Anybody know about steel frame homes?

[Wrecked944]

Yeah, sometimes I wonder if I can really ask any question on Pelican and get intelligent answers. I have yet to be disappointed. Seems like you guys can't be stumped.

But seriously, I was surfing around google and saw these things for sale and wondered if anyone has tried it or knows about them. Steel framing for a house seems odd? But I guess it works for skyscrapers, right? Seems very cost effective as well. Like a big erector set. I used to have an erector set when I was a kid but I wouldn't trust anything I built back then to hold up my house!!

[928ram]

Janus,

Do you have a link? Sounds interesting.

Steel buildings for commercial apps as well as barns, garages, workshops have become really common, the only drawback being that the siding looks commercial but I guess that could be changed. That type of building would be great for a home structure as there are no interior load-bearing walls so interior layout can be anything from effecient to wild and crazy.
In alot of areas they've gone to using steel studs for interior was; I don't think this is what you are looking at, but they offer no load-bearing strength; just somewhere to hang drywall.

[Eric 951]

The steel-framed houses do allow for more architectural flexibility on the inside, and are obviously fire-retardant. the downside is the extra $$$ you pay up-front, but in the long run, you would make out--no deterioration, pests, etc.

I am a big fan, and when I build my own home, it will have a steel skeleton.

[Wrecked944]

Originally posted by 928ram
Do you have a link? Sounds interesting.

Sure. Here are two companies that I found pretty much by accident.

http://www.steelframinginc.com/consumer.html
http://www.heritagebuildings.com/steel_homes/index.asp

Some of the prices seem unreasonably low...of course I realize they don't include plumbing, electrical etc. But still...they seem really low.



BTW - I did the interior framing for my basement using steel studs. It was very easy. I framed up two rooms using nothing more than tin snips and a power screwdriver. Easier than an erector set - it was more like tinker toys.

[competentone]

If you're looking for good alternatives to wood (steel is one I love) in home construction, I'd also suggest you consider Insulated Concrete Forms -- often abbreviated as "ICFs."

I don't have any links, but a web search should pull up plenty for you.

[MFAFF]

The steel frame's primary advantage is in the time it takes to build the thing on site.

Once you have created the foundation and therefore the base for the frame it can go up in a matter of days and be air and water tight very quickly....that means you save on the labour cost for this strucutre.

Once you are air and water tight you can take more time to 'fit-out' the interior....in the warm.

Look carefully thro' those prices.. they exclude quite a lot of expensive parts..like the foundation...

Once you are up and running the price you finally pay depends on your taste of interior.

If you are looking at a very contemporary home then the flecibility of the steel frame can generate some awesome open plan spaces and triple bay garages with a few mezzanine levels thrown in...

Clad it in glass and some decent opaque cladding panels and you have yourself a great home...

[john70t]

I've briefly looked into them and like the idea- no sagging doorframes, no fire, no termites, less mold and sometimes cheaper than wood as well to boot. There are a few companies on the net, pay attention to the steel specs and joining process.
Pine(common framing soft wood) supposedly has a higher water percentage these days as the trees are grown rapidly so there's bound to be the odd settling issue as water is lost from the wood.

One dream house design would be a concrete box with steel framed perimeters for structure. Foam sheets outside that and rammed-earth packed around that to shed water and hold in heat. The ceiling would have a foot of fireproof spray foam and on top of all this is a prefabbed insulated warehouse/workshop. Almost no money to heat that baby in the middle of any winter.
Heating is through a geo-exchange loop(which uses heat from the ground) which is less drafty and more efficient with radient heat floors.
Lighting is through skylight tubes and fiberoptics with a solar panel array and battery shed for night useage.

[azasadny]

My home was built in 1936 using steel beam construction. We are adding 1000sq ft to the house right now and my general contractor/builder has been very impressed with the build quality and integrity of the house, which is almost 70 years old. No drooping floors, warped beams, unlevel walls or floors, etc... Cutting the steel beams is a royal pain and the wall beams are thinner than a standard 2x4" wall, so "patching in" is a little more complex. Let me know if you need/want more info and I'll send you my phone number and pics of the house so you get a better idea of how our home was built.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Shoot me a PM if you want information, I built one last year with a local contractor. I love it!!! Very, very quiet. Welded with 5 1/2" structural steel, steel I-Beams, and steel purling. 6" of insulation all around, double pane windows, steel doors, heated the home from 1 Oct to 10 Feb (1800 sqft living, 2830 under roof) for 140 gallons of propane and average of $65.00 per month electric.

[azasadny]

The red studs in the pics are steel beams...

[island911]

Originally posted by Eric 951
. .. but in the long run, you would make out--no deterioration, pests, etc.

Steel is great stuff . . .but it can Rust (just ask those early-car guys)

Personally I think that SIPs are a good way to go.

[azasadny]

All of the steel components on my house were painted with red oxide paint back in 1936. no rust anywhere and the steel is relatively lightweight with alot of strength. I have gone through countless bimetal blades on my Sawzall while ripping out walls during my project. It's amazing how well the steel has stood the test of time.

[Wrecked944]

Originally posted by Groesbeck Hurricane

HA! That looks JUST like my basement before I hung the sheetrock. I don't know anything about the exterior framing with steel, but I can report that using steel studs like those for the interior makes it all much easier. Even the holes for wiring come pre-drilled. If that is how the various steel house kit companies do it, then I am feeling more confident since I've done that part before. Did you also assemble the exterior yourself or did you have a pro do it?

[asphaltgambler]

Yeah, but how much bondo do you need to make it look right??

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Pros did all the framing, plumbing, electrical (the bank wouldn't let me do this), insulation, exterior metal, and sheetrocking. I did the floors, doors, painting (exterior panels came painted), and planting. The metal came from Mueller, they are on the internet, and the structural steel was all welded. The metal studs were screwed in and two guys did it in two and 1/2 days. This type of construction lends itself well to vaulted ceilings and poorly to dormers. give and take.

Oh, and go into most new wood built homes. The walls will have bows in them as seen by running a string line on the wall. Mine were all straight and the corners were square according to my metal wood square. Never lived in a wood structure that was square. Concrete (ICFs) are supposed to be very square also. We could not locate a builder who could do that type of construction in our area.

[Eric 951]

Originally posted by island911
Steel is great stuff . . .but it can Rust (just ask those early-car guys)

Personally I think that SIPs are a good way to go.

Thinwall utilized in cars and the structural steel are worlds apart. You may get surface rust, but unless the steel is subjected to some type of caustic oxidizing agent--it will not rust.

I work in metal building, roofing and siding construction, and on most retrofits we do, the basic structure is still sound, and often only requires replacement of the sheeting, and not the beams, girts, etc.

And, for homes, if the anchor bolt layout is correct, raising the building itself is relatively straightforward. Depending upon the height of your columns, and the span of your roof joists, you can set the entire building with a 35' reach forktruck, a set of spudwrenches, 2 1/2" drive impacts, and a level.

[Franklin]

Another alternative, if you can handle it, is Hay Bales. We know some folks with a hay bale house it it is really pretty nice. Great R factor if that is important.

[kaisen]

Steel construction is prevalent in commercial construction, so there are a lot of contractors that are well-versed in making it happen. And there are many more exterior choices than just corrugated steel. Any traditional siding and roof can work. Steel is just a skeleton.

Steel is environmentally friendly, more fire-retardant, and sometimes stronger.

Pricing depends on the contractor, and the difference between wood and steel fluctuation (and both are sky high right now).

When we built 2 1/2 years ago, we did wood, FWIW.

E

[cegerer]

Steel has several disadvantages:

1 - It's new in residential construction. That means that extra care needs to be taken in selecting a contractor. It's bad enough finding a competent one for wood-framing (a material that has been around for several centuries!) .... for steel framing? Good luck. Be careful not to simply substitute steel studs for wood - an entirely different envelope design is required for moisture control and thermal losses.

2 - Rust. Yeah, they're galvanized. So are post-76 911's. That hasn't stopped them from rusting 20 years down the road.

3 - Thermal conductivity. It's poor and extra insulation needs to be added to make them comparable to wood. Steel studs with drywall are highly conducive to 'ghosting' or 'streaking' on the drywall along the stud lines due to large surface temperature differences.

4 - Fire Resistance. The first inclination would be to believe that steel has superior fire-resistance over wood. Not true!!! The steel industry claims steel studs are "as good as wood studs" in fire resistance. But there is little research that has been done to prove this. Obviously, steel does not combust, but it deforms and it's strength is affected. If you have a substantial fire, trust me, you won't be re-using any of the steel studs even tho they may look relatively OK.

5 - Environment. Wood is renewable. Steel? Production has improved greatly but steel is one of the most energy intensive industrial materials, generating pollution and waste from all stages of the process, including coking coal, purifying iron, and galvanizing. Galvanization of steel is done by the process of smelting. Wastewaters from zinc smelting facilities can contain a number of heavy metals.

Steel can be a good product if properly designed and constructed, but it's far from a miracle material and has yet to stand the test of time in residential applications. I've inspected a few aluminum-framed homes built in the 60's that were supposed to be the way of the future too ..... BTW: I'm a forensic structural engineer who investigates building failures.

[kaisen]

Good points, cegerer. I sure didn't know that.