The Top 5 Sustainable Building Materials for Your Home Reno

If sustainability in your home renovation or new home build is important to you, then you’ll be very happy to discover that there are now lots of sustainable building materials to help you achieve this goal.

But with so many choices from mushroom and seaweed fibre through to Weathertex and Hempcrete, you can be forgiven for being confused as to what sustainable materials to choose.

Where I am on the Mornington Peninsula, we’re lucky to have several sustainable material options which are relatively close by. And with material transport being one of the things that impacts how sustainable your building materials are, there’s nothing better than choosing locally sourced materials.

Here I share my top 5 sustainable building materials, to help you build a planet-friendly home on the Peninsula we know and love.

#1 Hempcrete

Hempcrete is generally made with hemp fibre (also known as hurd) mixed with a lime-based binder, sand and water.  

Hemp has been found to absorb a very high amount of carbon during its crop cycle and continues acting as a carbon sink during its life as a building material. It doesn’t emit toxic chemicals during manufacture and can be used as compost at the end of its life.

It is amazing for both thermal and sound insulation as well as being mould, vermin, termite and fire resistant. And when it’s dry, it’s a completely breathable building element.

Hempcrete is mostly used in walls but it can also be used to insulate sub-floors and ceilings.  

It’s installed by building it up with slip forms around timber or steel framing.

For walls exposed to the elements, it’s best fined with a breathable render, while on internal walls it can be left natural with a clear finish to maintain its beautiful earthy quality or you can choose to apply a render so you can tone things in with the rest of your design.

#2 Weathertex

Weathertex is an Australian-made cladding and lining product. It’s 100% natural and is made from 97% sustainably sourced hardwood and 3% wax. 

It’s termite resistant, with no added silica, glues, resins or formaldehydes. So not only is it an eco-friendly material to use in your home, it’s also friendlier to manufacture and install.  

Because it comes in many different profiles, Weathertex gives you a great variety of styles for finishing both the internal and external walls of your home. It’s about 10mm thick and there are large boards as well as weatherboard-type products available.  

When Weathertex is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions, it can achieve a bushfire rating of BAL 19. Add to this that it has a less than zero carbon footprint, and it’s very clear that Weathertex is an exceptionally sustainable choice for your home build or renovation.

#3 Stone

Natural stone is a fabulous building material and will give your home a direct connection to the earth.

One of the oldest building materials in the world, once natural stone is quarried, it requires little to no manufacturing to get it ready for use in your home build.

Stone is strong, highly durable and abundantly available. While it’s not renewable, it can be restructured, reused and recycled.

It comes in many types and varieties to suit your style and budget, and you can make it even more sustainable by reducing transport and choosing a stone that can be sourced locally to where you live. 

#4 Rammed Earth

Rammed earth is an under-utilised and incredibly sustainable choice of building material.

Because it has a high thermal mass, well-designed use of rammed earth can be successfully used for heat collection and storage during winter in colder climates. It has excellent levels of fire and pest resistance, and thanks to its density, has the ability to insulate against sound.

It can be used structurally for load-bearing walls, though it does need protection from rain and long-term moisture.

And if you can source rammed earth locally or even on site, you’ll find it scores very well on the carbon footprint scale, as you’ll remove the impact of material transport.

#5 Timber

Yes. You read that right.

Of the four main structural building materials most commonly used now (the others being concrete, steel and masonry), timber is by far the one with the lowest carbon footprint.

When you source it correctly, its infinite renewability makes timber exceptionally sustainable. This doesn’t just apply to timber materials for home building, but to the multitude of other timber products we use every day in our homes, like applied finishes, screening, cabinetry and furniture.

The responsible sourcing of timber building materials is made pretty easy when you select wood that’s been sourced according to the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) who track forest and wood products throughout the supply chain, or through the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), who certify that timber products have been managed according to strict international sustainability standards. 

You can also source sustainable timber building materials through local suppliers that have procurement methods with a focus on sustainability. There are plenty of businesses around that salvage, recycle and reclaim timber - you just need to do some research in your local area.

Timber has excellent insulating properties, is durable and often recyclable. And it’s also biodegradable at the end of its life cycle.

The natural beauty of timber’s texture, timelessness, warmth and its ability to connect us with nature allowing us and the earth a breath of relief, all make it a perfect selection as a sustainable building material.

Which Sustainable Building Materials Are Right for Your Home?

Which sustainable materials will be right for your building project will depend on where you live and the type and style of home you want to build.

Speaking to your architect early on in your project will help you to ensure that the right sustainable material choices can be made throughout your new home, according to your design, budget and location.