Green Building: Using Local Materials

The use of locally obtained building materials reduces the shipping costs and resulting carbon-fuel use.  This is certainly significant however another very attractive reason to use them in houses is that they make the house fit it's context in a very authentic way. 

Houses built before World War II were often designed to use locally available materials since they were the easiest to acquire.  Houses built in the 19th century were even more likely to be built of local materials.  Whether you are building a house in a style popular in those eras or a contemporary design, using local materials will go a long way to making the house fit the landscape. 

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