Having gained a reputation for reducing construction time and cost for mid-rise structures, steel frames, joists and trusses are at the forefront of residential construction in the USA. Arizona-based Frame Up Now is providing cold formed steel (CFS) framing kits to the Do-It-Yourself residential market.
Rodger Ford CEO says, “They buy a kit that comes as fully assembled steel frames and they put it together themselves onsite.”
The process begins with a precise set of plans engineered in the FRAMECAD system. FRAMECAD Structure verifies detailing for walls, trusses, and web joists. Then FRAMECAD Detailer converts the design information into detailed framing plans with 3D model viewing capabilities and a high level of accuracy.
Frame Up Now find the FRAMECAD system to be very intuitive and intelligent. The assembly is simple, and the software is a huge benefit.
Co-Owner Brad Cooper has been building for the past 25 years, mainly in residential construction using wood. When he came across steel framing also known as light gauge steel (LGS) as an alternative to wood, it changed his thinking and he found the transition easy. Brad said, “I don’t know if I would want to go back to wood.” He sees steel as a far superior building material with many benefits. Steel is faster and easy to handle and assemble, saving weeks of work. The walls are straighter resulting in strong lines and a beautiful finish and the doors fit perfectly. Steel frames do not warp, split, or shrink, they are strong yet lightweight and there are no mold or termite issues. He sees a definite pick-up of cold formed steel framing in the residential field.
Rodger sees now as the beginning of a tsunami of steel in both onsite and offsite construction. This will include mobile factories that build a frame onsite, move on and repeat.
He said, “I believe steel will overcome wood in a matter of 15 years. We are in a hurry to make this a big success!”