Abodes of Steel

Do you list steel as one of your environmental friends? The benefits of building homes with steel extend beyond convenience.

Considered a green component of the construction industry, steel is often made from recycled products such as automobiles, creating a cornerstone to achieving true sustainability in the world of construction.

In fact, steel is one of the most recycled materials available because it is easily and economically separated from other waste using giant electromagnets. It can also be recycled indefinitely without any loss of strength.

Steel used in homes provides design flexibility, tremendous structural strength, and money-saving energy efficiency.

Because steel does not warp, twist or deteriorate like wood, homes made of steel require far less maintenance, walls and rooflines remain straight and true, and doors and windows perform properly.

There is no such thing as a typical steel home. The style of your home can range from something with a modern urban flare to a traditional Tuscan design. A steel home can include vaulted ceilings, curved walls and other architectural features.

Chuck Wilson, a mechanical engineer with more than 25 years of design and construction experience, is a firm believer in green design. His business, Pacific Polysteel, located in Everett, supplies energy-efficient and sustainable products to builders and clients for both residential and commercial construction.

According to Wilson, steel can be used in your building project in a variety of ways.

For new construction, an addition or a home remodel, cold-formed steel studs can be used instead of wood studs. “You build the project just like a stick frame home, but you’re using metal sticks instead,” Wilson explained. “A metal stud is three times as strong as a wood stud, it’s always straight, and it will never mold,” he said.

“Often an internal remodel involves tearing out walls and taking out the inevitable posts that are in a garage that people knock their car doors into,” Wilson said. Steel structural beams can be placed horizontally through the upper structure of the room, replacing load-bearing walls or vertically placed posts. Each manufacturer produces steel beams with different dimensions. Polysteel’s free span beams extend out to 40 feet, are 14 inches or less in height, and are ready-made with utility holes to run plumbing and electrical lines through.

Steel floor joists are another impressive feature that provides a green option for your home. Because the joists never twist or swell from atmospheric conditions, as wood joists do, you won’t experience squeaky floor joists. Insulated floor panel systems and radiant heat can be implemented into the design, and concrete floors can be poured on top. The combination provides thermal insulation, a sound barrier, and a vapor barrier. Insulated concrete forms are another energy-efficient tool Wilson uses for new construction and home additions. Again, all manufacturers design their forms differently. Polysteel’s wall system combines reinforced concrete with galvanized welded steel and high-density polystyrene. The steel studs within the concrete forms are spaced six inches on center. A 48-inch-long form measures 24 inches high and 11 to 13 inches deep.

The concrete forms are stacked and braced to create the foundation and walls.

Rebar, seismic straps and anchor bolts provide additional structural integrity.

Concrete is poured into the forms. After the concrete dries, the forms remain in place, with the polystyrene providing R-21 insulation.

“The forms are lightweight and the homeowners can do a majority of the construction themselves if they’d like,” Wilson said. “Once the concrete pour is done, the insulation is there, the weather proofing is there. There are no other additional parts and pieces as you’re framing and you eliminate the possibility for mold to form in the walls.”

From a green standpoint, the innovative concrete forms eliminate the use of form oil products (a concrete release agent that may be a potential soil contaminate), reduce the use of pump trucks to one visit, and allow the walls and slab to be poured in one day on specific projects.

When finishing the inside of the home, sheetrock is screwed directly to the wall.

Because the steel studs are spaced every six inches on center, homeowners can — with a stud finder or magnet — easily find strong anchor points for hanging cabinets, lighting and wall art.

The outside of the home can be finished with stucco, siding, brick, stone or other finishes. Arched windows, columns, gables and dormers can all be implemented into your exterior design.

Concrete and steel can also unite to form a deck that will never rot. By combining the strength, security and structural integrity of concrete with the design flexibility and installation ease of steel beams, this deck can be added to your home minus the wood components.

“You can put tile on top of the deck to finish it off,” Wilson said. “You can also create a nice exterior living space underneath that will have a waterproof ceiling.”

Safety concerns are an integral part of the design of your home. According to Wilson, with the concrete form system, there is a four-hour firewall. “In the California wildfires, you see a vast area of smoke and ashes. The houses left standing are concrete houses,” he said.

Homes built with steel have the structural strength to withstand hurricane force winds and flooding. Because of their relatively light frame weight and their ability to absorb a great amount of energy, steel-framed buildings have a strong record of survival during earthquakes.

Another green advantage and safety advantage: termites don’t eat steel. The need to use toxic pesticides to control termites and other wood-destroying insects is eliminated.

Steel frame homes have yet another advantage. They’re not going to be a breeding ground for mold. By using the new sheetrock materials that don’t use any paper over the gypsum board, you create another preventive device against mold or insect damage.

Being green takes vision and commitment. When considering the use of steel and concrete in your home’s design, keep in mind that additional green investments can be made to your home. Solar efficiency can be implemented into the design, as can wind energy and geothermal heating. Rooftop gardens, another eco-friendly option, are increasing in popularity, Wilson said.

The Ballard Library in Seattle is a local example of an eco-friendly building with a rooftop garden. The American Institute of Architects distinguished the Ballard Library as a Top Ten Green Project for 2006, commending the library’s “green roof” that is planted with more than 18,000 indigenous, drought-tolerant plants. The gently curving green roof also absorbs water, reducing stormwater runoff.

“When hardscaping with green roofs, you go even greener using native plants,” Wilson said. “You use less water and fertilizer. There are a lot of interesting products you can add in to create a really pleasant environment.”

If you already have the design plans for a new home or remodel in hand, and would like to learn more about using steel within your project, discuss your ideas with your builder or architect.

“The proper design of what you want to do with the structure, and the choice of products you use, determines how green your project will be,” Wilson said.