Did you know that rendered masonry has risen from only 3% in 1995 to over 32% of the external cladding market by 2005? Research also shows that this look tends to appeal to consumers who like a minimalist, understated and smart look for their homes.

Of course, painted render isn’t the only look that appeals to people who like an understated look. Scyon™ Stria™cladding takes the look of decorative render and evolves it into a contemporary classic.

It’s a product that takes the hassle out of pleasing consumers. Instead of laying bricks, rendering, scoring and painting (with all the associated mess and scheduling of different trades), Stria cladding involves just two trades: carpentry and painting.

In a recent study prepared for James  Hardie on the costs of various construction systems used by large volume builders, building with Stria cladding instead of render on the double storey home studied could shave costs by about 30%. Now that’s a smarter way to build. Find out more about smarter ways to build in The Smarter Construction Book.

Simonds Homes designer Bill Giannikos says in the recently published Smarter Construction Book that "brickwork on its own has been done to death as a look". He claims that what's "absolutely king" is being able to mix and match lightweight claddings and brickwork together.

Giannikos says that the key to making this work is good design. If that's been achieved, then he feels that once people see products like those in the Scyon™ range in the field, then "it's good night Irene".

The Smarter Construction Book is designed to help builders and designers builders build in smarter ways. It's the third in a series that includes the Smarter Green Book - about designing and building sustainably, and the Smarter Design Book - about creating distinctively Australian built form character.

One of the most common defects builders and rectifiers are called on to fix are "botched balconies". That's when the waterproofing might have failed for example, leading to swollen substrates, and tiles that crack, lift and pop. 

Now a new product, Scyon™ Secura™ exterior flooring, gives you a simple way to help protect tiled balconies against moisture damage.  Packing a protective punch, the advanced polymer coating and integrated reinforcing mesh add to the heavy-duty performance of the Scyon™ material to help your balcony's substrate remain structurally sound against nature's elements. 

Smarter construction. It's about easy and cost-effective building through the smart combination of products, systems and processes. It's a balancing act - and it can be achieved without sacrificing aesthetics or sustainability. The Smarter Construction Book gives builders and designers insights into the right approach for the job, and at the same time, questions a few "accepted" myths.

The Smarter Construction Book is the third in a series of books which includes the Smarter Design Book and the Smarter Green Book.