The exterior of a home makes a great first impression and protects the structure from sun, rain, wind, temperature extremes, fire, noise, pests, and pollutants. The choice of different exterior materials directly affects the cost of construction and the value of the home. We should choose the exterior of a home just as we do the interior, balancing texture and tone, considering orientation and surroundings, to select the best cladding material. The typical cladding materials used in Australian buildings are brick, weatherboard, aerated concrete (ACC), insulating foam board, cement sheet, etc. In this article, we will introduce you to these common cladding materials.
Brick
Brick is one of the oldest exterior wall materials and one of the most popular materials. It looks solid. Bricks are also fire resistant, thermally efficient, durable, low maintenance, and have excellent sound insulation. In Integrity New homes Melbourne East, we use PHG bricks for your home.
The bricks' disadvantages are more labour cost, longer construction time and more conservative style to select.
Weatherboards
Weatherboards have a great aesthetic, and they not only let your home breathe, but they can also be waterproof. Traditional timber weatherboards require regular maintenance and recoating when needed. Nowadays, we have introduced new materials such as cement fibre, hardwood fibre, and vinyl, which allow the Weatherboards to maintain a realistic woodgrain texture while being durable.
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (ACC)
Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (ACC) is a lightweight masonry material. The panels are made with readily available raw materials such as sand, cement, lime, and gypsum combined with water and an expansion agent to create the finished product. The Autoclaved Aerated Concrete we use is the Hebel range designed and produced by CSR. This material has many air pockets and is ideal for exterior walls because of its excellent thermal and acoustic insulation. In addition to sound and heat insulation, aerated concrete has the advantages of quick installation, modern appearance and simplicity.
Thermal polystyrene panel
Thermal polystyrene panel is an economical, versatile, lightweight, rigid plastic foam insulation material produced from solid beads of polystyrene. We use the Exsulite range produced by the famous Australian brand Dulux. It's a cost-effective external wall cladding product that can be moulded to any shape. It has high-quality insulation and is commonly used for the second floor of residential buildings' exterior walls.
Cement Sheet
Cement sheet is a high-performance, low-maintenance exterior wall material. We use James Hardie's cement sheet for our new homes. This material is strong, durable, requires little maintenance, can be installed quickly, has excellent fire resistance. This fibre cement broad wall solution with an embedded texture finish looks like a rendered wall without the weight or hassle of brickwork.
There are various building materials, and it is crucial to consider both the building code restrictions on materials and the impact of climate and environment on the house. Deciding what exterior wall material to use is a significant choice, and it is worth seeking professional advice from a builder. Architects and designers can also play a key role in material specifications, so if you need help with this, please contact me today.
房屋的外墙不仅仅会给人留下深刻的第一印象，同时可以保护建筑结构免受阳光、雨水、风、极端温度、火灾、噪音、害虫以及污染物的侵害。选择不同的外墙材料直接影响建筑成本和房屋价值。我们应该像处理室内装修一样选择房屋的外墙，平衡质地和色调，考虑朝向和周围的环境，选出最佳外墙材料。澳洲建筑常用的外墙材料有砖，挡风板（weatherboard），加气混凝土（ACC），隔热泡沫板，水泥板(Cement Sheet)等。本文就给大家介绍一下这几种常见外墙建筑材料：
砖
砖是最古老的的外墙材料之一，也是华人最喜爱的一种材料。即使外墙砖不承重，看上去也非常坚固。砖块还具有耐火、热效率高、经久耐用、维护成本低等特点，并且具有极佳的隔音效果。协诚新家使用的是澳洲著名品牌PGH公司生产的墙砖。
砖的缺点是人工费用较贵，施工时间较长，样式选择性较保守。
挡风板（weatherboard）
挡风板外墙具有很好的美感，它在遮风挡雨的同时可以让房屋呼吸。传统的木制挡风板需要定期的维护，重新油漆。现代的挡风板外墙引入了水泥纤维，硬木纤维，乙烯基等新材料,让挡风板保持逼真的木纹纹理的同时，经久耐用。
加气混凝土（ACCHebel）
加气混凝土（ACC）是一种轻质的砌筑材料，使用现成的材料如水泥，沙，石灰加入水和膨胀剂生产出的建筑材料。我们使用的加气混凝土是由CSR公司设计和生产的Hebel系列产品。这种材料有很多气囊，具有很好的隔热和隔音功能，内部加入钢筋以后强度也不差，是很理想的外墙材料。除了隔音隔热，加气混凝土还有安装快速，外观现代，简洁的优点。
隔热泡沫板
隔热泡沫板是一种经济、通用、轻盈、硬质的塑料泡沫保温材料，是由细小的球形聚苯乙烯组成，其中98%是空气。我们公司使用的是澳洲著名品牌多乐士生产的Exsulite系列。它是一种成本效益很高的外墙材料，可以简单地模压成任何形状。它具有优质的隔热性，常用于民宅二楼的外墙。
水泥板 (Cement Sheet)
水泥板是一种高性能、低维护的外墙材料。协诚新家使用的是澳洲著名品牌James Hardie生产的水泥板。这种材料结实耐用，几乎不需要维护，可以快速安装，防火性能出色，但几乎没有保温功能。这种水泥板采用嵌入式纹理饰面，使墙面看起来像抹灰砖墙，但没有砖块的重量或砌砖的烦恼。
建筑材料多种多样，既要考虑建筑规范对材料的限制，也要考虑气候和环境对房屋的影响。决定用什么外墙材料是个重大选择，绝对值得寻求建筑商专业建议。建筑师和设计师也可以在材料规格方面发挥关键作用，如果你需要帮助，那么请立即与我联系。
