The cost of construction has been a pivotal factor when it comes to building a dream home. There are several ways to cut the costs and the primary area where the costs can be tamed is the materials. However, the biggest fear is whether quality and strength of the building will be at stake when alternate materials are opted. Architect Soni Sooraj of Capellin Projects, Kozhikode, lists a few construction materials, which can reduce the costs with out compromising on the quality and strength of buildings. Depending on the locality where our house has been planned to come up and the climate, some of these materials will really help us keep the cost of construction low. GFRG (glass fiber reinforced gypsum) wall panel is made of gypsum plaster reinforced with glass fibers. The panels are hollow and can be used as load bearing walls. The hollow core inside the walls can be filled with in situ plain or reinforced concrete. The entire building (walls, slab, staircase, parapet walls) can be made using GFRG and thus completely avoid the use of burnt clay bricks. This reduces labour time by about 65% and construction time by 82% . Panels come with great surface finish and thereby eliminate the need for plastering. This reduces the overall construction cost by one-fourth. Bamboo is a cheap building material with added benefits such as sustainability. Bamboo is the most renewable and strongest of building materials. It can address our climatic concerns by reducing the CO2 content of the air and increasing the O2 content. India has second largest bamboo reserve in the world.