Advantages Of Steel
Building with steel has numerous advantages over traditional wood framed houses. These factors not only result in a superior build, they create a worry-free environment that requires less maintenance and a better resale experience.
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Termites are one of the most common downfalls of using wood and can destroy the structural integrity of a home within 3 months. Great measures are taken on most new homes to prevent termites from entering. Treating the soil with harsh chemicals prior to and after construction is one of the most common way of preventing these house-destroying insects from devouring your wood-built home. Building with steel is an excellent option for preventing termites from do catastrophic damage to your home.
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Mold doesn't grow on steel. A huge concern for many people is indoor air quality, especially when it relates to toxic mold. Mold grows in moist environment and on materials that hold moisture. Steel is impervious to moisture and mold spores won't hatch on their surface.
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Fire-resistance is plays a huge factor in commercial construction. For this reason, wood is seldom used in buildings with high-capacity attendance. Now, with cold-formed steel, residential homes can take advantage of this life-saving material to prevent or slow the spread of fire.
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Straight construction makes everyone's job easier. Steel is uniform, straight and doesn't swell and shrink like wood. If a steel framed home stand in the rain for a week, construction can continue immediately after the rain stops. Wood on the other hand, soaks up all that moisture and with too much, may have done irreparable damage and need replacing before construction can continue.
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Settling causes cracks and other defect to appear or go unseen in your home. As trees grow, they are under stress from gravity and when they are cut, the wood has a natural tendency to twist, crack and bow. Twisting and bowing are exacerbated by the woods moisture content. Add in some swelling and shrinking, newly constructed houses go through a period of settling where the wood is equilibrating to the air moisture. During settling, cracks can appear in the drywall, nails can pop out of the wood and even tiles can delaminate from walls.
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Sustainability is a huge concern form many consumers. Unbeknownst to many, steel is the most recycled material in the world. In fact, most cold formed steel is 75% or more generated from reclaimed sources.
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Resale value is on everyone's mind. With almost 1/3 of the US population reselling their homes within 5 years of purchase, the advantages of a steel framed house are unsurpassed. A potential buyer will almost always invest in an inspection.
Steel frame construction eliminates many of the issues that are commonly found in inspection reports such as: - Cracks
- Mold
- Shifting
- Moisture damage