Are you thinking of designing or building your own home? The main thing to take into account is how your future home is going to be supported. There are several possibilities to design or choose the structure of your house, such as wood, concrete… And we also have the option of making a house with a metal structure. If you are not sure what structure your house will support, in this article we want to help you. We will explain everything about houses with a steel structure, focusing only on this material, its advantages, the precautions to take if it is used… We also tell you a little about the history of steel and the types of houses with steel structures. Everything you need to know you will find right here!
A bit of history
We can go back to Ancient Greece when we talk about building with steel. In some of the temples of this time it has been seen that forged steel was already used for beams. It is also known that in the Middle Ages iron was used to build the side naves of cathedrals. But where steel began to be used as part of the structure of buildings was in London, in the eighteenth century, for the columns of the House of Commons. And from the Industrial Revolution, in the nineteenth century, iron became the protagonist of constructions and standardized pieces of iron began to be produced.
Types of houses with metal structure
These are the most common types of homes with a metal structure.
House with the structure in view
Building a house with an exposed steel structure is a great idea if we want to give a modern and industrial touch to the outside of our home. It also allows you to see the modulation that the house has and give it a more aesthetic touch, and that the structure not only serves to keep our house standing, but to give that different and aesthetic touch to the façade.
With the hidden structure
For those who do not want a façade finish that shows this metal structure, it can be hidden. That is, to build the structure and then cover it so that the finishes are completely different, with plastered facades for example, and that a smoother surface is visible. Covering this structure also has the advantage that it takes away the problem it had with fire, since, if we cover it with concrete, for example, the fire resistance increases since the steel would not be directly in contact.
Prefabricated houses with metal structure
This option has become very popular in recent years and we could say that it is booming. Prefabricated metal frame houses are very easy to transport, and are assembled in factories directly. The next step would be to take it to the corresponding plot and, together with the foundation that must always be done before building or placing the house, finish the assembly and construction of it.
Advantages of Steel Frame Homes
Steel structures have quite a few advantages over concrete or wood structures. We are going to explain what these qualities are to be able to say that they are one of the best options to support your home.
- Thanks to the material with which they are made, steel, the construction of these structures is easier and faster than in other materials. The components of steel structures are manufactured and even installed on the construction site very quickly.
- It is a type of structure that advances technically as time goes by, and new ways are being discovered to make it more resistant and with more qualities thanks to today’s technologies.
- Steel is endowed with a great capacity for resistance, especially this material is very good when it comes to resisting seismic and wind movements. It is also resistant to deformations that may be created in the structure of the house by stresses, that is, it does not bend.
- Steel is a moisture-resistant material, it is not damaged by exposure to water. Fungi and insects do not have the capacity to deteriorate it either.
- This material can even be recycled, which is also a great advantage since not so much product can be wasted. The structures that are built can also be modified, as they can be expanded or remodeled very easily.
- When opening openings in the façade of the house, you can choose to have greater lighting since the windows and openings can be installed on the supports that the structure has, leaving all the other space free to illuminate the room.
Disadvantages when it comes to having a metal structure
We have already seen all the advantages of houses with a metal structure, but we also have to see some drawbacks they have and precautions to take so that no disaster happens when it comes to having the steel structure. Some of the disadvantages of building in iron can be: – Metal is quite susceptible to deterioration. – It is a material that, economically speaking, is difficult to maintain in perfect condition. – It is very resistant to tension, but to torsion it is very sensitive. – If there is a fire and the structure is not treated correctly, metal is a material that loses strength very quickly at high temperatures, although it does not collapse in front of it.
With all this information we believe that you have the basis to be able to better choose the structure that your future house will have or, at least, to have informed yourself a little and have the basic knowledge to be more critical in your choice. We hope we have been of help and, if you have any doubts about what your future home could be like, do not hesitate to contact us.
