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Building can be expensive. What makes it even more expensive is the fact that repairs and maintenance have to be carried out frequently. There are two types of buildings; the traditional common-place building which makes use of modern building materials and eco building, which dwells on the sustainability. Eco building is fast picking up among many people because of the positive effects it has on the environment. It entails the efficient use of water and other natural resources, efficiency in use of energy, protection of occupant health, improving productivity levels, and reducing environmental degradation caused by pollution and waste accumulation. This is the best way to build for those who would like better health and better, cleaner surroundings.

To build eco homes, the green concept is applied in every aspect of the building, as well as the compound or surroundings. Sustainable building materials are used to bring out the green concept well. When designing eco homes, a lot goes into the planning, right from site selection to getting the design right. When doing site selection, priority is given to places whose landscape has the greatest natural angle. Areas to avoid include water catchment areas among other natural reserves. When building near rivers, the building should be located a safe distance away from the river for safety reasons. Eco homes are preferably built away from congested cities where the house will blend in with the natural surroundings. It does not matter whether there is an access road or not. You will only need to create one for your personal use and to be used by your visitors.

Sustainable building materials used to build eco homes are:

-         Sand. This is common in most areas and can be used with cement to make a concrete mixture. Its biggest advantage is that it is purely natural.

-         Sandbags are used on walls instead of stones or bricks. These have an advantage in that they do not allow rain water to leak through.

-         Eco beams. These are light in weight and can be made locally. They are very safe to the environment and easy to work with. With eco-beams, ventilations can be easily made in walls, doors and windows.

-         Clay, earth and rock

-         Straw

-         Wood, cordwood, timber frames

-         Recycled materials such as tyres, glass which makes beautiful finishing and slabs of used concrete.

Sustainable building materials are meant to cut costs by more than half. No transportation expenses are incurred either as the materials are easily available.

One big advantage of eco homes over non-green homes is that they enhance safety without taking away the beauty of the home. In fact, when you have a creative test, you can add great aesthetic value to eco homes. Alternatively, you can use the services of an interior decorator. The other very important advantage of eco homes is that they cut maintenance costs by a huge per cent. They do not require frequent repairs and are cheaper in long term measures.