Best Materials to Use for a Beach Home
If you’re looking for roofing materials and wood flooring in Vancouver, you have to take into consideration certain guidelines when building a beach home. The coast may be a beautiful location, but then it can be a harsh environment for building materials. The salt water and the moisture can be extremely corrosive. Strong winds and extreme weather can blow away pieces of your homeand the sunlight can wreak havoc on your house.
What types of materials should you consider? Here are some suggestions for your flooring and roof:
Flooring
For those who insist on wood flooring, you have to remember that wood has a tendency to decay.You should limit your choices on woods that are naturally decay-resistant; these include ipe (Brazilian walnut), cypress, cedar, and redwood. You should also keep in mind that wood can be rather susceptible to moisture and insect damage, so they should be pretreated before you use them.
Ipe is a good choice because it’s extremely durable and naturally resistant to insects. In fact, it’s the wood for the boardwalk along the Coney Island beach in NYC and it lasted for 25 years before it needed a replacement.
Reclaimed hardwood is also a laudable option as it’s an eco-friendly choice. These woods are old-growth pieces cut from mature trees and they’re often “harvested” from old warehouses, buildings, and barns. It offers a great vibe to your place too, however, it’s a bit too popular and the demand can sometimes outstrip the available supply leading to astonishingly high prices.
White oak isa popular choice. Part of the reason for that is because it’s affordable and highly resistant to scratches. The patter on the wood can be quite fascinating, though for some it’s not quite as subtle as they would like.
Of course, you can alwaysnot use wood for your flooring and go for tile instead. For a coastal area with lots of moisture in the air it’s a sensible option because it’s water-resistant. It feels cool under your bare feetand is highly durable. Its durability makes it heavierand that may add a few difficulties to its installation. You’ll need stronger support for it and the installation will take longer.
Concrete is also an obvious option to considersince it’s the most durable of all flooring materials. It won’t scratch and maintenance is all about sweeping only, but you have to accept that it’s not as warm or as comfortable as wood. You can use rugs to make it look and feel better.
Roofing
When choosing roofing materials, the wind and the unforgiving sunlight must be taken into consideration. You can always check out the most common roofing materials in many coastal cities to give you an idea of which ones are the best.
Clay tiles are quite prevalent for beach homes, and you can see a lot of it in the Mediterranean-style homes in Southern California and Florida. This material is resistant to water and fire and you don’t have to do much to maintain it properly. You need to clear away any debris on the roof to keep it looking good. You also have to look over your clay tile roofing regularly as some individual tiles can crack and need replacements.
Slate is a nice choice even though it’s expensive and heavy enough to require extra support. It’s long-lasting even in coastal areas anddoesn’t rot at all. It’s also unmistakably gorgeous.
Check out the coat along New England,and Western red cedar is quite prevalent among the roofs. It’s beautiful, sturdy, and resistant to impact. You need pretreated shingles to keep it from decaying quickly.
Steel works for your roof as well. Though it’s expensive, it lasts a long time and is highly resistant to extreme weather. It won’t decay and with proper paint it shouldn’t rust. It even reflects the sunlight so it’s not too hot inside your beach house!