The South African building industry is worth about R120-billion a year and yet a fraction of this money is being channelled into steel frame housing projects, according to Q-Steel Frame building concept suppliers, which is the publisher of a new book, SAW (Steel, Aluminium and Wood) about this building system.
At the launch of SAW, in Fourways, Johannesburg last month the publishers said that the steel frame building system provides significant savings in terms of time and offers real alternatives to those who want to build better and faster.
"We built a 320 square metre house in Northcliff in less than 14 weeks including the wiring, plumbing and installation of all the fixtures and finishes," says James Emery of Q-Steel. "That compares with between 24 and 56 weeks for a conventional home."According to Emery there have been a number of successful housing projects already completed around the country but not much is known about these multi-unit projects. "For instance, one of the companies featured in this book, Innosteel, built 106 upmarket luxury homes at Ugie in the Eastern Cape near Lady Frere," he says.
"The project, which took less than a year to complete, was finished on time and on budget and now more than 100 families are living in comfort and safety at Ugie," says Emery. "Had conventional housing methods been used the families would still be waiting to take occupation of the buildings."
There are many other steel frame building projects underway in various sectors. For example, several luxury homes have already been built on housing estates at Hartbeestpoort Dam."What South Africa needs now is to rally behind the composite Steel/ Wood frame building systems which have already demonstrated their value in the local market and have proved beyond doubt that these are excellent alternatives to bricks-and-mortar - as they are in other parts of the world," says Emery.
He points out that steel frame buildings were first introduced in America in 1949 and since then have been widely used in the US and in other places around the world as well. "For instance in Australia and New Zealand, steel frame building methods are now replacing timber frame as the most prominent form of building in those countries."
"In the Middle East there are various major projects for multi-storey housing units being built in Dubai while in Turkey, steel frame building methods were used to alter the Turkish Prime Minister's home. In the Far East there are major projects underway, in China, Indonesia and Malaysia they are using the steel frame building system," he adds.With regard to the new book, SAW Emery says that it provides a useful guide for the potential homeowner on how the steel frame building system is erected and finished. There are extensive illustrations that clearly show how the house progresses from an empty building site to a finished home in just 14 weeks.
"The building system works and for a country that needs to build more than 2-million homes for its people the steel frame option makes the most sense. Homes can be completed quickly, efficiently and in less time than any other building method."
"For the housing market the significant savings – in terms of money and time – translate into bigger and more luxurious homes for those people who have a limited budget and are seeking a better built home. In the luxury housing market the quality of workmanship, the stability and safety of the structure itself and the speed at which it is erected offers measurable time savings for home owners," says Emery.Special offer for Property24 Users
SAW - standing for Steel, Aluminium and Wood, which are the three primary elements utilised in a steel frame building - is the name of Q-Steel Frame's new book. This is a revolutionary South African book looking at Steel Frame Construction.
This book on the steel frame building method is available from Q-Steel Frame and contains over 300 pages of information and extensive illustrations on all aspects of Steel Frame building. It documents the construction process of a show house in Northcliff, Johannesburg that was built last year and completed in just 14 weeks including the wiring, plumbing and installation of all the fixtures and finishes. That compares with between 24 and 56 weeks for a conventional home.
In conjunction with Properly 24, Q-Steel Frame is offering visitors to Property 24 get a R30 discount on the recommended retail price of R255. This means you will get it for R225. Contact Q-Steel Frame on 011 234 6997 or admin@qsteelframe.co.za and quote your reference of "SAW Prop 24".
Captions
1. The completed house in Northcliff, Jhb.
2. A cross-section of the wall of the steel-frame house with cladding.
3. The framework for the complete house before cladding.
4. The interior of the bathroom looks just like a normal house.
Related articles
For more information on steel frame housing contact Candice at 011 234 6997 or send an email. Click here to visit the website.
Readers' Comments
Have a comment or question about this article? Email us now..
Get up-to-date property news
Would you like to receive free weekly news and information about property in South Africa? Click here to register and sign up for Property24's Week in Review.
Property News
Click here for more property news articles.
Need a blog?
Start your own blog with a free blog from 24.com.
Print
