The American home

Specific construction techniques

American homes meet extremely specific cultural and geographical needs.

This is even more the case as new building materials are being successfully adopted by the American construction market – perhaps making the American home an example to follow…

The huge number of American homes (over 120 million dwellings, including over 1.5 million new homes every year) use construction techniques that are very different from those employed in Europe. The reason for this is first of all cultural, since Americans do not look upon homes as durable items.

This being said, the average age of American homes - currently 32 years – is steadily rising. Largely because the recent soaring property prices are making owners want to protect their investment and therefore become more interested in maintaining and renovating their property. Particularly by using new materials introducing a more environmentally-conscious “green” approach. CertainTeed, an American company belonging to the Saint-Gobain Group, is now positioned as one of the leaders for these materials of the future.