Steel Frame

Considering the many advantages rattled off by its proponents, you wouldn't think the use of light gauge steel in home-building would be almost revolutionary. But that's essentially what it is -- at least in New England, a region of the country that has been slow to pick up on a building trend that is already firmly rooted elsewhere in the country.
But if Anthony P. Attalla, president of Weare-based Hexaport International, has his way, New England will soon be catching up with builders in the South and West.
Since August 1996, Hexaport has manufactured several hundred thousand square feet of steel framing for residential homes and commercial applications, such as apartment complexes, resorts and assisted living facilities around the United States.
The company says that a steel-framed structure has plenty of advantages over the conventional wood-framed building: energy efficiency and resistance to termite infestation, fire, hurricanes and lightning. It also usually means lower costs and take less time to construct than wood because all members are pre-cut and delivered with self-tapping screws and are pre-punched for plumbing and electrical wiring.
Hexaport's steel framing, say Attalla, has been greater advantages than conventional light gauge steel. The company's patented strong stud is the strongest capacity stud available, making the company's steel structures virtually indestructible, even in extreme weather conditions, such as a hurricane, say Attalla.
One believer in steel frames is Bob Theriault. Theriault has worked for Hexaport for 13 years, so it's not surprising that when he decided to build a 1,750 square-foot ranch in New Boston, he chose steel framing. Nevertheless, even he was anxious to see how well the material lived up to its billing. "The energy efficiency of steel is one big advantage. Steel-framed buildings cost less to heat," say Theriault. "And steel-framed structures last a lifetime. They stand up better to the elements." And Theriault assembled the steel frame and installed the sheathing for his house in just a month. "Even though I'm experienced in this, building a steel-frame building in most cases does take less time than a wood structure.
Because everything is pre-cut, all there is to do at the site is the assembly." Theriault, who moved in to his home last Thanksgiving, rattled off other advantages he says steel offer: lower home-owner's insurance, easier reselling, making use if an abundant recyclable material, no chance for warping or rotting and resistance to fire, carpenter ants, termites -- even lightning. "Some might say I'm biased, but to me the advantages of steel are overwhelming." say Theriault.