The Advantages of Steel

1 in 5 homes are damaged by termites.

When building a house, you want to be sure that you are eliminating all known threats to the structural integrity of your new home. One of the biggest hazards to a timber frame is the possibility of it being devastated by termites. The real truth is that no frame built with timber is completely safe from termite attack, because no treatment or barrier method will guarantee to keep termites out. 1 in 5 homes are damaged by termites and the incidence of termite attacks to timber framed homes is on the increase.

Supaloc^® steel frames are manufactured from TrueCore^® steel and are 100% impermeable to termites and borers. Simply put, termites cannot eat steel. In addition, specifying a Supaloc^® steel frame will mean that you and your family will never need to be exposed to the chemicals present in treated timber, expensive annual termite inspections or chemical barrier treatments.

Why pay to prevent a termite problem in your timber frame every year when you can choose a Supaloc^® steel frame and have total peace of mind – forever?

Unlike Supaloc, timber builders are required to include an expensive barrier solution in order to reduce the threat of termite infestation to the framing system. These barrier methods have warranties or guarantees that promise thousands of dollars recompense should they fail. The guarantee sounds reassuring in theory, but take a closer look at the fine print. A critical component of the warranty is that the consumer pays for expensive annual inspections.

Each frame is backed by a 50 year structural warranty from BlueScope.

Additionally, timber termite barriers or treatment guarantees promise to replace the timber destroyed by termites. This means the timber only. The most critical timber component of your home, the frame, only represents around 10% of the structures total value and in order to access this frame the rest of the home will suffer. A timber replacement guarantee that only returns the framing structure of your home doesn't mean much when you have to fund the cost of replacing everything else.

To maintain the barrier guarantee provided by timber companies will cost you, year after year. A decision to use Supaloc, however, provides guaranteed peace of mind without ongoing annual costs. In addition each frame is made from TrueCoreE^® steel and is backed by the strength of a 50 year structural warranty from BlueScope.

Most builders are reluctant to embrace innovation. Timber is the old-fashioned way to build. It allows construction errors to be rectified on-site with a hammer and nail – which is cheap and easy for the builder, but not very reassuring for the homeowner. The Supaloc® steel frame system is engineered to produce highly accurate steel frames, with each component unique to your home. By engineering steel frames, Supaloc^® is taking construction out of the past and into the future. Every Supaloc^® steel frame benefits from third party engineering certification – which means that once we have designed and drawn our steel frames, we ask a qualified engineer to certify them for us.

Timber is a cellulose material and it is milled with all its natural imperfections and inherent weaknesses. In residential construction, timber frames are butt joined and fixed with nails. As timber reacts to atmospheric moisture, heat and cold it shifts and warps. As the timber expands and contracts, the butt joints and nails allow movement of the frame and create noise. Engineered to eliminate these problems, Supaloc^® steel frames use patented superior connections that ensure unsurpassed accuracy and dimensional stability; thermally induced movement and noise is therefore less likely than with other framing products. Steel framing expands and contracts at rates not too dissimilar from construction materials, which means it is highly unlikely that there will be noise or cornice cracking problems.

Consider the running costs of your new home. If you are like most people, you would like your home to be as economical and maintenance free as possible. When choosing between timber and Supaloc^® steel framing, there are a number of points to consider.

• MAINTENANCE Atmospheric conditions can cause timber to warp, shrink and expand, resulting in unsightly nail popping and internal surface stress fractures. Timber, being a water based cellulose product, shrinks and expands according to environmental conditions at a rate that conflicts with plasterboard. This can cause surface lining surface to crack, peaking of ceiling joints and cracked cornices. Rectifying these problems costs the homeowner in time and money year after year. Unlike timber, Supaloc^® steel frames are backed by a 50 Year Warranty* and do not warp, twist or shrink, providing a solid and true frame for plasterboard.
• TERMITE INSPECTION Consider also the ongoing costs of inspecting, treating or rectifying termite damage every year – a real risk if you build a timber framed home. Repair costs for termite infestation are not uncommonly in excess of $40,000 and you could spend up to $850 per year treating a termite problem. A Supaloc^® steel frame is 100% impermeable to termite damage, thereby avoiding these significant costs.
• A FUTURE ASSET A Supaloc^® steel frame is a major asset when re-selling your home. The very facts that convinced you that Supaloc^® was a wise choice to build with are the same reasons a potential purchaser will be attracted to your home when you choose to sell.

Your home is your sanctuary, and you expect it to be a healthy environment for yourself and your family. When specifying a Supaloc® steel frame you can take comfort from the knowledge that it is free from the toxic pesticides designed to deter termites. Termites don't eat steel, so a Supaloc^® steel frame doesn't need to be treated with hazardous chemicals.

A Supaloc^® steel frame doesn't need to be treated with hazardous chemicals.

In direct contrast, timber frames must be pre-treated with carcinogenic chemicals in order to defend against termites. This treatment is a minimum requirement of the Building Code of Australia. The chemicals are regarded as harmful when exposed to humans, which is why there are so many rules governing treated timber handling. For example, offcuts must not be burnt or added to general waste, and carpenters cutting the timber should wear respiratory masks to avoid inhalation of the fumes. Is this the kind of chemical you would like your new home built with?

Specifying a Supaloc^® steel frame will give you a treatment free environment and peace of mind for you and your family.

Supaloc^® steel framing is made from TRUECORE^® steel and delivers a range of environmental benefits, both immediate and long term. The relative light weight of steel house framing, combined with its design versatility and flexibility, means a steel-framed house can be built with minimal site impact. Quite literally, it ‘touches the earth lightly'. This is especially apparent on sloping and difficult sites where it can be used in conjunction with suspended flooring systems, reducing the need to cut into the site and thus leaving a much smaller imprint.

Building a timber framed home can mean the sacrifice of up to 50 trees per home. Steel is a renewable resource and one of the most recycled materials in the world. Not only is TRUECORE^® steel 100 per cent recyclable, it is made with a component of recycled steel. Supaloc^® contributes heavily to the conservation of natural resources by saving up to 100,000 trees per year.

In addition, a Supaloc^® steel frame is termite treatment free. Timber however is pre-treated with carcinogenic compounds to deter pests. To put the severity of these chemicals into perspective treated timber offcuts must not be burnt or added to landfill as they are hazardous to our health and the environment.

Supaloc^® steel frames are made from TRUECORE^® steel have a protective zinc/aluminium alloy coating which prevents them from rusting. A natural phenomenon known as sacrificial protection prevents corrosion of any steel exposed at cut edges and penetrations. The more active metal – the zinc/aluminium alloy – will sacrifice itself to the elements in preference to the steel, thus the steel will not corrode.

Timber, a cellulose product, is susceptible to borers and fungal rot. Cut ends of treated timber are no longer protected and on-site trade personnel do not reapply the necessary termite treatment in order to mitigate all risk of termite attack. In comparison, steel will not rust, rot or be damaged by termites or borers. Supaloc^® steel frames are backed by the strength of a 50 year warranty from BlueScope.

There are multiple reasons why a Supaloc^® steel frame will provide you with the sense of security that you and your family deserve.

Supaloc^® is the only framing system which attaches every single component together and bolts them to the slab. The roof is attached to the truss, which is attached to the wall frame, which is attached to the slab. This has outstanding wind loading qualities, giving you complete security even in severe weather conditions.

Supaloc^® frames give you complete security, even in severe weather conditions.

All Supaloc^® steel frames are earthed, making them completely safe in the event of a lightning strike or faulty wiring. It is a requirement of the Building Code of Australia that every new dwelling must be fitted with a safety switch, also known as a Residual Current Device (RCD) or an Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker. In a Supaloc^® steel framed home, should faulty wiring make contact with the steel frame, the RCD will immediately trip the electrical supply and alert the homeowner to an electrical fault. In contrast, however, a broken wire in a timber frame structure can remain live and the electrical current leakage could cause a fire as the current makes contact with dry timber.

Supaloc^® steel frames use patented, superior connections that ensure unsurpassed accuracy and dimensional stability. Each frame is designed and manufactured according to specific design tolerances, producing frames of unequalled consistency and security.

A Supaloc^® Steel frame will not ignite, does not burn or contribute to heat, smoke or deadly gases.

The CSIRO Division of Building Research, Victoria, produced a paper outlining a house with high fire resistance, and major factors included the specification of steel framed walls and steel frame roofing. The reasoning behind this is twofold: fire, particularly in bushfires, is often ignited in a dwelling when sparks enter the building via the roof. A Supaloc^® steel framed roof will neither ignite nor provide fuel to the fire. A Supaloc^® steel frame can also slow the speed of a fire, reduce the intensity and potentially reduce damage and cost caused by fire.

Electrical faults are a common cause of fires. If a steel frame is exposed to a live wire it will create a short and trip the safety switch, whereas if a timber frame is exposed to broken or pierced wire it can remain live and pose a fire risk.

Steel retains its integrity up to 400 – 500 degrees Celsius, whereas timber frames will ignite at 280 degrees Celsius. This means the structure of you home remains safer for longer. The frame will not catastrophically fail as would a timber frame. The steel will merely sag, giving you more time to exit the building and reducing the risk of entrapment.

Contemporary home design demands the beauty of clean lines and strong finishes. The Supaloc^® steel frame system is precision engineered to be dimensionally accurate. Unlike timber frames, Supaloc^® steel frames will not shrink, twist or warp. Homes built with Supaloc^® do not suffer cracked cornices, jamming doors, sticking windows or wavy rooflines.

Supaloc^® embraces a degree of accuracy that was previously unheard of in housing construction. Unlike timber framing, the majority of the Supaloc^® steel frame fixing is completed in factory, thereby retaining the precision manufacturing environment during the completion of your Supaloc^® steel frame. This precision engineering ensures each frame is accurate to +/- 0.5mm over 10 meters.

Precision engineering ensures each frame is accurate to +/- 0.5mm over 10 meters.

When moving a transportable home to site the dwelling undergoes considerable road stress as it is shifted over terrain on a truck. A timber framed home will inevitably suffer considerable movement as the cellulose warps and shifts to accommodate the upheaval. In contrast, however, a Supaloc^® steel framed home will retain its structural integrity and require virtually no maintenance upon arrival at its final destination.