Know About Lightweight Upper Floor Construction

Read the latest news in Perth home building!

Residential Building WA is changing the status quo in two storey home construction in Western Australia and dispelling the myths around the quality and finish of two storey homes built using a lightweight upper floor construction methodology.

Lightweight Construction Explained

The two most important factors of lightweight construction is the saving of both time and money. Residential Building WA are built using a double brick lower floor and framed, or lightweight, upper floor can be built in as little as 29 weeks and for considerably less cost than a traditional double brick home.

While the notion of spending less or compromising on the use of double brick may feel to some like a compromise in quality, rest assured this is not the case. Your home will not be noisier than a double brick home and your heating and cooling efficiencies will not be compromised, in fact it can be argued that the energy efficiency and environmental properties of a lightweight construction are actually improved.

Building a home using double brick is certainly a reliable method and one that has dominated WA in the past however high quality, well designed and liveable family homes can be designed and built using alternative construction methods.

It is interesting to note that WA is the only state in Australia, let alone the world, where homes today are still predominantly built using double brick. As our population has grown and blocks trend towards narrow lot frontages and smaller lot sizes, more people are looking at building two storey homes and it has become necessary to challenge the use of the expensive and time consuming double brick construction methodology.

The Residential Building WA Solution

While in the past a two storey home was a choice and a luxury, today the reality is many blocks require a two storey build and therefore affordability and speed of construction are key along with the delivery of a quality home to stand the test of time.

The Residential Building WA design team stepped up to this challenge and have delivered hundreds of homes to happy customers using a lightweight construction method which is quickly becoming as accepted here in WA as it is throughout the country.

So, how is this achieved? In a nutshell Residential Building WA combine a double brick lower floor construction with an innovative Expanded Polysterene (EPS) lightweight upper floor construction method to build your new home.

Double brick construction with concrete slab on the ground floor
Timber truss suspended floor system to the upper floor with 100mm thick Expanded Polysterene (EPS) to deliver superior thermal and sound qualities
Timber framed upper floor walls
Timber truss roof system
Insulated cladding to walls and energy efficient insulation to roof space
Acrylic render to first floor and part of ground floor
Lightweight roof cover.

EPS is a lightweight plastic foam material that is durable and flexible. It is easy to install and can be shaped to ensure flexibility in home design, meaning homes constructed using EPS have the same look and finish as homes using traditional construction methods.

The EPS system not only saves you time and money your home will also be friendly to the environment with the following benefits achieved with this lightweight construction:

Use of recyclable materials
Energy efficient thermal qualities
Non-toxic materials
Moisture and rot resistant

As part of Residential Building WA, a division of JWH Group WA’s third largest residential home builder, your home is built using the stringent quality procedures of all homes across our group.

Time and cost savings in lightweight construction are achieved without any compromise during the build process. All trades are prioritised to complete their job correctly, not quickly. It is important to note that the savings passed on to you are achieved through the use of the timber truss and frame system being a quicker and more cost effective construction method.

Residential Building WA is committed to delivering you a high quality home using the EPS construction methodology and alleviating any concerns you may have about the sound and thermal quality of your home. That’s why we use 100mm thick EPS instead of the standard 50-70mm used throughout the industry.

When thinking of building a home we know what Western Australians are looking for and that’s why Residential Building WA will tick all your boxes!