Is Steel really better?
Tiny house steel framed
Jim was asked a question yesterday; “Is steel lighter than wood, and how much lighter?
Jim’s Answer; The steel frame of a tiny house is 30% lighter than a comparable wood frame, yet steel has more strength than wood. Wood tensile strength is rated at 40, while steel tensile strength is rated at 400 and higher, making steel 10x stronger than wood.
Steel homes are usually screwed and bolted together, while wood homes are nailed and stapled together. A screws advantage is it does not loosen over time, while a nail will. At Tiny Green Cabins, besides screwing our steel framed tiny houses together, we also weld the connections for added tensile strengths and resistance to loosening from road vibrations while in transit.
Which is less expensive………..wood or steel ?
On a tiny house, the wood frame material is about $200 less than the steel counterparts. Virtually all of steel is from recycled materials and no trees are sawn down or harmed in making of the steel frame.