Home Construction With Steel Framing

Home building with light gauge steel framing is a recent development in the history of construction. The use of light gauge steel framing is very nearly identical to framing a home with wood. The main difference is in the way the steel is fastened together. The majority of steel framing is screwed together with specially hardened screws that are engineered to handle the different stresses that joining steel framing together produces. Some training is required to understand the importance of how the steel is put together to get the structural integrity necessary for a sturdy structure.

Light gauge steel framing consists mainly of two kinds of pre-bent steel pieces. One kind is used to be the upright piece that is the replacement for the traditional wood stud. The other one is designed to be the horizontal piece that holds the stud in place. There are other kinds of steel, such as flat pieces, that are used for bracing and stiffening the wall structure, but the two pieces used as stud and track are the most prevalent. The stud is pre-bent into a shape that, if looked at in section, would resemble the letter "c". The two opposing sides of the "c" hold the drywall and sheathing of the wall structure. The other piece is called the track. It's purpose is to hold the stud in place at the proper intervals to distribute the load placed on top of the wall. It is also bent, but in the shape of a "u". The opposing sides of the "u" are used to steady the stud which is inserted in the track. When the proper spacing is achieved, the stud is clamped in place and screwed to the track on both sides. When the upper and lower track hold all the studs in position, the basic wall is complete. Then, a decision is made, whether any further bracing is required. Depending on the amount of load-bearing the wall was designed to support, long, flat pieces of steel may be installed on the surface of the wall to keep it square and rigid. There is another kind of steel that is designed to fit inside pre-cut holes in the studs that will lend rigidity. It is a narrow channel of steel inserted in the pre-cut holes to keep the studs aligned in a flat plane. The variety of different ways these pieces can go together is not the subject of this article. Suffice to say that just about every way to make a frame structure of wood for home construction can be duplicated with steel framing.

There are advantages to using steel framing that make it more attractive as a building material. It will not burn like wood. There is no danger of termite damage. The structure is stronger and more resistant to destructive forces such as high winds and impacts from various sources. The pre-punched holes save a lot of time with plumbing and wiring concerns.

There is one slight disadvantage of using this structural material. It is a little more expensive when compared to the equivalent wood framing. However, as more people choose this material, that price will come down to a competitive level. Also, the use of steel will significantly reduce the large demand on our national forests for building materials. These advantages, in my view, far outweigh the disadvantages. It is the material of choice for our future homes.