Replies

1. 
   Dave_Wright | Aug 11, 1999 06:53am | #1

   *
   Ron,

   I usually design buildings for the southeast, but can tell you that metal studs seriously bypass your insulation's thermal resistance. It is possible for a metal stud wall that is otherwise identical to a wood stud wall to have 1/2 the composite R-value. This is fine for commercial buildings that are thermally heavy, but disasterous for a residence. If you want to use metal studs for their other characteristics, and assuming you are familiar with the special detailing, consider an exterior wall section with 2" of EPS on the outside face of the stud line. Going with beefier studs @ 24" o.c. helps too.

   Insomniacs can learn lots more in ASHRAE literature. They have composite wall formulas which we have to run for our 90.1 compliance paperwork.

   Best of Luck,

   Dave

1. 
   Pete_ | Aug 13, 1999 04:36pm | #2

   *Ron,I just returned from a Habitat For Humanity project up in Cleveland. The home is a steel stud home. It is definitely a viable alternative to wood in northern climates.I suggest you contact the North American Steel Framing Alliance at http://www.SteelFramingAlliance.com for lots of info on the subject.Good luck.pete

1. 
   JRS | Aug 14, 1999 07:50am | #3

   *Ron- I built a steel home in Wadsworth, Ohio(30 miles south of Cleveland)in 1995. It was a Tri-Steel Corp. home package which consisted of a red-steel frame and 2x8 exterior studs. The house is in an upscale neighborhood and has about 2700 sq ft of living area with an attached 2 car garage. The present owners tell me the heating and cooling costs are less than their neighbors and they have no cold spots.I was warned that the drywall screws would frost up on the interior, that the studs would sweat, cold spots would form, all kinds of negatives. But none of that happened. There were negatives in the construction phase(I lost my shirt on this job) but the final product was A-OK.John

1. 
   JRS | Aug 14, 1999 08:14am | #4

   *Ron- Thought you might be interested in this. Ive attatched an article about this house, the asking price was inflated in this article, if I remember it sold for about $235,000.

1. 
   JRS | Aug 14, 1999 08:17am | #5

   *Sorry, here's another try.

2. 
   JRS | Aug 14, 1999 08:19am | #6

   *And here's the second part.

3. 
   C_marshall | Aug 16, 1999 06:58am | #7

   *My wife and I contracted our home in 1994-1995. remember lumber pricing in the spring of 1994? We accepted a bid for the steel framing, and the framing labor at a price near that of lumber which wasn't firm during the construction period. The house is 2700 square feet 2 story over a finished basement. It is insulated with Nu-wool insulation in 2 x 4 walls (recycled newspaper product sprayed into the stud cavity). Located northeast of Indianapolis, with gas heat annual heating costs do not exceed $285.00! In fact our last home was 1900 square feet over a finished partial basement with double studded 2 x 4 exterior walls, insulated with fiberglass bats (same neighborhood). The steel studded house is warmer and costs about the same or $20.00 per year less to heat! Don't see any of the condensation or other problems people speak of. I have no more frost melting above the roof rafters than other wood constructed homes. The only down side ... the steel floor joists transmit sound (it's a little higher pitched than wood joists)much better than wood. It often sounds as if the kids are jumping up and down on the floor above, but investigation reveals otherwise. I'm convinced that the product is a good one, however somthing needs to be done to prevent sound transmission. I would build another steel home.

4. 
   JRS | Aug 17, 1999 07:02am | #8

   *The steel home I built defeated the sound transmission by having the downstairs ceiling totally separated from the upstairs floor joists. It is extremely quiet. And the resulting cavity allowed us to run ducts, pipes and wiring diagonally whenever we needed or desired.John

5. 
   CaseyR_ | Aug 19, 1999 04:35am | #9

   *I can't find the url's right now, but there are at least two manufacturers that include thermal breaks in their steel framing "C" members. If I remember, one has a center section of an insulating material, another has a truss design that is supposed to minimize heat transfer, and a third uses small raised "ribs" on the edges of the "C" to hold most of the metal away from the wall and minimize heat transfer. I assume that these cost more than the standard "C" members and probably aren't readily available. Sorry I don't remember the references, you might start by asking at the North American Steel Framing Alliance site:http://www.steelframingalliance.com/

6. 
   mikemcm | Oct 01, 1999 08:33am | #10

   *Just thought i would mention that up here in canada,we use both steel and wood,Many prefer wood for exterior as you can use air nailers for sheething,and steel for interior,because lets face it,they are alot straighter.However i have heard no complaints regarding steel studs on the exterior,although helpers with woodstoves at home like wood studs.

7. 
   CaseyR_ | Oct 06, 1999 11:14pm | #11

   *Ran accross these the other day. An interesting comparison of R-values for an entire wall system using wood-framed, steel-framed, ISP, and ICF construction techniques is at:What's in a Wallhttp://oikos.com/esb/34/wall-R.htmlSome other intesting articles relating to steel framing are:ASHRAE Sets Thermal Correction Factors for Metal Framinghttp://oikos.com/esb/36/Corrfact.htmlFoam Sheathing Essential for Steel-Framed Wallshttp://oikos.com/esb/38/steelstudy.htmlNew Steel Stud Designhttp://oikos.com/esb/46/steelstud.html

2. 
   rdiehl | Oct 06, 1999 11:14pm | #12

   *
   In N. ID metal studs are not used, but a friend told me they could easily be used in a Northern climate. It seems to me it would be difficult to insulate the stud from conducting heat/cold.

   Any north country builders using metal studs?
   What "extra" insulation must you use and is there any saving with todays high lumber prices?

   ron