1. Building Materials
  • Common materials: bricks, stones, concrete and wood; roofs may be covered with tiles, roofing sheets or thatch. Permanent houses suit bricks/concrete; wooden walls should be painted/varnished (easy to clean, prevents termites).
  • Use lime to wash inner walls of mud houses — it disinfects and looks attractive. Tiled floors suit the tropics (easy cleaning, cool); wooden floors suit stilt houses (gaps allow air circulation).

Roof Material

Key Feature

Metal (aluminium) roofing

Solid, absorbs little heat, reflects sun’s rays well, but shiny/glaring

Thatch (palm) roofing

Cool, but harbours ticks, insects and mites

Tiled roofing

Doesn’t harbour pests, but expensive and hot
  • A ceiling between the roof and floor blocks off heat. Steep-sloped roofs suit snowy (polar) regions, letting snow slide off easily; flatter roofs suit tropical (non-polar) regions.
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