Great Strength / Great Design Flexibility / Affordable

A steel frame home is indistinguishable from a conventionally built wood framed home but the benefits are enormous. Steel doesn't burn, warp, rot or split, and insects cannot destroy it.

Square corners stay squared; windows and doors open and close as they should. Homes can be built with an added level of quality not found in today's construction methods. Steel homes offer consistent quality, produced in strict accordance with national standards and have no regional variations or inconsistencies.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can you SAVE money by building with steel?

Steel construction saves time and labor costs. Residential steel framing components are extremely cost effective, pre-cut, pre-drilled, and easy to handle. It takes LESS MEN (or women!) to get the job done, greatly reducing the cost of labor during construction.

With the rising cost of lumber and the steady drop in steel prices (about 1% each year)...wood is quickly becoming economically unsuitable as a primary building material. Trees are harvested at a much faster rated than they can be replaced and a dwindling supply can only mean one thing to prices!

As lumber prices continue to escalate, the industry greatly favors steel as the economical choice. Steel is abundant, competitively priced and fully recyclable.

These manufactured homes offer practically waste-free construction. The 2% loss is nothing, compared to the 20% loss in wood construction. In the long run, the dramatic lack of maintenance and 60% savings on utilities takes the savings far into the future.

How easy is it to work with?

Tri-Steel homes are convenient to design and build. The framing systems go up much like a giant erector set with components being bolted and screwed together quickly, easily, and with a minimum of scrap. The unique framing system can be erected in a very short time using only 3 to 5 men.

The exterior shell can be quickly weathered-in, with interior wall framing and finishing proceeding in a dry, climate controlled environment, without stalls due to regard for weather conditions.

Is everything made from steel?

Only the structural components, such as the framing in the walls and the roof trusses. There are floor systems available for homes with a basement or for those built off the ground.

Will I be able to customize my new home?

Steel homes provide maximum usable space and design flexibility. Because of its strength, steel can span greater distances, offering large, open interior spaces and high ceilings. Sturdy steel columns fully carry the load of the roof and additional stories to all outside walls.

The interior walls can be moved anywhere you want without disturbing the basic structure. This enables attractive design options, and a much larger variety of floor plans can therefore be made available to the buyer with the same basic pre-engineered plan. Although you can choose from a multitude of home designs, the customizing aspects are without limits.

You can take one of our many floor plans and customize it to fit your family's needs. There is no added cost if you simply move the walls and rooms around.

How secure is the framing?

Steel framed homes are fastened together with bolts and screws. The connections remain secure, as there is so little movement in the frame. In traditional construction nailed connections become loose due to shrinkage and warping. This affects the frame, siding, and the interior sheet rock. Steel doesn't change with time so the connections stay tight.

The sheet rock is attached to the walls with screws, as well as the exterior siding. The screws do not work their way out as nails do, and your finished wall remains unblemished.

What about durability...will it last?

Steel does not change shape or sag with time. It will truly last a lifetime. Stronger, straighter, non-combustible, and long lasting are just a few of the reasons that steel is undeniable superior as a building material.

The only way that you can tell by looking which homes are built with steel happens over time. Traditional wooden header and ridges sag. They are subject to moisture changes that cause warping, splitting and rotting. If you've ever attempted to remodel or renovate an older wood framed home, you know what happens over the years.

Where does the steel come from?

Most of the steel used in our homes is made from recycled steel. Its principal source is from automobile salvage.

Buying a steel framed home is earth friendly, built with mostly recycled material in North America. It's 100% recyclable; in fact, more steel is recycled than aluminum, plastic and glass combined. Steel framing scrap has value and won't have to be burned and hauled away.

Are steel houses stronger?

The fact that steel has less mass means less probability of foundation problems. Less weight results in less movement and will sustain less damage in an earthquake; a lighter structure with stronger connections lowers the seismic force. All of these homes can be built to seismic 4 standards.

Steel's high strength and ductility make it the best construction material for earthquake and hurricane resistant design. A steel framed home can withstand 150 mile high winds from a hurricane or tornado because the homes are connected with high strength screws. With the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any building material, steel framing is stronger and lighter (up to 60% less than wood framing), resulting in a safer structure, with less maintenance and a slower aging process.

Is it really termite-free?

Steel framed homes are not vulnerable to termites, or any type of fungi or organism. When compared, termites actually account for more property damage to homes each year than fire.

Termites and other wood destroying insects just don't like steel. It's hard to chew and lacks the moisture they crave! These pests cannot damage the frame or structure of your home.

Is a house built with steel safer?

They're definitely safer against high winds and earthquakes, pests, fires and lightning. They offer better shelter and are non-combustible. The steel frame offers better protection against lightning than any other construction system. Scientists recommend seeking shelter in steel frame structures during lightning storms because the steel frame provides a path to the ground, reducing the likelihood of explosions, secondary fires, or personal injury.

Steel does not burn and will not contribute to the spread of a house fire. Most home fires occur in the kitchen. Then they spread into the walls and accelerate when the wood frame begins to burn. This is not true of steel framed homes. The gypsum interior finish material, attached to the steel frame makes a non-combustible combination of products not likely to burn.

Even chemically sensitive and environmentally conscious homeowners find safe indoor air quality with our homes. Steel frames do not need to be treated for termites and are free of resin adhesives and chemicals normally present in other construction materials.

I'm building a larger home this time and I'm really concerned about the rise in utility costs.

Steel framing can be designed to meet or exceed governmental energy efficiency standards.

Steel framing won't rot, warp, split, crack or creep, and will remain true within the structure. Less air can flow in or out of cracks around windows and doors, where energy loss commonly occurs. The steel framed walls allow for installation of much thicker 9" fiberglass batt insulation, resulting in a quieter home with reduced heating and cooling bills for LIFE!

Do steel homes rust?

The use of painted red iron and galvanized steel framing protects your home against rust. The steel has a protective coating and is completely enclosed and protected from the weather.

What about noise?

Our homes are quiet inside. First the exterior walls are filled with thicker insulation, restricting outside noise. Then interior walls are also insulated, reducing room-to-room noise.

Wood contracts as it dries and at ambient temperatures it expands. A steel framed home doesn't creak at all due to humidity variations and temperature changes have less effect.

Waves can pass through the space between studs, allowing the use of all of the radios, phones, and television sets in your home.

If I decide to do this myself, will I have to buy a lot of expensive tools?

All you need is a screw gun and clamps. The beams have pre-punched hems and bolt together without any cutting or welding.

Can I get help in constructing my steel home?

California Steel Frame Homes can provide any assistance you need, from on-site supervision to full assembly of the shell, to complete turn-key construction of your home.   Additionally, Tristeel Homes in Texas is the manufacturer of your tri-steel kit and they have toll-free assistance as your project progresses.

What about loans...will I be approved for Federal Lending?

Loans can be obtained from any lending institution across the country, including VA , CALVET, and FHA loans.

Will my insurance increase?

No. In fact, your insurance may even be lowered by steel's excellent performance record in earthquakes and high winds, and because it is non-combustible and not affected by termites.