Steel House

[RangerRick]

I'm buying a 2.5 acre waterfront lot down on an East Texas lake and looking at putting up a1200 sqft, 2 bedroom "steel house kit". Nothing fancy as it will be for huntin/fishin/bugout.

With steel, I really like the idea of no fire/rot/bugs, low maintance, stronger than wood, at or about $12k in the dry. Anyone got any experience with this type of construction. What pitfalls to look out for?

Rick

[Ozarks_1]

I've got no experience with the "steel house kits", but am familiar with metal barns/sheds. So, FWIW -

The biggest problem I've found with the barns/sheds is air leaks/drafts. I suspect it's not a problem in a building specifically designed as a house though.

A secondary problem - which, once again, I suspect isn't a problem in a house design - is "attic" condensation.

[nightshift]

Rick,
My 2 cents from some observations.
Strength can be higher. There is different grades of studs, ect. Some are flimsy and some are very rigid. I saw some great stuff at a show house after the hurricane and they were rated to 150 mph. 200 if bricked in. There is some drawbacks but can be lived with. Everthing has to be screwed which is time consuming but strong. Termites will still attack sheetrock backing paper and some other materials.. It is tougher as a do it yourself project and you can cut the heck out of yourself. Make sure you buy the framing that has wireways, ect already in the studs....saves work later. Hangong trim, baseboards, ect is tough cause you can't just nail it in and with screws it would be a major PITA. Form my observations I would go with wood over steel. My buddy lived in one and said it was a pain when hanging pictures, curtains, ect. I don't know if you would save that much money over wood. How much for the same level of blacking in of a wood frame? There is more labor time with steel. You can run a nail-gun alot faster than a drill putting in screws. Hope this helps. Remember the advice you get from sales people are still trying to sell something. If steel was really cheaper I think more contractors would use it.
Hope this helps.

[desdawg]

I know a couple of guys that build metal frame houses and they think they are the best thing going. I think they are a little more expensive than wood frame. And more labor intensive. But the studs don't warp and bend, termites won't eat them and it is really hard to set your scrap pile on fire. So they do have a lot going for them. These guys insulate the dickens out of them and they are very efficient. You will need a different set of tools than with a wood frame house. High RPM skillsaw made for cutting metal, shears, snips, visegrip clamps, chopsaw, screwguns etc. For a oneshot deal a lot of those tools are available from Harbor Freight at reasonable prices.

[RangerRick]

Tks guys, I'm in the planning stage and haven't settled on much other than size. I was thinging of puting it off the ground say 4-5' as the property is on decending ground and thought a deck out front would work well.

Actually, I thought the construction would be faster but I see you points.

Again, tks.

Rick

[rassd71]

Hey Rick,
I'm in the process of building a steel house. We started off with a 'kit' from heritage steel homes from arkansas. After having architect problems with their plans not meeting building codes, and then with huge delays in the engineering, we scraped the kit. And went with a local steel framer and his engineer. There are definitely advantages. But there are some draw backs as well. One that is obvious, but often overlooked is that EVERYTHING has to be screwed, no nail guns. Plus running all the plumbing, electrical and gas is more challenging through the steel.
If you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to try and help.

The biggest thing is that like everything else, it's all about the quality of the workmanship!

Good luck and keep us posted.


oh, the kit you're looking at, is it red iron with light fill or all light guage?

[RangerRick]

Actually, I'm looking at several different kits, trying to get educated on the tech side and if this is doable for 1-2 men part time and no heavy equipment other than block and tackle as this place is surrounded by national forest. Got lots more reading to do.

Rick

[rassd71]

I looked into using a block and tackle to hoist the main members, and the biggest challenge I found was the height. The peak is right about 18 feet, and the truss sections are 39 feet long. I ended up concluding that it would be better to rent a sky reach fork lift and from all the research I did, it's definitely a 3 person job at least. One operating the fork lift and one on each end on ladders to set the pieces.

If you're looking at going with red iron, then I would talk to the local building dept first and make sure they aren't going to be a huge obsticle. In my case even with several hundred pages of engineering calcs, they had a list of revisions and further calcs that were needed. They have no problem with the building method, but had serious concerns with it in a residential application.

Something else to look into if you are going with steel framing is your counties requirements for the electrical wiring. Some counties require conduit or (sorry I can't think of the name, the flexible metal sheathing) but others will permit regular romex and the use of grommets where it goes through the studs.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide to do.

[DavidOH]

My $.02
*The only "major" drawback I've read about is the fire rating. *Steel studs will warp bend and collapse under the heat of a fire.
( Inside or outside the house )
Where wood studs WON'T. *
Wood withstands the heat BETTER....... on the surface that doesn't seem to be logical, but tested it seems to be the case.

[rassd71]

DavidOH,
Interesting. One of the big benefits to the steel is that it does not burn. And it has a hire fire rating and lowers fire insurance, even during construction.

I'll have to do some research about the warping issue!

[RangerRick]

Brother-in-law is a master electrician with his contractors license so he will be calling the shots on that issue. Figured I'd hire a local for some partime labor getting the red iron up and then see what I can do on my own thereafter. Fortunately, I'm not pressed for time but I think I'd be more comfortable visiting some job sites that are putting up residential steel structures.

[knight88]

When I built my father in law's house HE wanted steel studs in all interior walls, I did as he requested. They go up fast and easy, simple to wire ETC. The main drawback we have found is the echo in every room, its like living in or next to a drum. I suggest you plan to fill the interior walls with insulation of some sort, maybe cellulose to cut down on this. Other than that it works it was also very easy to make changes after mother in law decided the pantry was too small.. Good luck Andy

[RangerRick]

Tks, sounds like a good nugget to keep in mind.

Rick