With which stones are houses built?

Hello
I want to build a house myself.
Currently living in a Poroton house, it has many cracks!!
Does anyone have experience with wood or Styrofoam formwork blocks?
I think they are crack-resistant because they are concreted.
Please preferably answers from builders who have built like this.
How do the costs look?
Or are there alternatives like sand-lime brick, etc.

[*]I have never been able to warm up to timber frame construction, because a friend had to completely replace a gable after 4 years due to plaster cracks/water damage. The house was from an absolute premium manufacturer. Also in price!

For KS, which we had installed, several statements suggest that there is less risk of settling and thus crack formation. Also, there is Styrofoam on the outside, which has some flexibility and may forgive small tensions. However, the KS stones are damn heavy and very difficult to cut or later mill the slots. For us, the stones came from the factory in a kind of "Lego system," meaning all the stones were already planned and cut. With the huge blocks (100 x 50 cm, weighing 300 kg!), one floor could be built in 2-3 days with a crane and 2-3 people.

For KS, which we had installed, according to several statements there is less risk of settling and thus cracking. Also, there is styrofoam on the outside, which provides some flexibility and may forgive small stresses. However, the KS blocks are damn heavy and very difficult to cut or later mill the grooves. For us, the blocks came from the factory in a kind of "Lego system," meaning all blocks were already planned and cut. With the huge blocks (100 x 50 cm, weighing 300 kg!), an entire floor was built in 2-3 days with a crane and 2-3 people.

KS doesn't really help either - settlement cracks still form. After two years it seems to be slowing down though ;) - hopefully it's not just a pause.

Hello,

With KS, which we had installed, according to several statements there is less risk of settling and thus crack formation.

That is a nice marketing gimmick and far from the truth. The ground is altered by foundation work according to the soil survey, then a building weighing several tons is placed on top. Naturally, the house "settles" – regardless of the material used; even concrete moves.

There is also Styrofoam on the outside, which has some flexibility and may forgive small stresses.

An ETICS does not "forgive" settlement cracks, but rather hides them from the outside; for this very reason, many providers like to use this wall construction. It saves them from unpleasant discussions. The issue of "settling" should be resolved within a maximum of 2.5/3 years after moving in if the foundation recommendations from the soil surveyor and structural engineer were followed.

By the way, settlement cracks inside single-family homes are the reason experienced providers/warranty insurers recommend textured wallpaper/painting fleece for the initial occupancy ;)

Rhenish greetings

If you want to build yourself, I would recommend aerated concrete. It is usually quite easy to work with and you can manage with a monolithic structure. Ytongg even offers kit houses for this.

Regarding the cracks: If you build normally and do not want to wait two to three years before moving in, these cannot be avoided to my knowledge.

To avoid visible settlement cracks later on the outside, our general contractor recommended applying the fine plaster only after 2 years. Until that time, we also have a fixed price guarantee. Inside, our general contractor will make repairs after 2 years. At the transitions between wall and ceiling, you will not be able to avoid the cracks. Any cracks that may appear directly on the walls could be concealed with painter’s fleece.

KS doesn't really help either - settlement cracks are forming. After two years it seems to be slowing down though ;) - hopefully it's not just a pause.

As for us, built in 2013, fortunately no cracks have formed so far (yet), neither inside nor especially outside... It might also be somewhat a matter of luck (not everything can be calculated exactly), additionally about 30% more gravel was installed under our floor slab, maybe that also makes a difference.