Steel Frame Price 2020

Filipe · Jun 23, 2020 1:59 am

Hi All, We're contemplating building our first home with steel frame for its advantages re passive heating and cooling. So far I have two challenges:
- In Perth, no project builders want to talk about anything other than double brick walls like midland brick is the only thing there is;
- Pricing. So far I have not had concrete answers re steel being more expense and by how much. Some builders I have spoken to say it's too expensive but it really seems like they say that to try get me to go with brick since its their bred and butter.

Question for you. What your experience with pricing so far when building in Perth. Cheers

Doozer1905 · Jun 23, 2020 2:38 am

I work for a builder in there office in Perth, with steel frame it is more expensive than double brick, hard to give an exact figure but I'm guessing on an average 4x2 around 10k wouldn't be outrageous.
IMO you would be better going for timber framed, there are pros and cons for both but it's cheaper than steel (roughly the cost of double brick), a lot less movement in the frame itself, better to fix to (sarking, plasterboard, skirting etc). Easier to add power points etc. after. Don't also get the expansion banging of steel frames in summer.
I don't think you will find many project builders doing clad or Brick Veneer houses, I'm sure there is some, but you would want to suss out how many they have done before you commit.

alexp79 · Jun 23, 2020 2:52 am

Thermally, steel frames only work if you insulate it from the outside or from the inside (e.g. with EPS/XPS) to prevent thermal bridging. In-stud insulation will never be effective enough to comply even with the minimum insulation requirements.

How much does the double brick wall costs in Perth nowadays, I wonder?

In NSW it will be roughly $160-180 for materials ($2 face bricks, $0.8 inner leaf breaks, rigid insulation between leaves, ties, mortar) + at least $100 for labour (if you are really lucky) + plastering/drywall costs separately on top.

I would assume timber or steel frame + veneer brick should still be way cheaper to supply and install + you should also save something on "lighter" foundation requirements as well as on the reduced construction time.

mwarr · Jun 23, 2020 8:08 am

Talk to Summit Homes. We are building Steel frame with them in Perth. They have ticked all my boxes all the way through. They believe it will be the future of house building in WA.
Let me know if you want our sales guy contact, an absolute pro.

plainlandhouse · Jul 07, 2020 11:20 pm

mwarr

Talk to Summit Homes. We are building Steel frame with them in Perth. They have ticked all my boxes all the way through. They believe it will be the future of house building in WA.
Let me know if you want our sales guy contact, an absolute pro.

Hi there,

How far into your steel frame build are you with Summit? We are looking to build with them due to offering steel frame ( originally from QLD) double brick seems primitive to us.

Any pointers you have to clear up with summit prior to signing of contract?

Cheers

mwarr · Jul 08, 2020 8:52 am

plainlandhouse

mwarr

Talk to Summit Homes. We are building Steel frame with them in Perth. They have ticked all my boxes all the way through. They believe it will be the future of house building in WA.
Let me know if you want our sales guy contact, an absolute pro.

Hi there,

How far into your steel frame build are you with Summit? We are looking to build with them due to offering steel frame ( originally from QLD) double brick seems primitive to us.

Any pointers you have to clear up with summit prior to signing of contract?

Cheers

Hi
Should have plans submitted to council next week and sign about the same time.
Summit have been awesome all the way through and in fact suggested we go steel frame based on our block and what we were wanting to achieve .
Let me know if you want our guys contact details.
Good luck

ddarroch · Jul 09, 2020 9:47 pm

Dupe, due to poor editing

ddarroch · Jul 09, 2020 9:54 pm

Filipe

Hi All, We're contemplating building our first home with steel frame for its advantages re passive heating and cooling.

Er, a steel frame for it's passive design advantages?

I think you've got that wrong. Steel, like all metals, has high thermal conductivity. This conduction of heat creates the issue of thermal bridging, heat traveling through your building envelope.

Timber is an insulator, with far lower thermal conductivity than steel. It's a far better choice for a building's frame. It's also cheaper!

If your interest in passive solar design is not just about energy efficiency to save on bills, but also about sustainability, then you'd be interested to know that timber, when harvested sustainably, is a far, far more sustainable choice. Steel has high embodied energy, meaning it's production creates large amounts of CO2 emissions. Timber does the exact opposite. It locks up CO2 in the home's structure!

I guess you're a bit confused, comparing a double brick home, to a framed home, whether that's timber framed or steel framed. Whether it's brick veneer, reverse brick veneer, or lightweight cladding.

It's not the steel frame that makes these more energy efficient. It's the room in the frame for higher levels of bulk insulation.

Me, I'd choose a timber frame every day. For coastal areas I'd use lightweight cladding. With a concrete slab, ample thermal mass for thermal stability. For inland areas I'd consider upping the thermal mass with reverse brick veneer.

I'd recommend you read the government's 'Your Home' website. Not just to learn more about passive design, but also this section about different building materials & techniques,

https://www.yourhome.gov.au/materials/c ... on-systems