Browse Forums General Discussion Re: Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 2Jan 05, 2011 9:14 pm 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 8Jan 21, 2011 9:14 am 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 11May 30, 2017 10:10 pm All, Looking for inputs/suggestion here.. T2 Treated Termite Resistant Frame (or) Hybrid Frame? Note: T2 Treated Termite Resistant Frame - Full timber framing system that has been pre-treated for termite protection Hybrid - combination of steel frame and treated timber trusses Which one is better? Please let me know your thoughts? Many thanks! Re: Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 12May 31, 2017 10:05 am Cost would seem the issue. I reckon steel frame is great. But - not all that new is it. We had a steel framed house and the big difference was at night - NO noises ... Clearly superior in termite areas. BUT - when doing electrical things remember it is there. I well remember an electrician doing work - I warned him we had steel frame - yet he went his merry way. Not sure what he did but we got quite a flash and one of the wall tiles melted - actually looked like it melted. He went very white. Re: Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 13May 31, 2017 12:33 pm I used steel frames on my shack (so I had somewhere to stay whilst building my house). I regretted using the steel frames. I found them more difficult to use than timber. I have raking ceilings and some of the prefabricated steel frames did not fit. I had to try and cut them down with an angle grinder re-drill them and re-rivet them. My results were poor. Careful planning to provide extra noggins for wall mounted items is required at an early stage. I found hand rivetting them together with structural rivets very hard & I managed to sprain my arms which meant I could not do any building work for several months. Second fixing (architraves, door frames skirtings etc) to the steel frames was unsatisfactory. Often the self drilling screws would be over tightened and become loose or the screw heads would remain proud if not over tightened. On my house build I used treated timber. It was cheap to buy and easy to work with. Timber frames could be quickly made and fixed together using drop saw and nail gun. It was easy to make minor changes/adjustments as work progressed. Damaged or bowed studs could be easily replaced. Extra timber supports for heavy wall mounted items could readily be added up to sheeting walls both sides. Re: Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 14May 31, 2017 10:30 pm Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Thanks so much for the responses, much appreciated. I'll provide further details so that you can help me make a decision. I'm building with Eden Brae homes and have the above option included in my build price i.e., I can choose either T2 treated termite resistant frame or combination of steel and treated timber trusses. 1.) I'm not sure whether 'treated trusses' is the same as 'T2 treated termite resistant' because if I choose the hybrid option I get treated trusses for the non-metal portion 2.) From the above picture, it looks like steel is only for the roof area? P.S. This is my first ever build so please bear with me if I'm not using the right building terms/language 3.) The timber frame looks different in both the pictures - at least the colour. Not sure what the difference is? 4.) I'm doing few things externally post completion by builder - Ducted air conditioning, some electrical stuff like downlights, external facade lights, light over garage, external side lights etc. Will the above hybrid frame be suitable for these works? In other words, will there be any constraints if I use hybrid frame? With the above inputs, do you still suggest T2 treated termite resistant frame is the way to go? Your time is much appreciated. Re: Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 15Jun 01, 2017 11:56 am Timber is WAY more sustainable. If sourced correctly, it is a carbon sink, actually extracting carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Steel emits A LOT of CO2 during it's manufacture. A steel frame is thermally inefficient. Steel is a very high conductor of heat. This means in summertime heat can bypass the insulation, heating the house. This is called thermal bridging, & must be taken into account during the design stage. Timber is an appropriate material for a houses frame. The frame is inside the building envelope, protected from the environment. There's timber framed houses that have stood for hundreds of years. It just needs to be treated in termite areas. Timber is also cheaper, so why would you bother with steel? Re: Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 16Jun 01, 2017 4:18 pm Hi, My personal choice is steel but it depends on many factors like budget, your location, etc. If you are leaving in coastal area timber is good but otherwise steel is better. The builder may take more time to complete the house if you chose steel frames. Moreover, if you want to revamp your house in future, which require frame changes, it will be a problem. Thanks, Re: Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 17Jun 03, 2017 3:13 pm ddarroch Timber is WAY more sustainable. If sourced correctly, it is a carbon sink, actually extracting carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Steel emits A LOT of CO2 during it's manufacture. Then again, it depends on what your definition of sustainable is. Theoretically a steel frame should last a millenium, whereas wood frames can burn down, by eaten by termites, sag, etc, thus requiring demolition and rebuilding. Not so with steel. ddarroch A steel frame is thermally inefficient. Steel is a very high conductor of heat. This means in summertime heat can bypass the insulation, heating the house. This is called thermal bridging, & must be taken into account during the design stage. Dont follow that logic. A wood frame bypasses insulation in the same way and will conduct heat as well, but less efficiently as you state. But the rub is that on a very hot day, such as we experience so often now in these heatwaves every summer, timber actually soaks up and retains the heat well into the night, requiring you to use air con to cool your house down. Again, in that respect it is not so sustainable ddaroc Timber is an appropriate material for a houses frame. The frame is inside the building envelope, protected from the environment. There's timber framed houses that have stood for hundreds of years. It just needs to be treated in termite areas. Timber is also cheaper, so why would you bother with steel? Steel or timber, they are both inside the build envelope. Timber may not be cheaper in the long run if you have to annually pay for termite treatments. In my opinion, steel frames are easier to assemble and fix onsite than timber frames, particularly for a novice or unskilled builder. So there are some answer to your question as to why you would use steel. Re: Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 18Jun 08, 2017 12:12 pm Hi guys, Thanks so much for the responses, it helps! Now, I'm specifically looking for inputs on the below. I'm going to do Ducted air conditioning, some electrical stuff like downlights, external facade lights, light over garage, external side lights, hanging pendant lights (kitchen). Will there be any constraints if I go with Steel frame? I don't want to choose Steel frame and get caught out not being able to do any of the above - would appreciate your inputs please. I reached out to my electrical consultant (builder's) and the below was her response - If you have a steel frame access to the cavity wall is impossible as the steel fills the cavity. If it is a timber frame then the noggins are placed on the side so there is cavity to add additional items at a later date. Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 19Jun 08, 2017 1:54 pm voz Hi guys, Thanks so much for the responses, it helps! Now, I'm specifically looking for inputs on the below. I'm going to do Ducted air conditioning, some electrical stuff like downlights, external facade lights, light over garage, external side lights, hanging pendant lights (kitchen). Will there be any constraints if I go with Steel frame? I don't want to choose Steel frame and get caught out not being able to do any of the above - would appreciate your inputs please. I reached out to my electrical consultant (builder's) and the below was her response - If you have a steel frame access to the cavity wall is impossible as the steel fills the cavity. If it is a timber frame then the noggins are placed on the side so there is cavity to add additional items at a later date. Will depend on the design of your steel frame but ours only has small noggins that take up less space than timber ones and regular pre cut holes in the studs and top plates making it straight forward to add stuff. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ And the noggin Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Frames, Timber or Steel ?? 20Jun 08, 2017 2:02 pm Thank you, bank. Not sure about the design - I've added a picture in this thread above if that helps? Will there be any constrains/issues if I do the below after handover if I go with Steel frames do you think? Ducted air conditioning, some electrical stuff like downlights, external facade lights, light over garage, external side lights, hanging pendant lights (kitchen). Please share your thoughts. That sucks! Hope it all works out. Good to move away from steel anyway for all your reasons, but it's also thermally poor. 16 17856 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 14442 This is 100% true. You can not hang anything on steel frames. very frustrating 8 8002 |