Steel frame houses are still rare, but their advantages and versatility are undeniable and this building method is currently used in various projects.

In South Africa, steel frame houses are rare and this building method is still in its infancy, relative to the rest of the world. Recently, Property24 wrote an article on a company that specialises in the construction of steel frame homes – Steel Frame Material Supplies (SFMS) – and it appears, upon further inspection, there is more to this industry.

The idea of constructing your home around a galvanised steel skeleton remains an oddity and uncertainty in most South Africans' minds. Traditional brick and mortar building techniques have become a sure and tested method over the years.

However, the multitudes of benefits that steel offers are undeniable. Furthermore, steel is not the proverbial 'new kid on the block', as this method has been used in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand over the past 50 years.

"There are so many advantages to lightweight steel roof trusses that the local building market is beginning to take serious notice of," says Brent Harris, managing director of Vela Steel Building Systems (Vela SBS). Harris and Vela SBS have recently established a lightweight steel roof truss factory in Jet Park, just outside of Johannesburg.

Building roofs is often fraught with difficulty, and an improperly constructed roof can and will compromise an entire project. Building-time is especially worth considering, as bad weather can ruin materials and the quicker the roof goes on, the better. Steel is waterproof under such conditions, and not prone to other mishaps caused by exposure to the elements, such as shrinkage, warping, rotting, infestation or moisture absorption.

In addition, steel frame trusses are extremely quick to erect and according to Harris reduces building time up to 30%. The time-saving nature of building with steel is not to say that shortcuts reduce quality, because steel, because of its rigid characteristics, meets precise design shapes and contours and still offers enough flexibility to cater "for any roof from hip, to gable, flat or pitched".

"The simple single-bolt fastening system of our trusses enables easy on-site assembly, significantly reducing burdensome transportation costs, and the precision engineering means that there is no cutting or drilling on site, just a quick fastening of the single bolt connections," adds Harris.

Steel trusses are easily adaptable and can be fastened to an array of other materials, such as conventional brick, timber or steel top plates. The steel trusses can be secured with hurricane straps, flexi-grips, multi-grips, triple-grips and sliding brackets.

In the latter stages of a build, whether you're a homeowner or builder, experimenting with the roof is now possible, albeit be it one of the most important parts of the project. Unexpected costs or time constraints renders steel a viable alternative, in order to save money and time – desirable enough to attract even those individuals dead set on using wood.

"Our prices are very competitive at this stage when compared to timber," says Riaan Petzer of Vela SBS.

The company has recently finished affordable show houses in both Johannesburg and Cape Town and is involved at the other end of the market in the construction of top-end, double-storey houses at Greenstone Hill and Silver Lakes. Furthermore, Vela SBS has attained the formal go-ahead on a variety of projects and has already captured the interest of South Africans across the country, as steel truss projects are being constructed in Gauteng, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.

Harris confirms that "Vela SBS has National Home Builder's Registration Council (NHBRC) approval and complies with the Draft National Code SANS 517 for Lightweight Steel Framed Building, developed by the Southern Africa Light Steel Frame Building Association (SASFA)".

Vela SBS not only constructs steel roof trusses, but also manufactures the frames for entire homes, schools and light industrial structures. Harris says that they also put in "the wall partitioning for commercial and retail developments".

Ultimately, steel is offering what conventional building practices couldn't in the past, namely timeliness and accuracy. – James Monteiro

For more information contact 079 517 0246 or send an email.

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