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Platinum Member
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.
Posts: 21,381
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Talk to a fire official about steel before you decide to go that way. I am a builder, have friends and contractors that are fire officials. The steel twists and fails, it takes hours for 3" or 5" beam to burn through.
Neighbors fire, the steel beams in the basement expanded enough to push out the foundation walls.
I don't know about your area, but the prices you quoted for materials could get a wood frame up and weatherproofed, including labor.
And the trades will likely add on considerably the additional and unexpected labor.
As you are considering a Ranch, have you looked at Modulars?
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