The steel studs I have worked with are made of sheet metal. We are not talking ** I-Beams ** here. It is the shape that makes it strong.
Ever use a self-drilling sheetmetal screw? I love them.
I’ve always worked with wood, but my brother is pro who has worked with both extensively. For him, the small work-arounds are much easier with steel studs. I watched him frame up a wall that had a heat duct running along the top. He cut the steel studs partially, bent them, put in a couple of screws, and went on up. One stud, with no breaks, going up, out along the bottom of the duct, and then up again to the ceiling. Pretty cool, and very fast. Much easier than it would have been with wood. Same with fixes and patches. With the available brackets and screws (and a little practice) you can fabricate all kinds of weird crap pretty quickly.
This I do have personal experience in. The steel studs are much lighter and easier to handle than wood. Their strength comes from the shape and the proper installation, not from heavy gauge steel.
Ugly
Don’t worry about hanging artwork or shelves if you have steel studs. Sheet metal screws will grab right into the steel. It will hold just as much weight.
FCM:
Mixing unlike materials can be problematic. Steel and wood expand and contract at different rates. This can cause the drywall/joint compound to crack where they join.
Additionally, steel studs on an outside wall transfer the cold from outside to the surface of the drywall. This can cause condensation to form.
I would use wood on the exterior walls and, if you are [sup][lame pun][/sup] bent [sup][/lame pun][/sup] on using steel, use it on the interior walls where the changes in temperature are less extreme.
Don’t worry about hanging stuff on a steel stud wall. You will hardly ever hit a stud anyway.
You’ll definitely get a cut or two, but working with it is not too bad. You can pop-rivet pieces together in some cases. You need the right kind of blade in the saw and, since cutting it will shower sparks like crazy, you usually can’t cut where you’re working.
It’s more expensive, but it comes with holes strategically placed for running plumbing and electrical. This saves a lot of labor.
Check with the local building inspector. There will be specific rules and regs for building with steel for each locale.
I failed to mention earlier - before he became an engineer, my spouse was a machinist, a tool and die maker, and a welder (he built oilrigs for a while) so any metal working required wouldn’t be an issue.
Most of what I’ve read about steel studs indicates they’re more dimensionally stable than wood, not subject to the expansion and contraction of wood. No mention at all that I’ve found of limiting the exterior materials used makes me think it’s not an issue.
I can see where it’s more economical to make a “kit” home - easily mass produced - but our home will be a one-of-a-kind. I need to find a company that will look at our plans and tell us what we’ll need and what it will cost - wonder if I can find one of those??
I’m so glad I’ve got all of you as sources. There are things mentioned here that never occurred to me. Many thanks!!
Just a few things about steel studs that I’ve picked up after a few years in architecture.
Steel has a higher energy cost than wood, but it is recycleable, which woods studs aren’t. And resistance to rot and termite damage is good.
Definitely faster and cheaper than wood, or they would use wood for interior partitions in commercial buildings (which they don’t, they use steel).
Heat conductance is the issue with steel, not condensation. Condensation is handled by the vapor barrier. You will want to look into an insulating sheathing (polystyrene or something) or a staggered stud wall.
If you go with steel, make sure whoever designs the house has experience with it because you do ned to plan ahead on some of the structural elements.
there is a lot of info on the net here is a site that is all for it: http://www.metalhomes.com/
doesn’t that make you just sort of cringe hearing ‘metal home’?
I liked what they said about it getting in the way of radio waves & stuff. It won’t. Still, one has to wonder if you can use the house for a big antennae.
Thanks for that link, handy - I hadn’t come across it yet - quick scan seems to be informative. As for the house being a big antenna, it should be grounded thry the foundation. But to be sure, we’ll have to have a metal roof - then it’ll be like living under a tin-foil hat!! We shall be protected!!
I’d vote for using steel studs. My first experiance with them was putting up a steel framed house kit I bought and I’m sold on them. The only special tools I had to buy were a “chop saw” and a pair of small tip, wide jaw vise grips. Steel studs come in two types - load bearing and no load bearing. The only difference is the load bearing ones are made from thicker sheet metal. Steel studs are easier to work with then wood. They are lighter to lift and carry. They don’t split like wood and termites leave them alone. Self drilling sheet metal screws called “tecs” are used to fasten the studs to the track. Using the Vise grip pliers to hold the stud in place will keep the screw from pushing it out of the way when it comes through the sidewall of the track.
Use toggle bols for hanging anything heavy on the walls. A magnet will make locating the studs pretty easy and you can use long sheet metal screws to fasten picture hanging hardware to the wall.
By all means go with the Hardipanel for the outside of your house. I covered mine with the stucco pattern and I’m really satisfied with it. I also used the quarter inch thick smooth panel on the soffits and it looks great. I used a polyurethene caulk for the joints between the panels. Buy good quality paint. I used two coats of Kelly Moore acrlic latex over primer and after six years the building looks like it’s brand new. Once a year I scrub the walls with a long handled truck washing brush and detergent to keep the dust from building up where the rain doesn’t hit.
Removing the trees nearest the house would be a good idea. Remember what grows up will come down sooner or later. Tree limbs over a house are never a good idea, and the house foundation and construction activity often damage a trees root system enough to kill the tree over a period of several years.
Here is a price comparison from last year.
Steel is less expensive than wood right now, with lumber prices on the rise. So materials for a 2,500-square-foot house would cost $10,300.50 for wood, as opposed to $8,166.64 for steel, according to calculations on TheNewSteel.com’s website.
From this article.
Have you considered other less flammable alternatives such as adobe, mud brick or corrugated iron as cheap construction alternatives? I’ve even seen a nice place done in stuccoed straw bales.
A framer friend of mine hated working with steel, becuase he frequently got small burns from sparks thrown when they cut it.
I’d wonder if having that much conductive material in your house would have an effect on your television and radio reception. Also, if the house is damaged somehow, wouldn’t there be a bigger chance of electrical problems?