The construction of buildings on a metal frame has been practiced for a long time, but they mainly built industrial and technical premises, buildings of shopping centers, etc. Application in private housing construction was limited by the high thermal conductivity of the metal: heating bills would be unrealistic. Manufacturers solved the problem by making the so-called thermal profiles, which, paired with modern heaters, make it possible to get a warm house. If you are looking for an inexpensive, reliable house that is built in a short time, a metal frame house may be right for you. It has a low cost - two times lower than brick, assembly is fast, the service life of the factory frame is 70 years.

The technology is very flexible: any house you like can be adapted to a metal frame. First, a frame plan is drawn up, the type of finishing materials is determined (only your wishes affect). Further, the developed project is processed by a special program that breaks everything into components, gives a list of elements with all the parameters. Profiles of the required size are manufactured and marked, bundled, packaged, delivered to the construction site. In short, this is the entire technical process - from project development to assembly frame house from metal profiles.

Advantages and disadvantages

This technology is becoming more and more popular in European countries (including northern ones), Canada and America. And all because steel does not rot, insects do not eat it. A metal frame structure weighs several times less than a house made of wood (twice), and even more so, it is lighter than houses made of brick and other similar materials. The light weight of the building means lower foundation costs, since its parameters depend on the load, which further reduces the cost per square meter of development. Usually pile houses are placed under such houses, or. On average, one square of the area costs 4-5 thousand rubles (excluding the cost of finishing materials).

The technology by which a metal frame house is built is called light thin-walled steel structures, or LSTK for short. Lightweight does not mean fragile. Houses built using LSTK technology can withstand earthquakes of magnitude nine. But this applies to buildings no higher than 3 floors.

Another advantage of a steel frame over a wooden frame is that it is strong enough to withstand heavy roofing materials. If you decide to use ceramic tiles - please. Only its weight must be taken into account when calculating the parameters of the foundation.

The design of the wall pie itself is almost the same as that of. The whole difference is in the material used for the frame and the method of assembly.

What about cold bridges? Manufacturers claim that the problem is solved. Modern thermal profiles, from which private houses are built, have sections arranged in a checkerboard pattern. They prevent through freezing of structural elements.

This is how the picture of the "work" of the thermal profile looks like

And although the thermal profiles really work, all the same, such a house is colder than. However, the problem can be solved by making high-quality insulation. With the correct execution of the “pie” of insulation with all membranes (windproof, vapor-permeable from the outside, vapor barrier inside), the metal-frame house will be warm and no more will be spent on heating than in the so-called “warm houses”.

For insulation, you can use any modern insulation - mineral wool, polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam, foamed glass, ecowool. Foam glass has the best characteristics, extruded polystyrene foam is slightly worse. But they have a solid price, although the required thickness is several times less than that of mineral wool. As a result, the cost of insulation are comparable.

Most optimal combination qualities and prices of mineral wool. It is more convenient to work with basalt. She also has good features. Fiberglass is also good in terms of characteristics, but it is difficult to work with it. Slag wool is the cheapest, but it is very afraid of getting wet; when using it, it is necessary to install a ventilated facade.

For the above reasons, from the whole variety, I most often choose basalt wool. It fits well into the frame, has good thermal insulation properties, is relatively inexpensive, and is also a good soundproof material, which is important for this technology.

What is a metal frame house made of?

LSTK elements are made of durable structural steel by cold stamping. The sheet has a protective zinc covering from 18 to 40 microns thick. Some factories make structures from hot-dip galvanized sheets. Such elements are more expensive, but they are also more durable.

The thickness of the sheet from which they are formed is from 0.7 mm to 2 mm. The choice depends on the required bearing capacity of a particular element. There are the following types of profiles.

The following types are most commonly used.

There are also special floor and ceiling beams. The truss system of the house is made up of similar elements. The elements are connected to each other by bolts, self-tapping screws, riveting, contact welding can be used.

Now about the quality of components from different companies. There are about a dozen factories in Russia. Everyone's quality is different. Therefore, carefully look at the quality of galvanizing, metal bending. There should not be any, even the smallest, traces of rust anywhere. In general, even the best “our” profiles are significantly inferior to imported ones. It's a shame, but it's true.

Assembly order

From the factory, all material comes packed in packs. Each part is marked, the same marking is present on the working drawings. The frame of the LSTK house is being assembled as a constructor: everything is ready, even holes for hardware are stamped. Put the parts in place, align the grooves and install the fasteners. From the metal-frame house is assembled in exactly the same way as from wooden bars. If we outline the stages briefly, step by step everything looks like this:

The frame of the steel house is ready. All that's left is insulation and finishing work. It is a remark: no matter how much you want to save money, the crate should also be assembled from metal. The same expansion coefficients are exactly what contributes to the high strength of such structures. When joining metal and wood, this cannot be achieved: the fasteners gradually weaken. This is especially critical in regions with high seismic activity. But even in calmer regions, there is little joy from rattling finishes.

Can you build it yourself?

If we are talking about how to assemble the parts that came from the factory into one design - then easily, but with assistants. All work consists in finding the right part and installing it in the place indicated in the drawings. Difficult at first, then get used to it.

If by “do-it-yourself construction of a metal-frame house” they mean welding it from a profile pipe, then this is an ambiguous matter. If you are going to build a small country house, then there are no questions: the frame can be installed according to the same principle as a wooden one, and for a one-story building, 80 * 80 mm pipes are enough for corner posts, and you can take less for intermediate ones. But the installation step is still dictated by the insulation: the distance in the clearance should be 58-59 cm (slightly less than the standard width of mineral wool).

The only thing to remember: when using a profile pipe, cold bridges will be required. Then the insulation itself will need to be done in several layers, blocking heat leaks, which will solve the problem. One layer is traditionally placed in a spacer between the uprights. The cross section of the profile pipe is far from 200-250 mm, which are necessary for insulating a house in the Moscow region (under mineral wool). Therefore, a transverse crate is arranged under the missing layers (on one or two sides - decide for yourself). It turns out that between the racks the insulation is laid vertically, and along the crate - horizontally. Cold bridges have become much less.

From the side of the room, the insulation is closed with a vapor barrier membrane (it should not let moisture into the insulation). From the side of the street, a windproof vapor-permeable membrane with waterproofing properties is fixed on it. It performs three functions at once:

• protects from the wind
• prevents condensate or accidentally falling precipitation from getting into the insulation,
• removes steam from the heater, which still penetrates there from the room (despite the vapor barrier).

Only with such a cake and the presence between the outer membrane and finishing materials ventilation gap, you can be sure that the insulation will not get wet. Only in order for the ventilation gap to work, ventilation holes are also needed at the bottom of the wall and an unhermetically sealed outlet under the roof from above: the air flow between the exterior finish of the metal frame house and the windproof membrane must pass without encountering obstacles.

For inspiration - a video that shows the process of welding a country house from a profile metal pipe. For those who know how to make a metal frame house with their own hands from a pipe, it will not be difficult.

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Features of the use of a metal profile in housing construction

More recently, metal frame construction was used for the construction of industrial buildings: hangars, workshops, warehouses. Today, even in housing construction, you can find the frame of a house made of a profile pipe. Usually these are low-rise buildings (no more than 3 floors). Even more often you can find public, commercial buildings, the frame of which is made of a metal profile. Metal-frame construction technologies are used in the construction of various types of superstructures, outbuildings, attic rooms.

This construction method is most common in Japan, the USA, Western Europe. The share of residential buildings erected there using this technology is 45-70%.

The use of a profile pipe in construction

For the construction of residential buildings, a metal profile began to be used after it had proven itself in the best way in other construction industries. Rectangular and square pipes have long been successfully used for construction:

It has long been used for structures of various designs.

• bridges, towers, cranes;
• power transmission towers, towers mobile communications, mast;
• flyovers and bridges;
• construction farms for various purposes;
• industrial galleries (at metallurgical plants, thermal power plants, power plants);
• sports complexes;
• exhibition, trade pavilions.

Profile pipes are made by electrowelding method on welding mills. This guarantees the exact geometry of the products. High quality is confirmed by means of non-destructive testing devices. The profile can be made of ferrous metal, galvanized or stainless steel. The latter option is the most expensive and is usually used as an addition (including decorative) to a frame made of cheaper material.

Pros and cons of houses with a metal frame

The construction of a metal frame house in terms of labor costs is significantly inferior to buildings erected in the traditional way. In reality, all the main stages of the installation of a one-story country house can be completed in less than a month (excluding interior decoration). In addition, houses with a metal profile frame:

• they are distinguished by low cost (the cost of construction is directly related to the cross-sectional size of the profile pipe and the absence of the need to hire a professional team of builders);
• do not require "wet" work (excluding the arrangement of the foundation), which allows you to build a frame in the cold season;
• do not shrink during construction and subsequent operation.

The serious advantages of buildings with a metal frame do not mean that there are no disadvantages. The main disadvantage is the complexity of design, incl. load calculation. It is quite difficult to independently make such calculations, so you will have to contact specialists. It is necessary to know exactly how much mass 1 m of pipe can withstand. Another disadvantage is the high price of a metal profile. When buying a material, you will have to choose between financial costs (if you buy thinner pipes) and the ability to build a frame with a margin of safety (if you buy a thicker profile). And another problem that arises when arranging houses with a metal frame is thermal insulation. Metal is a good "cold bridge", so you should take a responsible approach to the process of warming, i.e. do right choice insulation and spend money on quality material.

Construction of a house from a metal profile

The foundation is constructed lighter than for houses built by the traditional method. If it is planned to build a greenhouse, greenhouse or other structure intended for movement, then the foundation is not needed.

Good results are obtained by using expanded polystyrene (it is better to purchase extruded PP) with a thickness of 80-100 mm. Sometimes mineral wool is also used. In the latter case, work on laying insulation should be carried out in the absence of precipitation on the street. Metal racks are thermally insulated with foam insulation strips.

Interior decoration is made by means of grooved boards (width 4-6 cm) from coniferous species. Lumber must be pre-treated with an antiseptic (from decay) and fire retardant compounds (to reduce the combustibility of wood).

External finishing is made by means of front plaster, a siding. You can use natural wood, but this option will cost more.

A roof made of a profile pipe can be a frame element or be built as a separate structure. The calculation is made taking into account the angle of inclination, such as roofing material. Specific climatic conditions are also taken into account: the amount of snowfall, wind loads.

The main stages of building a frame from a profile

The foundation can be anything: tape based on reinforced concrete, screw, columnar. If the foundation is non-capital, then the structure can be transported. The frame is constructed from a profile pipe, pre-treated with a primer. This operation is not needed if a more expensive version of profile pipes is used, galvanized or stainless steel. You can connect pipes in one of two ways:

1. Arc welding. This method is considered the most reliable. However, you will have to invite a specialist; and it must be borne in mind that you will have to cook at a height, so such work will require good pay. After the completion of welding work (and preferably in the course of welding), the joints must be treated with a primer, because. these are the areas most vulnerable to corrosion.
2. With screw connections. The task of assembling the frame will be greatly facilitated if special factory pipes designed for the construction of the frame are used. Surely you will be offered connecting clamps of a special design (sometimes they are called "crabs"). They can be two-, three-, four-sided. Use galvanized hardware as clamps.
3. Sometimes a mixed method of fastening is used. The thickest elements (vertical racks, for example) are fastened by welding, and thinner pipes (longitudinal) are fastened with clamps and bolts. Even more exotic is the method of fastening with rivets. It is sometimes used for arranging a roof when a profile with a Z-, C-, U-shaped section is used.

It is necessary to start the installation with the installation of vertical racks, which should have a larger cross section than the horizontal profile. Additionally, it is better to strengthen the racks with braces. The roof is installed last. The use of shaped pipes in housing construction will bring the desired effect only if the calculations are carried out correctly. And if you can mount the frame yourself, then it is best to entrust the calculations of pipe sizes, their number per unit area to a trained specialist.

Frame houses have been popular lately, and the materials for their manufacture are varied.

The main criteria underlying the choice of building materials are sufficient strength, durability, safety for human life, water resistance, heat protection, and high fire resistance.

The standard option is frame wooden houses. About 85% of residents of European countries and the USA live in frame-type houses with metal profiles.. In the regions of Russia, a steel frame was previously used in the construction of industrial facilities, warehouse hangars and workshops. To date, it is most often used in the construction of residential buildings.

Frame type of metal houses

The basis of this type of houses is completely produced from metal. From it, the frame of all floors is made, as well as. The thickness of the profiles used, and their shape is different for each specific case, because they experience different external loads.

These buildings have certain features:

• lightweight metal frame for the house greatly reduces the weight of the building;
• accelerated construction time: due to the straightness of the steel profile, you do not need a level, a special square, a plumb line and a drill;
• Reliable insulation protects against thermal shocks.

When building a house based on a steel frame, they are used, and their choice depends on climatic conditions. The metal will not need certain processing and coloring, it is not subject to shrinkage, does not burn or rot, and has an increased service life.

It can be completely recycled without contaminating environment and save the forest from deforestation.

A metal frame house can be built at any time of the year and in various climatic regions.

Light steel frame technology involves the construction of small objects. As a rule, frame houses are erected in one or two floors.

For production purposes, these facilities are built with a height of 6 meters, and spans up to 12 meters. Roof trusses with a length of 24 meters will require the installation of special profiles.

Construction of a modern frame house from metal profiles

Modern technologies are based on the use of lightweight steel structures made of sufficiently thin galvanized steel, which are not inferior to the wooden structures of houses. The section of metal profiles is made in the form of letters C, S and Z, and this ensures reliable frame rigidity.

By perforating profiles and creating certain air gaps, as well as the use of metals with different thermal conductivity, the main problem of increased thermal conductivity of the material, which affects the occurrence of cold bridges and the formation of a certain condensate, has been solved. This technology is called light steel structure. It ensures the construction of high quality houses and allows for the timing of its construction.

Advantages and disadvantages of metal profile houses

There is currently a certain bias towards this option houses. It is believed that a residential frame house made of metal profiles is colder than houses made of wooden beams.

Due to the creation of modern technologies, this myth is completely destroyed. The profile for the frame of the house is protected from heat transfer by certain heaters. And the space between all frame racks is filled with heat-insulating materials, for example, ecowool or. All this will allow you to maximally and efficiently insulate the house. It is generally accepted that the wooden base of the house is more environmentally friendly and more attractive than the metal one. But in fact, wood, which is of natural origin, requires additional processing from decay and, various insects, with the help of impregnation using chemical components and various varnishes, paints and other means. They significantly worsen the ecological cleanliness of wood. And use this processing will be needed regularly, and this will additionally require financial costs.

It is also believed that wooden houses are cheaper than houses built from metal profiles, since wood is less expensive than metal.. In the manufacture of a house frame made of metal, a smaller amount of material is used than when choosing a wood base. The mass of a wooden object is much larger and should be of high quality and more costly than a lightweight house with a metal frame.

Installation and installation of a house using metal structures technology is much easier and much faster. Steel structure can be dangerous from the point of view and can attract lightning in a thunderstorm. But houses of this type are provided with correct and high-quality grounding of all steel parts. In addition, a special, and outside certain dielectric materials are provided, and this allows you to completely insulate metal elements and parts.

Reliability of a metal frame house

Steel profiles used to create house structures are very light, they provide a certain strength that allows you to use housing for a long time.

The reliability of metal structures is ensured by special profiles equipped with stiffeners.

When issuing, galvanized steel is used. Zinc coating of profiles protects them from external corrosion. The steel frame is very resistant to external mechanical influences: it does not shrink and crack over time, it is not afraid of any pests, and it is fireproof.

In combination with heat-insulating layers of reliable materials, this frame house will allow you to live in it all year round.

Stages of building a frame house. Foundation

The lightweight construction of the metal frame and the low weight of the house itself make it possible to create one that does not require increased strength indicators.

For these houses, a shallowly recessed base is made. The production of the foundation, and the type of its construction, largely depends on the nature. Before starting laying the foundation, it is necessary to study all soil indicators at different times of the year.

As a rule, the space between all wall panels filled with foam concrete or aerated concrete. You can use polyurethane foam insulation. To do this, use a certain method of spraying.

The space that we filled should form a special dense layer that reliably and efficiently retains heat. It is necessary to fill with foam all the cavities inside the metal profiles, and all problem areas. The insulation material must be of high quality and, when solidified, form a dense coating.

The surface of the internal insulated walls must be covered with a vapor barrier building material in the form of a film. From the outside of the house, the walls are reliably protected from the wind. Recently, heat blocks, which include insulating material, have been increasingly used for insulation and decoration.

Finishing

stone finish

For the design of the frame walls of the house, all common finishing building materials are used.

For their decor, you can use only painting, as well as plaster. The original solution will be a natural stone finish.

They also use silicate or decorative brick trim,.

The cost of a frame house from a metal profile

The cost of a house with a metal frame will consist of the cost of the following important indicators:

• project;
• materials;
• construction and installation works.

When buying a certain assembly of a house, the price will decrease due to the exclusion of an individual development of a plan. But the standard common project has its own price. The cost of building materials and works does not exceed the price of wooden houses.

For example, the cost of a two-story house 6x6 m from panels with a rough finish will cost about 700 thousand rubles. If you choose to assemble it yourself, you can significantly save.

The construction of frame houses is becoming more common. There are many materials for the manufacture of frames, and some of them allow you to build a frame house on your own.

So, for example, you can build a house frame from a profiled pipe with your own hands. This material is easy to process, pipes can be cut, bent, fastened together, the technology of these operations is not very complicated, so almost everyone who knows how to do something with their own hands is able to do it.

Calculation of the required amount of materials

When building a house, it is necessary to present the final result, for which you need to make at least a pencil sketch of the project of the future house. This project will help in calculating the required amount of materials that will be needed to build the frame of the house. You can calculate the number of pipes, their length and cross section using special calculators that are available on the Internet. At the design stage, it should be taken into account which parts of the future structure will be made of pipes.

These elements can be:

• exterior walls;
• interior partitions;
• floors and roofs;
• floor and bottom trim.

Compared to concrete walls, walls on a metal frame has a significantly lower mass. This feature allows you to make a cheaper foundation under such a house, which can be welded from relatively small beams or made blocky. After the foundation is installed, you can proceed to the direct installation of the frame.

Methods for connecting individual frame elements

To build a house, you can purchase a ready-made frame, the release of which has been established by some enterprises. In such frames, developers provide a simple way to connect different elements of the frame to each other using bolts. But at self-manufacturing frame, this method of connection is not suitable, in this case you will have to use welding.

Welding of individual frame elements must be carried out carefully, otherwise the finished structure may not last long. You should also pay attention to the correct position of the elements to be welded: the vertical posts must be strictly vertical, and the horizontal ones must be strictly horizontal, their position in space must be checked by a level.

Also, in order to exclude possible surprises, it is better to install the structure directly at the location of the future home.

Stages of installation of the frame of the house and its features

Installation of a house frame from a profiled pipe can be divided into several stages:

• installation of the lower trim, which is connected to the foundation by welding, which gives the entire structure reliability and rigidity;
• installation of racks in the corners of the house by welding them to the bottom trim;
• installation of vertical racks that form the walls of the house, the distance between the individual racks must correspond to or be slightly less than the width of the material from which the walls will be created;
• installation of the upper trim with welding of vertical racks to it;
• installation by welding struts, which will make the construction of the walls reliable, giving them strength;
• installation of logs for the floor and interfloor ceilings.

Those parts of the frame that will take on the main load should be made of pipes of large cross-section and with a large wall thickness. These elements include the bottom trim and vertical racks. As for the spacers, the requirements for them are lower, so they can be made from pipes of a small section.
Logs intended for flooring and intermediate floors should not be mounted at a great distance from each other, maximum - 60 centimeters. If this distance is exceeded, the floor and floors will sag too much.

Roof mounting features

Installation of the frame of the house ends with the installation of rafters for the roof. Depending on what materials it is planned to cover the roof with, the direct method of mounting the roof itself is chosen: separately or as a continuation of the frame of the house.

If the project provides for lightweight materials for the roof, then the materials for the rafters can be chosen with a small section and thickness. In this case, all rafters can be mounted separately, and then, using lifting equipment, the resulting structure can be lifted and connected to the main frame of the house by welding.

In the event that the roof overlaps are planned to be made of materials with a large mass, then the entire roof structure will turn out to be heavy and bulky, which means that if it is welded separately, then not every crane will be able to lift it to the top of the wall frame, so it is better to separate the roof elements immediately mount on the frame of the house.

For the main elements of the roof - Mauerlat, to which the remaining elements of the roof structure will be attached - you should choose a powerful channel, all other structures, such as rafters and skate supports, can be made from a profiled pipe.

Features of warming a frame house from a profiled pipe

As you know, metal is a good conductor of heat. Therefore, in cold weather, it can remove heat from the inside of the house to the street in the event that the thermal insulation of the house was not done properly. Therefore, at the end of construction, the house must be carefully insulated, and penoizol can be additionally used to insulate the racks.

A frame house made of metal profiles is a more reliable and durable structure. Such buildings will have a high level of sound and thermal insulation. It is worth noting that metal products have replaced wood, which has a number of disadvantages, including exposure to precipitation and decay processes. In our article, we will take a closer look at the features of a metal profile, and how to make it yourself.

The advantages of buildings from metal profiles

If you use a galvanized metal profile, then due to its special design, you can increase the level of thermal and sound insulation of the frame. In addition, the following advantages should be noted:

• Such structures have a small mass, and at the same time a high level of strength;
• They are resistant to any level of dynamic load, which makes it possible to build buildings with high reliability and durability even in seismic regions;
• Resistant to fire, which reduces the risk of fires;
• Materials for manufacturing have excellent environmental performance;
• Affordable pricing policy;
• Possibility of variable manufacturing design;
• It is rational to carry out construction work at any time of the year.

The use of a metal profile will speed up the construction process, while reducing the financial costs of the work. This option is ideal for you if you are looking for a practical and economical frame material.

Features of the metal device

The main part of the metal frame can be considered a transverse frame formed by columns and roof trusses. These products are connected to the base of the building. The load volume is distributed to the support points. The main amount of pressure falls on the first element. The column is affected by the mass of all elements, the load from the wind and atmospheric precipitation.

Attention! The amount of load received from the coating and fastenings between the columns is transported to the truss truss devices having a grid-like structure.

Frame houses from a metal profile include the following elements:

• Beams with a stable or unstable type of section, which, due to their size, allow you to increase the span of the building.
• Frame racks that increase the stability of the structure.
• Special crossbars that create load-bearing points in the form of lines and connect systems of columns and supports into a single mechanism. In practice, they are very often used to increase the size of the span, as well as the height of the ceiling in the building.
• Beam elements with various types sections. They are usually mounted to increase the rigidity and the level of the bearing capacity of the building.
• Cohesive components between the connecting particles of metal structures.
• Purlins for connecting roofs and wall systems attached to the frame of a building. They perceive the level of load that the building receives from wind and precipitation.
• Bookmark details, which weld the parts together.
• Hardware or elements for fastening.
• Inter-purlin spans in the form of an arc, called arches.

Attention! You can create the spatial rigidity of a frame from a metal profile with your own hands by creating a system of frames, columns and trusses.

Frameworks from frames and trusses

Do-it-yourself frame of a house from a profile pipe can create a frame and truss structure. The first type is characterized by the presence of steel I-beams, which are connected at the corners, forming a frame. In such a system, the frame is installed from vertically placed support posts, and horizontally placed crossbars. Such a device takes the load from the overlap of the building.

The frame house is a metal frame, which is made from truss beams, consists of steel rods that form a triangle shape. Such a system is formed with the help of half-timbered panels or fields. Such fields form trusses that serve as the roof of the base. They are attached to steel posts using a welding machine or bolts.

Important details in construction

The disadvantage of a metal profile house is the need for additional thermal and steam insulation. At the same time, it is necessary to insulate not only the frame structure, but also the walls inside the building. This action will help to block the bridges of cold.

At this stage of work, it is better to use modern materials such as mineral wool or polystyrene. Such products can provide an optimal level of temperature to maintain comfort in the room.

Frame house from a profile pipe

When creating a house with a frame structure with your own hands, it is best to use a profile pipe. At first glance, installation work will seem easy, but this design has a complex scheme. The first thing to consider is the need for a foundation for the building.

Attention! A frame house can be built without a foundation, but this option is rational to use if in the future the building will be transported to another area. Such buildings can be greenhouses or greenhouses.

Frame elements are created in this way:

• Pipes should be cut so as to obtain a piece of the desired length for installation work;
• Then we proceed to bending the product. It is necessary to achieve an arcuate shape, which should correspond to early calculations. You can complete the task with a manual pipe bender or order services from a specialized company.
• After, all structural elements are connected into a single system by a welding machine.

For decorative exterior design, you can use siding or special plaster. If your income allows, then the facade can be finished with natural types of wood. So, we examined the features of a metal frame house. This construction option has optimal strength and quality.