A home is a big investment, and it's worth every penny. After all, it's your personal space, your protection, and the setting in which you raise a family. Naturally, homeowners want to use the highest-quality building materials to ensure their home will last as long as they want to live there. Or if your home is an investment, you want to protect it for the long term and not be worrying about ongoing costs and repairs.
That's really the only reason you need to choose steel framing for a house, but we've got 10 reasons, in case you're curious:
Termite Resistant
Termites are a bit of a problem in Australia. There are about 300 different species of termites in the country, and one of them, the West Indian drywood termite, is the most destructive in the world. If you're building a home with a wood frame, it's essential to check regularly for termites as the damage may quickly move to the very framework of the home and you might not even realize it until something collapses. With a steel frame, this isn't a concern. Superficial termite damage to wood siding, for example, is more easily remedied. (Of course, you can eliminate that risk, as well, by choosing vinyl, metal, or fiber cement siding.)
Durability
There's a reason skyscrapers are built of steel. It's incredibly strong and durable.
No Warping
Over time, sunlight, humidity, water, temperature changes, and pressure can cause wood to bend and rot, which again can damage the structural integrity of a home and lead to additional problems with the building. For example, you might find a door or a window that starts to stick because a warped beam is putting pressure against the door or window frame. Steel doesn't warp.
Safety
See above: a stronger building is a safer building.
Fire Resistant
As another safety bonus, steel frames won't burn in the terrible event of a fire.
Straighter Lines
With steel, we can achieve straighter lines and more precise angles than we can with wood framing for greater aesthetics and structural soundness. Steel allows your home to maintain its shape over the long term.
Consistency
Wood grain varies throughout a piece of lumber. That makes it beautiful for furniture, but the naturally occurring weaker areas aren't ideal for a building frame. Steel is consistently strong from one end to another.
Less Maintenance
This is the reward you reap because of the benefits listed above. When your home is less prone to damage, you're less likely to be faced with costly repairs and upkeep.
Eco-Friendly
Since you don't have to worry about termites or anything else destroying your frame, there's no reason to treat it with chemicals you really don't want anywhere in your home. Along those eco-friendly lines, steel is recyclable. In the unlikely event that you ever tear your house down and start over, that steel framing can be used again, which is good news for the world we live in. Finally, because of the controlled conditions under which steel is produced, waste is limited.
Cost Effective
Though steel framing may cost more than wood, it pays for itself fairly quickly. You save money every year on maintenance and you can't insure against termite damage so repairs on timber will be out of pocket.
Building a home is exciting because you have so many choices. When it comes to framing, the obvious choice is a steel frame from the Stoddart Group.