The era has been gone in which people think that the best construction material is cement, concrete, and bricks. At present, there are two most used material in construction is wood (timber) and steel. These two materials are playing the most important role in construction. Another main fact is that these two materials are traditional material and have been using for decades. Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages and also differs from each other in strength, durability, sustainability, cost-effective, and maintenance. Both material has been using widely due to the availability of these all across the world. For selecting the material for the construction of building depends upon the location and the type of building.
How to choose material for construction?
So, if you are planning to construct a new house, or want to renovate your old one, then the first thing you need to clear is that what material should be used for that either steel or wood. The first thing which you need to define is your budget for selecting the material for the construction. On the other side the key points which will help you to find out suitable material for the construction are- design goals, construction schedule, cost-efficient, and sustainably preference. While on the other hand, the other thing which you need to do is comparing both materials to each other on the basis of strength, feasibility, cost, environment condition, and the location where it will be used to build.
Here are some such points which will help you to understand which material will be suitable for you. These points have been made based on the advantages and disadvantages of both materials.
Advantages and disadvantages of using wood material (beams) in construction
The several benefits of using wood to construct the building are:
1.Recyclable, Renewable and Natural
2.Carbon
3.Health and Wellbeing
Apart from the above mention points, wood beams or wood has a natural resistance to electrical conduction. Along with it, wood has the acoustic property which will be grateful for maintaining the echo inside the building. Besides, wood beams are required more support and shorter span which occupy more space. Instead of these, wood is recyclable material but not has resale value. With wood, you will face the problem of insects, rot, and pest which can cause structural damage. In fact, the maintenance cost increase due to this problem.
Advantages and Disadvantages of using steel material (beams) in construction
By selecting the steel for the construction of a building have various benefits such as it provide superior support at a much smaller size as compared to wood beams. Certainly, steel beams provide more open space as it required less support compare to wood because of its strength to weight ratio. Also, by selecting the steel for your building construction you need to do a lack of worry about rot, insects, and pest. Besides, steel has a disadvantage that it reacts with the moisture available in the environment and form corrosion, which decrease the strength of it.