.
This
results in an uncomfortable living environment
for
previous
homeowners, as well as high utility bills. On the other hand, builders today are designing and building more energy-efficient homes to reduce heating and cooling costs. Built to Last
Materials and building techniques are significantly different as well. Before, big timbers are the source of strength for homes. Today, modern homes get their strength from engineering principles. The structures comprise of interrelated
parts,
each
highly
engineered and designed to do a specific and specialised job. For the home to last, builders should be assembling
them
part
extremely
has
correctly.
Each
important
requirements that may destroy the quality of a home if ignored. Low Maintenance Decades ago, bricks, wood, adobe, and even stone cover homes. While these materials are great for building sturdy, low maintenance houses, they are very expensive today. Thus, people have searched for more affordable
and low-maintenance siding that still looks great.
Fibre-cement
has
become
increasingly popular, as it costs less than most brick, stone, and wood. It also resists insects and rots, and is easily customisable to mimic wood. There is no doubt that new homes last, are
more
energy
maintenance
efficient,
compared
to
and their
low older
counterparts. To put it another way, builders are simply engineering homes to perform better.
RESOURCES: http://www.visiononehomes.com.au/ http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-architecture http://architecture.about.com/cs/historicperiods/a/timeline.htm