Harnessing the benefits of eco-friendly, healthy materials to build your home can help create a better living environment. Georgina Crothers explores the natural and sustainable products available and how you can use them in different areas of your project

The internal walls and ceiling of this new build home by Pad Studio are handwashed in a natural Clayworks plaster. Adding to the home’s natural spec is the handwoven sisal rope that forms the landing’s bespoke balustrade

JIM STEPHENSON

Building your own home from scratch or taking on a renovation is a major investment. The idea is that you can create something perfectly tailored to you and your needs, and, for many self builders, it’s their forever home. It’s easy to focus on the aesthetic, functionality and energy efficiency of a design (and rightly so). But it’s equally important to invest in materials that will support your future in other ways. If you want to build a home sustainably, choosing natural and recycled materials can make the biggest difference. Not only that, but these products can also have a transformative effect on how your house feels to live in and the impact it has on your health and wellbeing over time. While they may be more expensive upfront than the standard alternatives, the benefits these materials offer in the long term far outweigh the cost, particularly for a home you’re already investing time and money into.

It’s difficult to know where to draw the line when determining what makes a material natural and/or sustainable. Generally speaking, the closer a product is to its natural state, the more sustainable it is. Some materials, such as stone and clay, are naturally occurring and plentiful in quantity, but still finite resources – so this may impact your decision-making. Other materials like wood and hemp are renewable, as they can be regrown, so this might be a key criterion for you when specifying natural products. In this feature, I’m listing some of the different natural and sustainable materials you can use in each area of your build, including how they work and how they can help enhance your quality of life in your home.