Light Steel Frame Cladding Consultants

What is Light Steel Frame Building?

Light steel frame building consists of structural wall frames and roof trusses, manufactured from cold-formed light gauge galvanised steel sections. Exterior cladding can consist of a single skin brick wall or fibre cement board, fixed to the wall frames. Services – electricity and plumbing – are installed in the wall cavity created by the light steel frames, as is the insulation material. Gypsum board, fixed to the light steel frame, is typically used for internal wall cladding and ceilings.

Advantages of Light Steel Frame

Light steel frame building offers a wide range of benefits when compared with conventional building or other framing materials, in terms of quality, cost, durability and speed. Reduced wastage, lower logistical costs and reduced time of construction could offer cost savings of 20% or more, compared with conventional building.

Quality

•Complies with the rational design requirements of the National Building Regulations.
•Tried and tested – has been in use in Australia, Europe and America for decades.
•Each structure is signed off by a structural engineer.
•Only quality certified materials are used.
•Frames are assembled under controlled factory conditions.
•In the case of poor foundation conditions, steel framed buildings can accommodate some movement in foundations without cracking.
•Thermal insulation can be specified to be superior to conventional brick and mortar buildings.
•Professional finishes are readily achievable.
•SASFA, the industry association, will act as a quality watchdog, and system-competent frame erectors and builders will be accredited.

Cost Efficiency

•Speed: time saving is estimated to be more than 30%, compared with conventional building.
•Accuracy: the steel frame dictates a high degree of accuracy of building dimensions.
•Light weight: a steel framed wall clad with fibre cement / plaster board offers a mass saving of 90% compared with a double skin brick wall.
•Lighter foundations are made possible due to the low mass of walls.
•Sloping sites: the building method lends itself to column foundations and suspended floors, reducing the cost of building on uneven sites.
•Minimal wastage.
•Energy efficient.
•Flexibility: horizontal and vertical additions can be effected easily, in stages.
•Extra floor space (some 4%) due to reduced thickness of external walls compared with a double skin brick wall.
•Services are installed in wall cavities without chasing of walls.
•Earlier beneficial occupation of buildings.
•Accurate cost budgets.

For more information contact ECO Sheds at: info@lsfcc.co.za or call us: 0835310123.