Steel use in housing.

[jonsey/downunder]

From time to time the subject of steel piers crops up, so as it's hot down here and I'm taking the day off, here is a bit of a look at the system I am using.
Adjustable steel stumps are in common use down here and there are a number of types on the market. The one I have used is a threaded type but there are also telescopic versions. There are also different types of bearer support and hold down systems. The advantages for us down are, they are cheaper than timber, they don't rot, are termite proof and with our reactive clay soil it means we can compensate for any movement in the building. They also mean it is not so critical for levelling footings and stumps in the setup stage, once the bearers are on any small adjustment for floor levelling is easy. Here are a couple of shots of the business end of the stump I have used; you can find more on my home page.



With this system the adjuster is simply tech screwed to a square section steel post cut to size. In some cases these stumps can be quite tall, of course they require diagonal bracing in that situation.
In some earlier posts I have provided links to sites for steel stumps, a search of the forum should turn them up.
Steel frame and steel pole homes are also common down here, again, for the reasons outlined above. Here are some links on that.
http://www.ezyhomes.com.au/index.php
http://www.mager.com.au/houses.htm#
http://www.bluescopesteel.com.au/go/case-study/hilltop-glasshouse-has-views-to-thrill#

Corrugated iron is also a common cladding material in Australia. I think there are a couple of photos on the sites above. It was and still is used widely in my local area. As time permits I will get some pics of some of the houses around here and post to the forum.