Recent trends to more environmentally conscious building have heightened the appeal of lightweight suspended steel subfloor systems for residential homes. This is ideal to minimise the cut & fill associated with sloping and difficult sites and takes advantage of coastal and mountain views without destroying the landscape.
Innovative steel bearer & joist designs allow for ease & speed of construction, along with significant weight saved compared to the concrete slab option; this provides additional cost-savings. Due to lightweight steel, material is easy to handle and free from shrinkage, warping and termites. In-line, hot-dip galvanizing and end caps ensure a long-lasting floor that will not rot due to improved corrosion resistance. There are even procedures to protect your deck from water ingress.
Adjustable steel piers enable fast and accurate levelling, which can be perfectly matched to existing structures. Pier heights even post-completion are adjustable to overcome differential settlement in footings due to reactive soils. Long spans provided by steel reduce the environmental impact of footings on the site, reducing erosion and sediment control issues as well as opening up space under the floor for additional car storage, rooms and water storage. As well, the long spans enjoyed by steel reduce the number of piers required to support the floor. The floor can be dismantled and the steel reused as opposed to demolishing it. The strength of steel enables these spans to be achieved without excessive depth, reducing the added cost of cladding, and restrictions to overall building height.
With no on-site welding required, the entire structure can be pre-cut and delivered to site for assembly, requiring only a Tek screw gun. Steel is 100% recyclable and when used in conjunction with appropriate insulation material increases thermal efficiency which means houses are naturally cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
There are several proprietary steel systems for subfloors, each offering simple design and building techniques and competitive pricing while addressing the issues of sloping sites, termites and fire protection.
Acknowledgement: www.onesteel.com.au