Martyn Baker:
Builder North Auckland
Certified Builder, Martyn Baker, has been working with steel framing for two years.
Baker sums up his impressions of working with steel framing from a builder's perspective in one word, "Brilliant!"
"The weight is the first thing you notice as a builder – it's not as heavy as wood to work with. There is also no dust or toxic chemicals when you're handling it," explains Baker.
Baker says the fact that steel framing does not retain moisture also simplifies construction, and creates time savings.
"When you're building a house in the middle of winter, for example, you don't have to worry about waiting time for drying, which means you can keep construction on schedule."
Baker says of all the benefits of building with steel framing, the quality of the finish is the strongest endorsement for using steel.
"The biggest benefit is the finished product: totally straight walls and flat ceilings. You just don't get that same finish with wood," says Baker.
Baker says it is routine with wood framing to have to return to the site within a year to fix cracks in the plaster, whereas steel eliminates that step from the construction process and cost as much as possible.
Steel framing, properly installed, is stable.
"The thing with wood is that it never stops moving over time – it's always alive!"
