About This Quiz
You probably don't think very often about the building materials that were used to construct your home. Knowing what your home is made of can help you make better home maintenance decisions. Learn about the properties of five of the most long-lasting building materials from our quiz.Wood has been used for centuries to build homes because it is lightweight, versatile, decorative, and strong once it has been seasoned to remove moisture.
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Wood is vulnerable to fire, dry rot and insects like termites. Despite these disadvantages, wooden buildings can survive a long time; the oldest existing wooden building, the Horyu-ji Temple in Japan, was built in the 8th century.
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It is assumed that early bricks, attributed to the Sumerians, were crude and uneven. Dried in the sun, they were most likely made of silt deposited when high waters receded after storms.
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Modern bricks are made of clay and produced using high heat. This makes them evenly formed, durable, weather resistant, fire resistant and easy to work with.
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Stone is very durable and strong, weathers the elements well and withstands fire. However, it's expensive to quarry and very heavy to work with.
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Since stone is expensive and difficult to work with, both decorative stone veneers and synthetic stone veneers have become popular materials for decorating the outsides of modern buildings.
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Concrete is an aggregate because it is composed of several materials: stones and sand are mixed with a binder such as cement and water. It is so popular as a building material because it is very flexible and can be used to form just about any shape using a mold.
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Narrow steel rods or mesh are embedded in concrete when it is poured to create reinforced concrete, used to form walls, beams, foundations and more.
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Unlike reinforced concrete, which is poured on a building site, pre-cast concrete is made in a factory under controlled conditions. It has a superior ability to repel water and is less likely to expand and contract.
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To support the weight that tall buildings place on load-bearing walls, steel is used as a support framework. Steel is flexible; it can be prefabricated and can be welded, bolted or riveted into place.
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