Built with Steel

For a beautiful, strong and safe home, consider  asking for steel framing in the construction of your walls, floors, and ceilings or roof. When complete, the home looks just like a home constructed of any other material, only it acts much better. Joe Seckora of The Dalles, Oregon, knows this, because he builds with steel framing.

Steel is a superior construction material. With the highest  strength-to-weight ratio of any building material, steel framing members are  stronger and lighter than other framing members. This strength results in a  safer structure, with less maintenance and a slower aging process.

I've been building homes for over 10 years, and I've seen the condition of wood framing materials worsen over the years," said Joe Seckora. "With steel, I build homes that have an added level of quality not found in today's construction methods. Steel gives me straight walls, square corners, tightctions and fewer callbacks. I build strong, durable homes with steel.  That's the reputation on which I've built this business.

The fact that steel has less mass means the home will have less probability of foundation problems; less weight results in less movement. It also means the home will sustain less damage in an earthquake; a lighter structure with stronger connections results in less seismic force. And a steel framed home will withstand high winds from a hurricane or tornado because the connections are  stronger; steel members are connected with high strength screws.

"Safety is a major concern in extreme weather or natural disasters," said  Seckora. "It's very important that homeowners know how their home is built. I lways tell them to ask all new home representatives they visit for the materials the builder used and why. It's too big an investment to fool around."

Safety does not end there. Steel does not burn and steel framing members

will not contribute to the spread of a house fire. Additionally, steel framed  homes are not vulnerable to termites, or any type of fungi or organism. When compared with fire statistics, termites actually account for more property  damage to homes annually.

Beyond strength and safety, steel framing can make a home more attractive  and functional than traditional framing materials. Architects and designers can  employ longer spans without requiring as many structural or load bearing walls or partitions. This provides attractive design options that homeowners are looking for, including higher ceilings and larger rooms.

In addition to strength, safety and greater design options, steel framing can  also make a home energy efficient. According to the North American Steel Framing  Alliance (NASFA), www.SteelFramingAlliance.com, if a steel framed home is insulated to the appropriate R-value, it can  efficiently control the temperature and flow of air inside and outside the home.  "Steel framing members, because they don't rot, warp, split, crack or creep,  remain true within the structure. Less air can flow in or out of cracks around  windows and doors, where energy loss commonly occurs," said Don Moody, NASFA  President.

Finally, buying a steel framed home closes the recycling loop, because the home is built with the most recycled material in North America, steel. Steel is 100% recyclable, and approximately 68% of steel is recycled, more than  aluminum, plastic and glass combined. "Every new steel framed home is made in part by steel scrap, without loss of quality or strength," said Moody.

"For strength, safety, beauty, and buying recycled, it makes sense to me to  build with steel studs. Many of my customers agree with me," said Seckora. "And they're buying a better home as a result."