Opinion on steel framed houses locally

[j.o.e]

Does anyone on tuner live in these? There are a couple housing areas exclusively using this type of construction. Its marketed as a cheaper and more durable house with quicker build times.
Looking for a review from someone who actually lives in one..... issues, concerns, how are temps in our climate etc. Thanks

Look here for examples https://www.facebook.com/steelframed

[nissan4life]

In for the details, very interesting.
They probably using pvc or galvanized panels for the outside, with insulated walls(like we need that down here) drywall for interior. Interested on what they using on the second storey as the flooring.
The US housing is basically done like this, most still use wood framing.Depends on where you living.

Only thing i dont trust is if you have faulty wiring you house is now one big electrical circuit.lol

[computercentral]

The exterior wall is some type of cement board very Strong,the interior walls is the same type of cement board but in 4x8 sheets but not as strong. Nice quick starter house 20x 28 foundation was built in one week and house was assemble in 4 hours. Strong starter house always cool

[SNIPER 3000]

Looks interesting.

[j.o.e]

bumping for more info

[pete]

Was advising my parents to do an extension to their house using this. Don't know if they got an estimate yet.

[brams112]

That framing looking similar to the ones used for framing gypsum,screws and bolts can't hold up a two storey house in my opinion,plus one strong breeze and ur 2 million in shambles,I do know of a few houses in Fyzabad that was built in this way,but flats,smaller and done by charity.

[pete]

You an engineer?

[pugboy]

So how are second story of wood gypsum houses done in other countries ?

[heads]

fyi yr info steel frame design those houses to withstand 130 mph wind and 4.6 earthwake d outside is cementboard, fibrewool for sound and hi impact gypsum lifetime on frame u can view these houses in diffrent stages of construction at welcome rd cunupia i was very impress with what i saw

[Rory Phoulorie]

The only advantage with that system at the moment in Trinidad is time for construction. The price that was quoted for a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom flat house, exclusive of land, was more than the price for a conventional 3 bedroom 2 bathroom masonry/reinforced concrete house WITH land.

[j.o.e]

Good info...because I was led to believe it was slightly cheaper

[Slartibartfast]

As good as these houses can be, I don't see it gaining traction for a while because trinis won't feel safe in anything but a concrete block house. I know these houses can be designed to withstand a lot but I will always be partial to concrete blocks unless those structures come at a much cheaper cost or are shown to be significantly better. My ideal thing is concrete external wall and use the same internal walls as that. It will also put a lot less loading on upper floor/s which is a good thing.

Notice I didn't mention the horizontally cored clay bricks as those are not meant to be load bearing as it is impossible to build those with the minimum reinforcement necessary to satisfy seismic codes. Anything better that clay bricks. The vertically cored ones are ok though, as long as you provide reinforcement.

Oh and nissan4life, insulation acts as an insulation buffer (i.e. it keep inside warm when outside is cool, but it also keeps inside cool when outside is warm). Try standing up in a galvanised shed at mid day and then tell me we don't need insulation. Due to the air spaces in concrete blocks, the act as a bit of insulation already.

[j.o.e]

One of the reasons I'm considering it is that I don't consider myself an expert in construction. I find typical brick and mortar construction leaves room for bobol and short cuts. By the time I realise the quality of work not good a lot of cash and material might go down the drain. I've seen people build houses and after they finish not satisfied with the work. I will lose my mind....with this I feel a little more comfortable that I will get the finished product I expect. Just weighing out my options

[Slartibartfast]

Very true. Good masonry is like an art. It's a shame that people feel anybody can mix a lil concrete and throw ot on a wall. I always advise people put out the extra money and get someone professional to manage the construction of their house, if they can afford it, to save them from shoddy work. Or at the very least just pay someone qualified to do some inspections here and there to let you know what you need to keep an eye out for during construction especially when any sort of concrete work is being done.

[j.o.e]

Went by a person house...recently built....and I'm sitting in the living room and I can tell the walls of the living room crooked as furk......that's something that you probably wouldn't notice until you start to install windows or paint.....I will kill somebody.

[Rory Phoulorie]

. . .Notice I didn't mention the horizontally cored clay bricks as those are not meant to be load bearing as it is impossible to build those with the minimum reinforcement necessary to satisfy seismic codes. Anything better that clay bricks. The vertically cored ones are ok though, as long as you provide reinforcement. . .

Horizontal core clay (hcc) blocks can take vertical loads. What they cannot deal with is the horizontal loads from seismic, wind and other impact type forces. All you need to do is install shear panels and wall stiffeners at intervals not exceeding 1800mm in walls constructed using hcc blocks.

[SNIPER 3000]

So Rory,
That's the red block you speaking about?
Which is better for building a house with,the construction block the grey ones?
I am also seeing concrete slabs being used as decking which are pre fab. Has any one build their home using the pre fab concrete slabs as decking?

[brams112]

So Rory,
That's the red block you speaking about?
Which is better for building a house with,the construction block the grey ones?
I am also seeing concrete slabs being used as decking which are pre fab. Has any one build their home using the pre fab concrete slabs as decking?

Concrete blocks when done properly is just as good as red blocks,just less mortar is needed,as for the pre fab floors,there are runners called joist and the other one I think is caller filler blocks,thing is you still need to pour concrete over the surface after putting it together.Cant recall if the name is omnia or something else,Abel got them and I believe Spancrete do it to.

[Rory Phoulorie]

So Rory,
That's the red block you speaking about?
Which is better for building a house with,the construction block the grey ones?
I am also seeing concrete slabs being used as decking which are pre fab. Has any one build their home using the pre fab concrete slabs as decking?

Yes, the hollow core clay blocks are the red blocks sold on the local market.

You can use either the hollow core clay blocks or the concrete blocks to construct your house. With both types of block, proper engineering practice requires you to put wall stiffeners and shear panels.

People have the misconception that hollow core clay blocks cannot be used for structural purposes. It is easier to use the vertical core hollow core clay blocks since the blocks themselves can accommodate vertical reinforcement and concrete in the cores. The wall stiffeners and shear panels can therefore be formed using the blocks themselves. The only thing with the horizontal core hollow core clay blocks is that the wall stiffeners and shear panels cannot be constructed from the blocks themselves. You have to use either a vertical core (concrete or clay) block or reinforced concrete to form the wall stiffeners and shear panels.

Pres-T-Con Limited and Spancast both manufacture prestressed precast concrete slabs. These slabs can be used to span up to 9m between supports. Technically, they can be used to form a suspended floor. You just need to butt them up against one another, weld the shear connectors to connect the slabs, and install a structural topping to get a level floor on which you can install the desired finish(es).

The alternative is to use the Omnia Floor system from Abel which uses precast concrete joists in which filler blocks are installed and then a structural topping. This system cannot span the distance that the prestressed precast concrete slab can.

[SNIPER 3000]

Good info guys.
Rory please explain stiffeners and shear panels.
Thanks.

[Rory Phoulorie]

Masonry walls that are unreinforced, just mortar and the block, can only be constructed over a certain length and a certain height before they become unstable and can fail easily through buckling under load. Wall stiffeners are elements introduced into the wall construction at specified intervals to improve the rigidity of the walls. They may be reinforced concrete columns and/or beams into which the blockwork is tied. The "unsupported" length/height of the wall is reduced with the wall stiffener and the wall, as a result, becomes more rigid.

Shear panels are needed to resist lateral forces exerted parallel to the plane of the wall. These lateral forces can be generated from, say, earthquake (seismic), wind, impact, and the like. The shear panel is, usually, a reinforced concrete (reinforcing steel and structural concrete) section of the wall designed to resist these lateral forces as unreinforced masonry alone cannot fulfill this function.

I hope that the above satisfactorily addresses your queries.

[SNIPER 3000]

Thanks, so much to consider. If some one does not know stuff like this and takes the village builder to construct their home they could be at risk for poor work because the builder might not know this.

Rory what about using steel I-beams to build the frame of the house as oppose to concrete post and beams? What are the disadvantage or advantage? Is this a good idea to construct a home on.
Thanks.

[Slartibartfast]

Assuming the foundation is done properly, steel is an excellent choice as long as the masonry walls are properly tied in. This can be done by welding two 3/8" mild steel bars every 2 feet apart going up the columns. These bars will then tie in about every third block on the way up. If you building a one storey house then you can just use blockwork and stiffeners.

If you do a proper design and have a professional contractor you can build a two storey house from reinforced blockwork and tie beams that would satisfy local seismic requirements.

The main advantage with steel is that the structural elements of your house are manufactured to very predictable specifications. When working with concrete and block work it is largely dependent on the contractor. But if done properly it is just as reliable.

Just make sure and not do like most people and neglect to build a proper foundation.

[SNIPER 3000]

Slartibartfast,
Thanks for the info.
Does the steel beams go down into the foundation as the concrete post would, like 12-13 feet?
Or is it just bolted onto the foundation on bolts that were cemented onto the foundation?

[Slartibartfast]

You normally build in the following sequence

- Box off and cast Pad footings or drive/auger piles
- Box off areas for pedestals or pile caps and ground beams and floor
- Place bolts (anywhere between 8 to 18 inches long depending on what the design calls for)
- Cast pedestals (if using pad footings) or pile caps (if using piles) along with ground beams and floor at the same time so all of the concrete acts as a unit. If it's too much to do at once, do it section by section (Western side today and Eastern side tomorrow as opposed to doing piles caps and ground beams today and cast the floor slab tomorrow).
- Make minor adjustments to bolts if you can (some would be fully cast in place at this point)
- Cast bolts in final position and place column on top of slab
- Place screed for finished floor so that it will hide the bolts

Oh and never ever use a floor slab less than six inches regardless of what anyone tells you. Codes call for minimum 3 inches steel cover at the bottom of the ground floor slab and 1.5 inches cover on top (that's 4.5 inches right there). I see fellas building apartment buildings with 4 inch slabs and thing.

[SNIPER 3000]

Slartibartfast thanks for the detail info.
Where Can I get the codes for building?so I may use it as a guide.

[jaggie]

Bump...real detail info here....good stuff guys!

[Rory Phoulorie]

Slartibartfast thanks for the detail info.
Where Can I get the codes for building?so I may use it as a guide.

Search the internet for "Trinidad and Tobago Small Building Code". It is written for the layman to understand.

[Slartibartfast]

Slartibartfast thanks for the detail info.
Where Can I get the codes for building?so I may use it as a guide.

Search the internet for "Trinidad and Tobago Small Building Code". It is written for the layman to understand.

Oh yes.... completely forgot about this. Probably the best place for someone with no prior building knowledge to start.