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Steel is an attractive material for residential construction for many reasons. It is a durable, long-lasting and ductile material that structural steel fabricators enjoy working with. Because of its flexibility, steel is now used in nearly every phase of construction, including framing, floor joists, and roofing. In this blog, we will discuss why steel beams are the best type of structure to be used in residential construction.
Steel is a perfect material to work with, regardless of the season. Prefabricated components are produced by structural steel fabricators with little on-site labour. Depending on the size of a project, a whole frame can be assembled in a matter of days as opposed to weeks, resulting in significant savings in construction time compared to an on-site building. Because structural steel is less heavy than other framing materials like concrete, a smaller, simpler foundation is permitted.
Residential buildings made with steel beams offer flexibility when it comes to repositioning the walls for creating new interiors. You can turn existing non-composite steel beams into a composite with the existing floor slab, cover plates can be added to the beams to boost strength, and beams and girders can easily be reinforced with more framework, or even moved to handle additional loads.
Steel gives designers more flexibility in terms of colour, texture, and geometry. Because of its strength, durability, and malleability, it offers architects more room to experiment with concepts and come up with novel solutions. Steel can be bent to a certain radius, allowing for the creation of segmented curves or free-form combinations for facades, arches, or domes.
With many clients now requiring column grid spacing beyond 15 metres, extended steel spans can provide large, open-plan interior areas free of columns. Rolling beams can give unobstructed spans of more than 50 metres in single-story buildings. This can be extended to 150 metres using trussed or lattice construction. By reducing the number of columns, the customization of spaces becomes easier.
Weld Rich & Steel is a metal fabrication company in Toronto specialising in structural steel erection, metal fabrication and welding services. With years of experience, we have grown to be a leader in the structural CWB welding industry and are continuously innovating and growing to offer more from our welding services. Contact us to discuss your metal fabrication project or to get a quote.