Steel is the leading framing material used in construction in the United States.
Often when people think of steel buildings, they think of large industrial buildings and barns. In reality, steel is the framing used in beautiful buildings like the Empire State Building.
Steel frame homes are now becoming available as well, and here are the reasons why:
Recyclable
If you are looking for an eco-friendly building solution, steel frame homes are a great option. Steel was named as the most recycled material in North America.
Because of its high integrity, it can be recycled over and over again. This means that your structure will retain value over time.
Even better is at the end of the building’s life, you can sell the scrap to be recycled again.
Fire Resistant
On average, there is one reported home fire every 86 seconds. No home or building will ever be completely fireproof, but steel is fire resistant. Decrease your vulnerability to the destruction of fire with a steel building.
Steel is non-combustible, which means it will not spread flames. As a result, fires spread much more slowly in steel buildings than they do in wood framed ones, like a wooden barn.
This difference could be huge when considering your own safety, the safety of your family and animals, or even your belongings inside.
Low Maintenance
The incredible durability of steel means the maintenance over the building’s lifetime will be low.
With a steel home, you won’t have to worry about repainting, replacing a roof, or hard to clean areas. On top of the ease of aesthetic maintenance, the structural maintenance is low as well.
Damage caused by termites and critters can be significant in normal wood framed buildings. That means when you choose steel, you avoid the huge headache of fighting off pests and possibly repairing the damage that they cause.
Moisture is also another huge enemy of wood. You can avoid the large expenses that rotting and cracking wood frames can cause when you use steel.
Lastly, steel homes hold up extremely well to harsh weather conditions. Steel has the ability to bend without breaking so, harsh weather conditions like high winds and even some seismic activity can’t match the strength of steel.
Choosing to build a steel home means less upkeep over time and less stress on you.
Wallet-Friendly
The low maintenance of steel means that you will save a great deal of money over the lifetime of your structure.
Steel’s structural strength and fire resistance also mean that your insurance rates are usually lower than they would be on a wood framed building.
When you protect yourself against these risks, you won’t have to pay your insurance company as much to do so. Insurance premiums can be up to 40% less for steel structures.
The construction of steel structures is also significantly cheaper in both materials and labor.
There’s nothing worse than seeing your money go down the drain and that’s exactly what happens when constructing a wood frame building.
There is also a lot less waste in the construction of a steel building compared to that of a wood frame building. Generally, the construction of a steel building has about 2% waste compared to the 20% in wood structures.
Time-Saver
The simple nature of steel buildings means that they can be erected quickly.
The frames are usually pre-fabricated, cutting down on the time it takes to assemble.
An added bonus is the less time it takes to assemble, the less money your paying for labor. Most buildings require many skilled workers, months of work to build everything piece by piece from the ground up.
Long gone are the days of having to wait weeks or months for your new building to be framed. Many companies like Victory Buildings will deliver the pieces and assemble them all in the same day.
Cut down on time and expenses when you choose steel.
Energy Savings
Whether its a building to industrial use, or a residential building, energy savings are available.
Usually, industrial buildings used for warehouses, barns, storage, garages and more don’t need to be climate controlled. This is obviously a huge energy saving win.
Even better is that when used in residential buildings or homes, steel allows for more energy savings as well.
In steel frame buildings, there are deeper walls that allow for more and higher quality insulation.
Steel Frame Homes
Like mentioned earlier, steel buildings don’t have to only include barns, garages, or warehouses.
Steel can be used in home frames as well and the outside customized to look like anything but a steel building. Advances in technology mean that steel buildings can have anything from a brick to a vinyl façade. There are a lot of options out there.
What better place to take advantage of all the benefits of steel than in your own home?
Avoid Foundation Problems
Steel buildings generally use less building materials than buildings constructed out of wood and concrete.
Fewer materials mean less weight on the foundation and less settling of the foundation.
Steel could help you avoid foundational issues over time because of the simplicity of the structure.
The Better Way
Many times we get stuck in the rut of doing things a certain way because it is the way it has always been done.
Don’t let the rut keep you from enjoying the incredible benefits that steel frame homes have to offer.
If you’re looking for more awesome ways to improve your home, check out our article on 5 awesome ideas for your shed.