New house steel vs timber frame

Vlad_c · Sep 02, 2020 7:55 pm

Hi All,

I am building a new house and have to decide to go with traditional timber or steel frames. My builder told me that Truecore is the main steel frame supplier for them.

However, I start my exploring steel frames and found that a lot of people (not all of them) are saying that house steel frames can make some noise.

The surface area that touches between members is allowed to shift with such a connection and thus generates noise.

Is anyone has experience with that? I would like to go with stell because of termites prevention but not sure about the noise.

Thx
Vlad

alexp79 · Sep 02, 2020 9:47 pm

Not only noise (due to temperature contraction/expansion) but also steel frames will never be performing well thermally as steel is the major thermal bridge.

It won't help much against preventing termites too as they can always enter through slab or walls.

Joker · Sep 02, 2020 10:02 pm

And prone to cracked plaster with steel so rigid.

ddarroch · Sep 03, 2020 11:39 am

Steel has high thermal conductivity, so heat can flow through the frame, bypassing insulation. This is called thermal bridging, which can be a problem. Thermal bridging is not as big a problem with timber framed, as timber is an insulator (though nowhere near as good as bulk insulation).

Steel expands/contracts, as it is heated/cooled. Leading to the creaking noises you mentioned.

Steel has fairly high embodied energy. This is the energy used, & the CO2 emissions created, manufacturing steel & transporting it to site. If sustainably sourced, timber does the opposite. Actually locking CO2 in its structure. So it's a far more sustainable, environmentally friendly option.

95% of framed homes are built with timber. There are timber framed buildings that are hundreds of years old. They just need to be designed correctly, & inspected periodically, & termites shouldn't be a problem.

alexp79 · Sep 03, 2020 1:57 pm

If you are building custom house, I would recommend also considering alternatives such as ICF using Durisol-Nexcem blocks.

It uses woodcrete formwork (made of 90% of timber mixed with portland cement) and provides superior thermal insulation, fire, termite and water protection as well as regulates microclimate (PH levels, water vapour levels) inside the house. It also provides decent amount of thermal mass and allows to flatten temperature variation curve significantly.

Your house will be also of composite nature and several times stronger than double brick when it gets to protection from earthquake or hurricanes.

PM me if interested and I can recommend you the builder and provide more info about the system/technology.

Vlad_c · Sep 03, 2020 3:24 pm

Thank you everyone for answers.

ad0303 · Sep 04, 2020 10:07 am

Vlad_c

Thank you everyone for answers.

Hi Vlad, everything is not a negative for steel frames else the matkwt woukd nit have so many Steel Frame houses and mind you till a few years back and even today in sone places Steel Frames are more expensive to Timber Frames.

Some pro's:

1) strength, strength, strength
2) straight as an arrow, walls are straight corners are perfect the finish is really good
3) termite resistance, forget thr walls and stairs etc. They all can be replaced and treated but once its onto the frames it is way more complicated.

Issue's raised:

1) noise - Hybrid frames are successfull at minimising that, the roof is done in timber considerable diff. Also staircases are timber

2) heat conduction: if there is a good insulation between the veneer and the frames I would not worry about it as the frames are not exposed to the weather outside