While you don't see them once a building is fully finished, wall frames hold up the majority of the actual visible structure of your house. While the foundations might bear the weight, the wall frames are what makes your home look like a home, so making sure you get the right type of wall frames is very important. You might not even realise that there are two main different types of wall frames, but this difference can be more impactful than you initially think. Here are a few reasons why wall frames are more important than you might think and why you should think about what type you need before you decide to move forward.
Weight Of Building
A lot of homes across Australia are single-storey because, traditionally, there was a lot more room so houses spread outwards rather than upwards. However, with modern buildings and urban landscapes changing, a lot more people are deciding to build bigger houses that reach further into the sky. Steel and metal wall frames are much better equipped to handle this additional weight, which is why they are traditionally used in skyscrapers. While your home may not be as big as a skyscraper, utilising the materials that makes those buildings stronger is never a bad thing.
Insulation
On the other hand, while steel wall frames are stronger, they do require additional insulation work to be as effective as their wooden alternatives. Thermal bridging is a term that refers to the simple transfer of heat through an object, and that is what can happen with metallic wall frames. When it is hot outside, these wall frames act as a heater for your home, and vice versa when it is cold. Luckily, there are steps you can put in place to prevent this, but that will add on to the price, which is why many people are happy to use the natural insulation wooden wall frames offer.
Change In The Future
Steel frames are hard to adjust in any significant way without requiring a total redesign of your building. Steel wall frames are specifically built to stand and operate in one way, and they cannot be altered once they are put in place. Wooden frames, on the other hand, can be adjusted quite easily because of how easy wood is to change. If you are considering home extensions or other renovations, wooden wall frames are much easier to knock down and adjust than their steel counterparts.
