Page 39 - Green Builder November-December 2018 Issue
P. 39
FRAMING TINY HOMES
WITH STEEL Although it costs somewhat more
up front, using a steel framing kit
has many advantages.
COURTESY OF MICHAEL JANZEN
Michael Janzen, who partners with Volstrukt Steel Framing, lays out 10 reasons he uses steel kits.
1. Higher R.O.I. — Your return on investment require an experienced framing crew. All you do 8. ICC Compliant — The cold-rolled steel
is better because with wood framing most of the is fasten panels together at square angles and process used to produce these steel tiny house
cost is in the labor. With steel tiny house kits, attach it to your foundation. kits is ICC-compliant and IRC-compliant. Read this
80 percent of your investment stays in the quality 5. Pest/Rot/Rust Resistant — Galvanized ESR-2361 PDF (https://bit.ly/2QANzJx) for more
permanent materials, not lost as a labor cost. steel comes with a barrier to moisture and rust information about the FRAMECAD technology.
2. Lightweight and Strong — Steel’s strength- and makes an incompatible environment (or meal) 9. Highest Quality — An engineered frame
to-weight ratio is 25 times higher than wood. A steel for pests like termites. means you can sail past the design phase and
tiny house frame is 40-60% lighter than wood and 6. Thermal Bridging Defeated — Modern avoid the risks for cost increases and delays.
10 times the strength of a comparable wood frame. sheathing options like ZIP™ Systems provide the 10. Experienced Designer and Manufacturer
So it’s half the weight and exponentially stronger. thermal break, structural sheer strength, vapor and — Michael Janzen has been designing tiny houses
3. Quick Assembly — At the factory, the steel air barrier all in one application. since 2008. Volstrukt uses the industry leading
framing is all pre-assembled into wall and roof panels. 7. Stonger Than Your Average Steel — The cold-rolled steel framing technology to produce
Once delivered to your job site you can assemble the structural quality 20- to 22-gauge sheet steel in tiny house frames.
panels in a day or two with the help of friends. Volkstrukt kits is rolled through a series of dies and
4. No Special Skills Needed — The pre- formed into C-sections, and not subject to fragile Condensed and reprinted from a
assembled steel frame tiny house kits don’t fold points. blog (https://bit.ly/2Rvg10S) by Michael Janzen.
www.greenbuildermedia.com November/December 2018 GREEN BUILDER 37
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