Steel Works

Published on: 23 Apr 2024

As the slabs get poured at Oaklands Green, you’ll be seeing more and more blue steel frames going up. But why metal over the traditional timber?

 

The Perfect Storm

The building industry in South Australia is currently facing a bit of a dilemma. The unprecedented demand for new homes has naturally placed significant challenges on the availability of materials – along with a shortage of supply from overseas. And right in the middle of this high-demand and low-supply problem is timber.

While timber has traditionally been the lower-cost option for building the frames for homes, all that has now changed. Its lack of availability has increased the cost of the limited amount of timber that builders can currently get their hands on.

 

Fortune Through Necessity

The good news is, steel frames are back – actually, they were never really gone. The Australian construction industry has used steel in homes for over 60 years. The material really only went out of favour when cheap, mass-produced overseas timber came onto the market in the 70s.

But with the price of steel now competing with timber, along with greater assurance of supply, it’s the turn of steel. So, for the time being at least, you’ll be seeing more steel frames going up around Oaklands Green.

 




Of course, there are a number of advantages to metal over timber:

Durability and Resilience

  • TERMITE RESISTANCE: Steel is not susceptible to termite damage, a major concern in South Australia. This eliminates the need for ongoing termite treatments and potential repairs.

 

  • BUSHFIRE RESISTANCE: Steel has superior bushfire resistance compared to timber. While Oaklands Green isn’t considered to be in a high bushfire risk area, it’s comforting to know, nonetheless.

 

  • LONGEVITY: Steel frames are generally considered to have a longer lifespan than timber frames, especially when properly maintained.

 

 

Construction Advantages:

  • FASTER CONSTRUCTION: With steel frames more fabrication can be done off-site, leading to a potentially faster construction time compared to traditional timber framing.

 

  • DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Steel is less prone to warping, shrinking, or twisting compared to timber, which can be affected by moisture changes. This can lead to straighter walls and a more consistent finish.

 




However, the primary reason to build steel frames at Oaklands Green is to provide buyers with increased certainty for commencement and completion dates.

As always, our Sales Director, Richard Joy, is on hand to answer any queries you may have about buying at Oaklands Green. Just email him on richard@oaklandsgreen.com.au.

To keep up to date with the Oaklands Green news, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.


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