Deciding to build your home can be both exciting and stressful. From selecting the door handles and taps to deciding on the internal layout and the roof material, you need to make hundreds of decisions.
If you want to future-proof your home, however, one of the first and most important decisions you’ll need to make concerns the structural frame of your home. More specifically, do you want a timber or steel frame?
There are distinct advantages to using a steel frame over a timber frame. It’s these benefits that are causing a growing number of homeowners to opt for steel instead of the more traditional timber frames. So, what are these advantages, and can they help you future-proof your home?
Four important benefits of steel frames for your home
Given that an increasing number of homeowners are using steel frames in their new build homes, there must be a reason for their decision. What is it that makes steel frames better than timber frames?
1. Termite proof
The Victorian Building Authority states that termites have destroyed more homes in Victoria than storms, floods and bushfires. The biggest problem with termites isn’t so much the damage they cause (which is tragic and expensive) but that they lie undetected for years.
That’s because they conceal themselves inside the walls whilst consuming the timber frame. This means that you usually discover termites in one of two ways – either when renovating your home or because the damage is so great that it becomes obvious.
It’s for this reason that timber frames are now treated for termites. The problem is that this treatment involves toxic chemicals which remain inside your walls as they slowly dissipate over time. No one wants these types of chemicals inside the walls of their home!
Steel frames don’t need to be treated with a termite deterrent because they are 100% resistant to termites.
2. Cost-effective
The cost-effectiveness of a steel-framed home reveals itself in both the short and long term. In the short term, steel is lighter and easier to transport on trucks and carry around and work with on job sites than timber. These benefits result in a faster build and reduced costs. In the long term, you won’t have to worry about termites. You won’t need to pay for regular termite inspections and treatments or pay for damage caused by termites.
Steel frames are a cost-effective strategy that can save homeowners thousands of dollars in both the short and long term.
3. Sustainability
By definition, timber frames require trees to be cut down to produce the timber for the frames. This result is fewer trees in the landscape which damages the environment, destroys essential ecosystems and decreases our carbon sink (often due to wastage). Given that climate change is associated with deforestation, reducing the number of trees we cut down is important for our future.
Steel frames are a sustainable product that doesn’t involve cutting down trees and can be easily recycled and used again.
4. Stronger structure
Over time, timber frames can rot and warp and be susceptible to bushfires and floods. Internal plasterboard can crack and doors and windows no longer shut properly. On the other hand, steel frames don’t rot or warp and are not susceptible to bushfires and floods. Steel is a very strong material that resists storms, bushfires and high winds and won’t fail over time.
Steel frames give you the power to future-proof your home due to its superior strength and durability over time.
For high-precision steel frames, contact our team today.