Why a Cement and Wood Sawdust Mixture Is a Good Building Material

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Advice for Home Extensions, Additions and Adaptations

Thanks for checking out my blog! My name's Olivia, and I'll be sharing my advice about construction and contractors here. When my husband and I first decided to move in together, we didn't fall in love with any of the homes on the market so we decided to build our own. We learned a lot about construction and contractors during that time, but our journey wasn't over yet. Over the years, we've had multiple changes made to our custom home, including extensions to accommodate new babies, adaptations for in-laws moving in and even an outbuilding studio for my son's music production endeavours. As you can imagine, I've had to do a lot of research on home building over the years, and now I'd love to pass that advice on to anyone else who needs it. Look around—I'm sure you'll find something useful.

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Why a Cement and Wood Sawdust Mixture Is a Good Building Material

18 July 2017
 Categories: Construction & Contractors, Blog


In the past, houses were primarily built using wood, since it was one of the most readily available materials in the construction industry. While a good number of houses are still constructed using wood, engineers have progressively shifted their preference toward cement over the years. When used alone, these two materials have their advantages. However, it is possible to get the best of both worlds as you plan to build your new home. For instance, new technology has allowed engineers to replace gravel and sand with wood to produce a composite mixture of cement and wood for the construction of hybrid houses. The advantages of the hybrid mix are clear, and there is no reason for not trying it out.

Flame Resistant -- One of the main challenges of using only wood as a construction material is that it is prone to fire breakouts. Once a fire starts in the kitchen, for instance, the chances are that you would not be able to salvage anything from your home. Unless you act fast, fire spreads quickly on wood. Most people would think that due to the high content of sawdust in the cement-to-sawdust ratio; this material would still catch fire quickly. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Contrary to this popular belief, cement-wood hybrid is fire resistant due to the presence of cement granules. Therefore, if you want to enjoy the advantages of wood but avoid its flammable characteristics, cement and wood mixture is the right material for your new house. 

High Strength-to-Weight Ratio -- The fact that wood is light does not make it the right material where you need structural strength. Unless your engineer uses lots of wood and applies engineering genius — both of which are expensive— your new house will not be strong enough to withstand external forces such as high-speed winds. However, cement-wood mixture is lighter than pure cement, but still matches the wood's structural strength. The benefit is critical because it expands your choice of a construction site. Even if your site location has poor soil condition, you can still build a robust and stable structure on it.

Excellent Insulation -- If you have been inside a house whose floors and walls are constructed from pure cement during winter, you must have felt the pinching cold because cement has poor insulation properties compared to wood. Since you do not want to compromise on structural strength just to feel warm in winter, a cement-wood hybrid mixture is the answer. The sawdust in the mix helps to reduce heat dissipation through the walls and floor.