When building your home you will face a barrage of choices, including which material to use for the frame of your house. A building’s frame acts as its backbone, so it needs to be safe, secure and built to last. Many first home builders find themselves confused when trying to take a position on the timber vs steel frames debate, so here are some key points to aid your decision.

Timber has its risks

Timber has been used as a housing frame for thousands of years; however, given the evolution of construction, it is fast becoming an outdated building material. Timber frames are an advantage to builders, as errors can be rectified quickly and cheaply after the construction process, however this may not be beneficial to the home owner.

Being a natural material, timber has weaknesses that make it vulnerable to damage. This cellulose material is susceptible to damage from termite decay and stress fractures, both of which are expensive to rectify. Comparatively, steel house frames are created not only to be stronger, but also to be more secure and termite-proof.

Statistics show that one in five Australian homes will suffer from some sort of termite infestation within its life time, which can incur costly repairs. So when it comes to preventing natural weaknesses and termite attacks, steel framing is the clear winner in the timber vs steel frames debate.

Environmental implications

More and more home builders are becoming environmentally conscious about their building decisions. Steel frames are better for forest conservation, as no trees have to be cut down to create them. Although steel production requires a lot of energy, the precise design and engineering of steel house framing ensures there is very little waste, while timber frames often produce a lot of wasted material in the form of offcuts. Steel is also 100% recyclable and steel framing can contain up to 40% recycled material.

To build an environmentally sound house, you must not only consider the initial impacts its construction has on the environment, but also how energy efficient your home will be in the long term. Steel is a lightweight construction material, which gives steel frames a low thermal mass – an advantage in hot climates. When a steel framed house is properly insulated, it will respond extremely well to supplementary heating and cooling, reducing overall energy costs. Steel framing is also constructed according to very precise measurements, which allows it to provide stronger seals for windows and doors than timber framing. This creates an extremely effective thermal management system, further reducing overall energy consumption.
So in the debate of timber vs steel frame houses, steel has more advantages than its counterpart. It is more modern, less susceptible to damage and more cost effective in the long term. Dynamic Steel specialise in quality steel framing and will work with you to create an innovative, energy efficient frame for your home.