Although the majority of American homeowners, a full 76% of us, live in wood frame structures, we ‘re more interested and impressed with qualities concrete offers.

The top things we look for in a home are durability and energy efficiency, according to a survey conducted by the Portland Cement Association(PCA), with low maintenance and mold resistance also scoring high points. For those of us paying attention to the group compiling this information, it should come as no surprise that concrete beats wood in all these categories. So what does that mean for the furture of home construction?

Unfortunately, the numbers are murky on this, conveying a much less than direct association between homeowners acknowledged feelings and their actions. Thirty percent believe that concrete is the environmentally friendly material, compared to wood or steel. And, again 76% felt that energy efficiency was a top concern, but still, a full 54% report that if building a home, they would choose wood.

This number is down from 63% in 2005, good news for concrete interests, environmentalists, and trees, but why aren’t the numbers tracking more directly?

That we don’t know. But Jim Niehoff, PCA director, low-rise building markets, chooses to note the positive trend, saying, ““The awareness of concrete homes and their advantages is at an all time high since we began surveying homeowners more than a decade ago. With limited dollars and concerns about energy efficiency, weather-resistance and indoor air quality more and more homeowners are considering concrete for their next new home.”

Beyond the survey and what people may believe about concrete, here are somethings we know for sure:

* Homes built with insulating concrete forms , where concrete is sandwiched between two insulating layers of foam, require significantly less energy to heat and cool, which can save the homeowner of an average-sized house hundreds of dollars per year in utility costs.

* Concrete wall systems significantly reduce the risk of building in hurricane zones and are well-known for creating a quieter, more comfortable indoor environment.

Article posted on : purecontemporary.blogs.com