Quick summary
- Timber frames are cheaper, easier to modify on-site, and naturally insulating for your home, making them great for fast and budget-friendly builds in warmer climates.
- Steel frames offer excellent durability and are resistant to fire, making them better suited for areas with extreme weather. However, without added insulation, they can be more expensive and less energy-efficient.
- In terms of sustainability, timber is renewable and absorbs carbon, while steel is highly recyclable. Your best choice depends on local sourcing and long-term environmental goals.
When building a new house, think of the frame as its backbone. You can’t achieve a solid foundation that will last the test of time without an excellent frame. Everything, from insects to natural disasters, can affect the structural integrity of your home, and the frame plays a huge part in making sure that it remains strong. With so many variables at play, it can be difficult to decide between a metal and wood frame, but that’s where we come in! We’re going to walk through the pros and cons of each, as well as which is the most eco-friendly.
Why are Timber Frames so Popular?
The earliest houses were made entirely of wood, including their frames. Today, this is still often the case! In Australia, more than 80% of homes have wooden frames. There are two key reasons why we don’t think this will change anytime soon:
Timing
Timber frames are reasonably fast to assemble. More importantly, making last-minute adjustments is easier and cheaper than with steel. Even though pre-fabricated steel takes less time to assemble initially, changes can instantly be made to a wooden structure. Your builder can buy wood quickly at a hardware store and cut new pieces of the frame on site. This means any changes to your floor plan will be faster and cheaper.
Money
Timber frames are economical! Trees grow for free, so logging them is less expensive than mining steel. This is true even after your frame has been treated to protect against decay and insects. What’s more, South East Queensland is a great place to grow timber. Import costs are low, and there’s plenty of wood to go around.
Deciding on a frame is just one of the many choices you will have to make. Hard work, right? That’s why Buildi is here to help you out. With our expert advice and BuildiStar System, we’ll take the stress out of finding the right builder.
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What’s the Downside of Timber?
Natural elements pose the greatest threat to timber homes. Despite this, technology has come a long way to make wooden frames more durable.
Disasters
Australia’s weather is wild and unpredictable. In the wake of Australia’s tragic 2019/2020 bushfires, many of us are thinking more about fire safety in particular. A timber house is more likely to burn in the event of a bushfire. In most cases, however, fireproof cladding, sprinkler systems and other safety measures prevent fires that happen away from bushland areas.
What is a BAL?
If you’re building in a bushfire-prone area, check your site’s BAL (Bushfire Attack Level) rating. Since 2022, stricter BAL standards have influenced material choices and design regulations in Queensland and plenty of other areas of Australia. This means that if you’re in a dangerous area susceptible to bushfires, you might not have a choice between wooden frames and steel - the choice may be made for you.
Termites
Termites are only a problem with timber frames. In actuality, instances of termite damage are rare and usually repairable. As we mentioned earlier, it is fast and cheap to replace pieces of your timber frame. Furthermore, termite barriers and timber treatment have come a long way over the years. Thanks to the new updates in the NCC 2022, most new builds in Queensland now include mandatory physical or chemical termite protection systems.
Steel Frames’ Strengths
Now let’s look at strong, durable steel. Even though it costs more and can be difficult to cut, some home builders choose steel for a few key reasons.
Safety
We’ve all heard that jet fuel can’t melt steel beams, but what about bushfires? Homes with steel frames won’t “burn” as quickly, so they tend to offer better protection. However, they can bend and collapse under intense heat. Furthermore, steel is electrically conductive. Any broken wires and circuits behind your walls are more likely to arc to steel frames. This can cause an electrical fire, so there’s a law that says steel frames must be earthed for safety reasons.
Longevity
Steel has a high strength-to-weight ratio. In the stormy winds of a cyclone, a metal frame is most likely to survive. Additionally, moisture is less likely to cause long-term damage to a steel frame than a wooden one. This is because ROT is a bigger problem for houses than RUST.
Energy efficiency and insulation
Steel-framed homes often require added insulation and thermal breaks to meet updated energy efficiency standards introduced in 2022. These design additions can raise construction costs but help homes comply with Australia’s 7-star rating system. This can be a pro or a con depend ing on how you choose to look at it!
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Problems with a Steel Frame
If you’re considering spending a little extra on a metal structure, here are a few common issues to consider first:
Are Steel Homes Cold?
Steel is NOT as good at holding on to warmth as timber. This means steel is NOT a good insulator. Even though a steel frame will come with layers of insulation, it might be colder than a wooden frame. If you live in a cold area already, consider how much extra money you will have to spend on heating.
Creaking
Steel frames will arrive at your build site in silence. While timber frames require noisy power tools to assemble, pre-fabricated metal will come together quietly. But then you move into your new home… and you hear a creak in the night… Oh no! The steel joints behind your walls may expand and contract when the temperature changes. They can also buckle and warp when it’s windy.
Sustainability: Who Wins?
Many steel frame fans will claim that steel is environmentally friendly because it is 100% recyclable. This is true, but how many steel-frame houses are actually built using recycled steel? Research suggests that the recycling rate of steel has increased up to 80-90% as of 2024.
Native bushland must also be cleared to create timber plantations, but the situation is not as bad. At least the timber trees filter greenhouse gases and provide new habitats for forest creatures. Significant efforts have also been made to offset carbon emissions in timber plantations and certified sustainable forests (e.g., FSC-certified).
While metal is recyclable, wood is 100% renewable. We believe timber is the most sustainable frame option!
Summary
Timber frames are a cheaper, faster, more sustainable backbone for your home. They provide natural insulation year-round and are quick to chop and change. Steel frames, on the other hand, are stronger and safer. They also tend to last longer than wooden frames. That being said, the Notre-Dame has a wooden frame and still stands proud to this day.
