Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Sep 24, 2009 6:28 pm Our builder has given us the option to go with a steel frame and we are not sure which way to go timber or steel. The cost difference is only $500 so that is not an issue. I also know the benefits with termites esp in qld with steel. So I am after any pros or cons of either choice, or if you have had a steel frame your opinion on it. Help is needed please. Cheers Lou http://take2-customdesigndownslope.blogspot.com 07-10-09 omg they have cut the block 14-05-10 we finally have the keys Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 2Sep 24, 2009 8:40 pm I lived in a steel frame house for 20 years ... and couldnt think of anything better. Our current house is timber frame.. I didnt bother to ask about price diff of steel.. thought it would be way more exxy. Much stronger, no termites, and less fuel in the event there is a fire... what more can you want ? Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 3Sep 25, 2009 8:39 am My son-in-law is a plasterer. He's convinced me to stay away from steel because of most examples he's seen go "ping" in the middle of the night, and it is not as easy to drill into as timber, and if there were an electrical fault the whole frame could become electrified. Concerning the pinging, it seems some houses don't have this problem, but a lot of houses do. Perhaps it depends on the skill of the constructor? Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 4Sep 25, 2009 9:48 am We went with steel..cost us 20k Extra...wish it was $500! For me..it was termites, the fact it's perfectly straight and lasts forever. Check out my thread if you want to see some pics. Built Liberty 42 - Handover 26th Feb 2010 forum thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17243 Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 5Sep 25, 2009 11:09 am I went with steel too. My brother is in the building industry and says its the way to go. It can make noises, termites dont eat it, but it can also corrode. My frames were in my clay soil and he told me to get the builder to clean the big clumps off as the acid can corrode the steel. I also dont think steel frames are recommended by the beach for this reason. Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 6Sep 25, 2009 1:22 pm our steel frame house was a 2minute drive from the Ocean in Perth... never had an issue. never heard it ping... the colorbond roof was the only thing that made it noisy. I spose there are different types of steel frames? Who knows. lol Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 7Sep 25, 2009 6:00 pm Thanks all, we told the builder to go ahead with the steel frame, I think I would rather put up with any pinging of the frame compared with the munching of termites esp that we are building in the western corridor in brisbane/ipswich. Cheers Lou http://take2-customdesigndownslope.blogspot.com 07-10-09 omg they have cut the block 14-05-10 we finally have the keys Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 8Sep 25, 2009 10:17 pm [JADED] Much stronger, no termites, and less fuel in the event there is a fire... what more can you want ? The majority of new house frames are built with termite-treated framing Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 9Sep 25, 2009 10:27 pm Quote: Much stronger I don't think steel is stronger, you cannot walk across a steel frame roof beam as it will bend, but you can walk across a timber one. Another benefit of steel frame is that your rooms are larger. Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 10Sep 25, 2009 10:48 pm Dukekamaya The majority of new house frames are built with termite-treated framing Termite resistant, much like cheap watches are splash proof. Check the warrantee, they have so many outs. Even in a steel home termites will eat the back paper off of your gyprock if they are hungry enough. Most of the substances you could use to effectively kill and prevent termites are banned in built up areas, the stuff they use now is more like a bad perfume to the termites (it will kill some but is unlikely to wipe out the whole nest) and will only encourage them to go elsewhere. buildingwithhamra I don't think steel is stronger, you cannot walk across a steel frame roof beam as it will bend, but you can walk across a timber one. Another benefit of steel frame is that your rooms are larger. I have spent many hours on the rooves of steel framed houses. The strength of a frame is in its total structure, not single components. (ever seen a car balanced on 4 eggs, or on china teacups - used correctly some apparently fragile objects have great strength) Many steel homes have steel roofs, so the spans are usually around 1200 rather than 600 on a conventional tiled timber frame. Most timber frames are not engineered; they follow guidelines that are usually overkill (partly to compensate for inconsistencies and quality control issues with timber, and partly to allow for trades that flex the envelope) As for bigger ?????? LVL can span huge distances quite cheap, solid timbers (hardwoods) are expensive but very strong (old churches can be huge and rely on timber frames/trusses.) Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 11Sep 25, 2009 10:52 pm I remember another negative for steel frame, you cannot have an door opening more than 3.6m without extra steel, and I think I was quoted $500 a meter for this extra steel. You can do a larger opening with timber with no problems. Hence again timber is stronger than steel. Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 12Sep 26, 2009 12:01 am buildingwithhamra I remember another negative for steel frame, you cannot have an door opening more than 3.6m without extra steel, and I think I was quoted $500 a meter for this extra steel. You can do a larger opening with timber with no problems. Hence again timber is stronger than steel. Sorry - I couldn't let this miss-information go without a comment. Our carport is 4.9m wide (steel frame) and most large workshops/aircraft hangers/warehouses etc are steel constructions with VERY large doors. The prices and details you quote sound more like your builder didn’t want to go with steel (may not have the experience/skills/equipment/care factor or whatever). Erected steel frames at the end of the day are very competitive with timber, otherwise they wouldn’t be using it for general construction, and you would only see it for specialist applications. Most houses are made from radiata pine, if it is so strong much stronger than steel why isn’t it just 1mm thick like the steel is? LOL I have no problems with timber or steel, and accept individuals have preferences. At the end of the day it is almost a Ford vs Holden type of argument, with only a few specific situations where one outperforms the other. (for price or application) As for framing steel at $500 per meter, are you sure this wasn’t going to be gold plated? LOL This next bit is from a website, and it favours steel, but its hard to argue with the facts they present. There are many reasons why steel framing has come to the forefront as one of the best and most feasible alternative building materials for residential and commercial construction. Steel is a superior construction material. Highest strength-to-weight ratio of any building material 100% recyclable Minimum of 25% recycled content Non-combustible - does not burn nor contribute fuel to the spread of a fire Inorganic - will not rot, warp, split, crack or creep Dimensionally stable - does not expand or contract with moisture content Less scrap and waste (2% for steel vs. 20% for lumber) Consistent material quality - produced in strict accordance with national standards, no regional variations Benefits to the Consumer There are many reasons why homeowners are turning to steel framing: Discounts on insurance Fire safety Not vulnerable to termites, or to any type of fungi or organism, including mold Less probability of foundation problems - less weight results in less movement Straight walls and square corners Stronger connections, screwed versus nailed High strength to weight ratio results in a stronger structure. Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 13Sep 26, 2009 3:06 pm Hills Guy Termite resistant, much like cheap watches are splash proof. Check the warrantee, they have so many outs. Even in a steel home termites will eat the back paper off of your gyprock if they are hungry enough. Most of the substances you could use to effectively kill and prevent termites are banned in built up areas, the stuff they use now is more like a bad perfume to the termites (it will kill some but is unlikely to wipe out the whole nest) and will only encourage them to go elsewhere. The framing has a 25 year transferrable guarantee against infestation - no outs It is treated with Bifenthrin, the same chemical used in ant-sand. Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 14Sep 26, 2009 3:48 pm Quote: Check the warrantee, they have so many outs. Even in a steel home termites will eat the back paper off of your gyprock if they are hungry enough. Most of the substances you could use to effectively kill and prevent termites are banned in built up areas, the stuff they use now is more like a bad perfume to the termites (it will kill some but is unlikely to wipe out the whole nest) and will only encourage them to go elsewhere. Quote: Not only will termites eat the paper backing on the gyprock but they will also eat the insulation from the electric wiring...I've seen it with my own eyes and couldn't believe it! Then if that wasn't bad enough they bridged across to furniture placed along the walls and ate that too. I have to admit that when that house owner phoned me to come and treat termites in his 'furniture' I doubted him because this doesn't usually happen, but on arrival and a close inspection it soon became evident what had happened. The under-slab had NOT been treated as the owners were convinced by their builder that termites wouldn't come through a concrete floor and having a steel frame on top of that concrete floor they were safe as a bank!! How far from the truth was that advice! After many years in the industry this had to be 'the' worst infestation we had to deal with...it's not nice having to drill through someone's floor in a grid pattern throughout the 'whole' house. Of course, they had to move out 'all' of their possessions and while doing this, further infestations was discovered. I felt so sorry for the owners...so the moral of the story is have 'all' underfloor areas treated whether the frame is timber or steel. I can also talk from personal experience with a steel framed house because we owned one and while it didn't ping (as mentioned above) the roof did pop as the steel sheets expanded and contracted...but you didn't notice it after a few days and if you did it was a sure sign the sky was turning grey and to rush out and bring the washing on the clothesline. To hang paintings etc on the wall, I mostly used toggle hooks for lightweight items and for heavier weights used screws into the wall studs...just the same as you would for timber studs (except you might use a nail). The only other difference I noticed was that if someone closed a door quite hard (or it slammed in the wind) then it made a loud noise...the alternative was to close doors more gently. Other than that I'm considering building a steel frame again, just hoping the cost difference is similar to what you've been quoted. Hope this helps? Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 15Oct 08, 2009 11:48 am Hi All, I'm very intersted in your builder who has offered either Timber or Steel Framing. There are so many misconceptions around Steel Framing, most of them purpetrated by "Timber" Japan = 80% steel Spain = 75+% steel All of Australia = 14% steel South Australia = 33% steel One of New Zealand's largest home builders (450 per year) exclusively steel. Timber now banned from worker accomodation in the Middle East due to fire ratings. etc. etc. etc. The levels of steel vs Timber vary greatly depening on the region in the world that you are. Steel being much more space efficient for raw material than timber, where there is no timber, you bulid in steel. Steel is much stronger in a frame than timber, and also much lighter. A comparable wall frame or roof truss is only 30% as heavy as timber, thus increasing the working life and OH&S conditions of frame erectors and builders. The whole house should actually be CHEAPER and FASTER to build in steel dues to it's light weight and the fact that the service holes will already be in the framing, so the plumbers, sparkies etc don't need to drill any holes, and you never need to straighten a wall (no planeing) due to a rain event during erection of the frame. Steel isn't effected by rain like timber is. The frame is always straight, and will never absorb moisture. I'm running a large product launch in Melbourne around steel framing machines in Melbourne from the 19th to the 23rd. The 22nd (Thursday) is dedicated to the TAFE/Engineers/Designers to come along and be educated about modern, high speed steel framing. I welcome anyone to come along and have a look at how steel framing is made, on fully computer controlled machines which are accurate to withing 0.1mm. Imagine your walls always being 100% precise, not hand made by a carpenter on site........ PM me for details. Moderators, I'm not trying to advertise, just trying to educate. All welcome on Thursday. Peter Blythe Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 16Jan 09, 2014 8:57 am I found this article and I think it explains the pros and cons of each really well, thought I'd share - http://www.desudesignerhomes.com.au/timber-or-steel/ More than anything it's saying it depends on your design and where you're building. I think if price isn't a factor then choose steel frame! That's just my opinion. Actually, furthermore, I've just called these guys and regarding the creaking and expanding and contracting - the guy said that the better the insulation around the steel, the less you'll hear it plus he also said that plaster board and fiber cement cladding expands and contracts at approx the same rate so if building in steel, try and build in those materials because if they're moving together there shouldn't be an issue - aka that'll prevent the cracks. But in that article on their site, they also say that your home can crack with timber frame as well because it's not as straight as steel. Just worth considering I think. Hope this helps. Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 17Apr 20, 2018 9:40 am Greetings, thank you all for valuable feedbacks and i am now convince that steel frame is the way to go. Could you recommend any steel frame manufacturers in Sydney metro for my new build? Thanking in advance for your advise. Regards Henry Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 18Oct 15, 2019 9:40 pm [JADED] I lived in a steel frame house for 20 years ... and couldnt think of anything better. Our current house is timber frame.. I didnt bother to ask about price diff of steel.. thought it would be way more exxy. Much stronger, no termites, and less fuel in the event there is a fire... what more can you want ? So, the steel frame home that you rate highly of, was this a single story or 2-story house? Re: Timber or Steel Frame? 19Oct 15, 2019 9:43 pm civarow Greetings, thank you all for valuable feedbacks and i am now convince that steel frame is the way to go. Could you recommend any steel frame manufacturers in Sydney metro for my new build? Thanking in advance for your advise. Regards Henry Did you end up following through with the steel frame? Was this a single story or 2-story house? This is 100% true. You can not hang anything on steel frames. very frustrating 8 10374 Hi I am wanting some opinions about the build of a steel shed I am going to get one about 4.5 x 2.5 m steel shed and the height will be about 2.3-2.4m high The one I am… 0 14948 Hi, We have a single story MacDonald Jones house, on a waffle pod slab with steel frame. Are we able to build a second story extension? Other info is we are 900mm from… 0 9244 |