Building material used for walls: building material used for walls can be grouped under five categories.

These are: 

(i) Mud.

(ii) Stone.

(iii) Brick.

(iv) Timber.

(v) Wattle.

(i) Mud is the most common material available from all types of soils. It is the oldest material used in houses of old civilization.

(ii) Stone or Basalt boulders or rock cut pieces are widely used in Areas where availability in greater amounts and portability are favourable factors. Sandstone providing hilly zones, volcanic plateau zones exhibit examples of such houses in abundance.

(iii) Brick walls are now covering the countryside with the increased use of coal as baking material. In rural areas bricks are freely available. The oldest evidence of houses are available from excavation of various sites of Indus Valley civilization.

(iv) Timber or wooden wall houses have been common in forest areas because woods are available in abundance there. Examples abound in Bhil areas of Central India.

(v) Wattle wall is mainly the product of terrain of forest cover. This is due to availability of material almost without cost and skill among the owners. Mostly Gonds and Bhils reside in such houses.

Building material used for roofs: These materials can be grouped under seven categories.

(i) Tiles.

(ii) Thatch.

(iii) Mid and other material.

(iv) Tin.

(v) Stone slab.

(vi) Wood 

(vii) Brick and others.

(i) Tile roofs are common throughout India. Two types of tiles: semi-cylinder and flat are used for covering houses with varied sizes and forms.

(ii) Thatching is an original shelter making skill, still prevalent in most of the poor class people. All sorts of walls are covered by Thatch. Whether it is stone, timber or mud walled houses.

(iii) Mud thatching of ten mixed with cow dung, is common in western part of India. In western part of Uttar Pradesh such houses mark the horizon in each settlement.

(iv) Stone slabs have been used since ancient times in mountain, hilly and plateau areas. Sandstone and slate-slaps make durable roofs after being cut and designed according to need.

(v) Wood as roof material is common in the Northern mountainous region of India. In lower altitude particularly Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir the houses are converted into tin or water proof material.

(vi) Bricks make flat and smooth roofs in the form lintel mixed with iron rods and cement, a practice in vogue, in modern type rural houses particularly in rural market centres and commonly found in the houses of rural rich.