Steel Framed homes now available in Puget Sound region
Seattle Steel Homes offers steel framed custom homes exclusively. With over 15% of all new homes in the US being built with steel frames the time has come for the Pacific Northwest to embrace steel framing too. So, why do we frame with steel?
The biggest reason is design flexibility. The framing system we use starts with a series of columns places around the foundation at critical points to support the roof.
As you can tell by the photo the "studs" are NOT 16 or 18 inches on center. The vertical pieces, the columns, are 6 to 8 feet apart. The wide horizontal piece is a "track" where we will hang our floor joists later in the construction process. In construction terms, this structure is balloon framed. The flexibility is important in two areas. On the exterior, the wide spacing between columns gives us the ability to move a window or door during construction without jeopardizing the integrity of the home. The interior has no walls initially, so when we partition a room we can adjust the wall width and location hassle free.
Another reason to use steel is strength. An 8 foot long 2 x 6 weighs less in steel than in wood. The strength of a steel stud also prevents it from twisting, warping, cracking, splitting or bowing as wood does. So a straight wall built during construction will remain straight for the life of the building.
Steel also fares better than wood against termites, fire, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes.
For more information visit www.seattlesteelhomes.com or www.johnlscott.com/10403
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