Top 5 Natural Building Materials for Eco Homes
We help Maximise Your Rental Income with Eco-homes and Luxury Holiday Homes, provided by RIBA Chartered Architects.
A section of our eco-home project under construction, featuring Actis multi-foil insulation—a natural, low-impact material that minimises chemical emissions (off-gassing) and supports healthier indoor air quality.
Introduction — Why Natural Materials Matter
There’s a growing appetite for natural materials in eco-homes. People who choose to live closer to nature, whether on rural plots, farms, or the coast, tend to want materials that sit quietly in their surroundings and age well. Good materials don’t need to shout; they do their work quietly in the background, shaping the character and comfort of a home for decades.
Building sustainably doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. In fact, the best results often come from simple, well-understood materials used with care. The Pretty Good House philosophy captures this well: aim for what’s practical, durable and appropriate for the setting, rather than chasing perfection or the latest “green” trend. When you take that approach, sustainable building becomes far more accessible, and the finished home is all the better for it.
One of the key reasons eco-home developers turn to natural materials is the improvement in indoor air quality. Synthetic materials, typically found in new build homes, particularly some insulations, glues and composite products, can release chemicals over time (off-gassing). It’s not something many people think about, but it has a real impact on comfort and long-term health. Natural materials won’t eliminate every issue, but they reduce the load significantly and help create a calmer, healthier interior environment.
Below are five natural or low-impact materials we regularly recommend for eco homes. Each brings something different in terms of performance, character and long-term value.
Speak to Peter the Architect
What we can cover for our Free 20-minute strategy session:
• Which natural materials will suit your project best — and which to avoid.
• How to balance sustainability, durability and cost for an eco-home or holiday let.
• Whether reclaimed, cork, wool insulation or SIPs make sense for your design.
• How material choices affect planning, energy performance and long-term maintenance.
• A clear set of next steps to move your project forward with confidence.
1. Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed wood is, without question, one of my favourite materials to work with. On a recent eco-home project, we used reclaimed scaffold boards for the flooring, and every piece told a story; layers of old paint, concrete marks, dents from years on building sites. You simply cannot manufacture that level of character.
If you’re considering reclaimed timber, aim for hardwoods: oak, maple, walnut, sapele. Softwoods can work, but they often don’t age as well, especially in high-traffic areas.
Reclaimed timber offers three major benefits:
• Character
Warmth, patina and authenticity. Holidaymakers notice this immediately — it gives a space soul.
• Proven durability
The material has already lived a life. If it has survived decades, it’s likely to withstand decades more.
• Affordability
Good reclaimed timber can cost far less than new hardwood. Local suppliers, reclamation yards and even Facebook Marketplace are excellent sources.
We’re currently using reclaimed wood on our Renewable Container Living project, and it remains one of the most satisfying ways to bring natural character into a modern eco-home. An example project of ours that is using reclaimed timberRenewable Container Living.
2. Natural Fibre Insulation (Wool, Hemp, etc.)
Natural fibre insulation, particularly wool and hemp, is one of the most underrated upgrades in an eco-home. These materials are renewable, biodegradable and free from the petrochemicals used in many synthetic insulations.
But the key advantage is comfort.
• Healthier indoor environments
Natural fibre insulation contains no harmful VOCs. Wool is particularly good at regulating humidity, absorbing moisture without losing performance.
• Resistant to mould and mildew
Great for lofts, garden rooms and holiday homes that sit unoccupied for stretches of time.
• Excellent thermal performance
They keep interiors cool in summer and retain heat in winter. For holiday lets, this translates to stable temperatures, fewer complaints and lower running costs.
Over time, these materials tend to pay for themselves — not just financially, but in terms of comfort and wellbeing.
3. Recycled Metal Roofing
While metal is not a “natural” material in the traditional sense, recycled metal roofing earns its place here because of its exceptional durability, low maintenance and overall sustainability.
• Longevity
A well-detailed metal roof can last half a century or more. That immediately reduces waste and long-term cost.
• Weather resistance
Ideal for exposed rural and coastal sites where wind and rain quickly break down softer materials.
• Energy efficiency
Metal reflects heat, helping homes stay cooler in summer, increasingly important in the UK as we experience hotter spells.
• Lightweight
Great for extended roof overhangs, which reduce solar gain if designed correctly.
For holiday homes, this means greater comfort for guests and lower energy bills during peak season. It also sets the tone for a more modern, pared-back aesthetic when combined with timber or dark-stained cladding.
Material 4: Cork
Cork is one of those materials that surprises people with just how versatile it is. Harvested from the bark of cork oak trees, without felling the tree, it’s a genuinely renewable material with a very low environmental impact. Most cork in the UK is sourced from Portugal, where the tradition of responsible harvesting is centuries old.
We’re seeing cork appear more and more on our projects, both internally and externally.
• Excellent thermal performance: Cork typically achieves a U-value of 0.038–0.040 W/m·K. It works well as an external finish or as an internal wall and floor covering.
• Naturally warm underfoot: Ideal for barefoot spaces — a small touch that noticeably improves comfort.
• Acoustic benefits: Cork absorbs excess sound, softening interiors that might otherwise feel cold or echoey.
• Beautiful, tactile finish: It ages gracefully and feels honest — something many homeowners and guests appreciate.
When installed correctly, cork delivers a mixture of sustainability, performance and comfort that’s hard to beat.
5. Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)
SIP panels sit slightly outside the category of “natural” materials, but they enable the use of natural internal insulation and drastically reduce waste due to their off-site fabrication.
Their real strength lies in what they make possible:
• Structure and insulation in one: SIPs serve as both the frame and the thermal envelope, reducing complexity on site.
• Precision and airtightness: Hard to achieve with traditional stick-built methods.
• Rapid installation: Panels are fabricated off-site and assembled like large-scale components — much like our own cabin systems.
• Works well with natural materials: SIPs integrate seamlessly with timber finishes, cork, natural insulation and breathable plaster systems.
We’re using SIPs on the CedarScape Extension, and the speed and accuracy they bring to construction genuinely change the way a project unfolds.
