We are Building Better Homes with LGS

One of the biggest weaknesses of wood is how combustible it can be. Even pressure treated wood is filled with highly flammable sap which can continue to burn even when wet. This is why much of the damage to possessions from home fires is actually the water damage from putting out the fire.

The advantages of Steel framing in this case are obvious. Cold formed steel can sustain temperatures well into the hundreds of degrees before losing any strength. Surprisingly because of the conductivity of steel, lightning strikes become less dangerous because the frame of a home built with LGS allows the energy from the strike to pass directly into the earth safely and somewhat harmlessly.

Termites can be feasting for years on a wood home, weakening it substitutionally before being detected. One in four homeowners stress about termites and 13% of homes actually experience termites annually. 22% of homes have had structural damage due to pests including termites.

Steel framing helps to dramatically reduce this issue this issue because the most important wooden portions of a structure are the framing members like trusses, joists, and load bearing walls. Because sometimes cladding or sheathing of a steel home may still use some wood damage from wood eating pests can be constrained to these replaceable parts. Innovative building materials like framecrete AAC can eliminate the need for wood almost completely in a home bringing the risk from pest or termite damage to near zero.

Did you know over twenty pine trees are required to cut down and milled to make enough framing material for an average home? Each of those trees has the potential to capture hundreds of pounds of atmospheric carbon every year.

Choosing steel framing for your home not only leaves those trees and helps reduce landfills because light gauge steel is made from an average of 40% recycled steel. Furthermore, the new steel used in a modern steel structure itself is 100% recyclable. Modern Structural Systems’ manufacturing processes result in over 99.7% efficiency meaning for every 1000 lbs. of steel framing produced only 3 lbs. are produced as recyclable waste. Imagine the impact we could all make if we choose sustainable steel for building better residential homes.

At first glance steel may seem more expensive than the price of wood however when viewed wholistically there are many savings that wood doesn’t offer which ultimately make it cheaper. Steel framing is 32% lighter than wood which means it requires less manpower to erect it resulting in labor savings. Steel framing from Modern Structural Systems can come panelized and pre-fabricated in our factory so there are additional savings on skilled labor. This fabrication can continue rain or shine resulting in no delays from weather that can happen when stick framing on a jobsite. After the project, insuring a steel frame home can be cheaper because it isn’t flammable, affected by bugs, is more resistant to catastrophes like earthquakes and high wind events. Lastly, because a steel home is more durable than a wood home, there are less maintenance costs to live in a steel home.