Description
So, how has this changed the landscape?
For a start, CFS is a far better material than timber or lumber to build with. It doesn't warp, shrink, twist or expand, and it doesn't burn in a fire. In addition, when building a frame for a house, there is usually a 20% waste of materials when using wood, yet less than 1% when using CFS. And the steel used is 95% recyclable, so it has genuinely green credentials.
The machinery in question has been developed by a company in New Zealand called Framecad. The company spotted a need for homes with steel skeletons in Australia because of the destructive nature of fauna such as termites and wood boring insects and set about creating a 'printing' machine to accurately produce all the elements which, when assembled, created wall panels and roof trusses that could very quickly be assembled once delivered on site. With these steel panels and trusses, the skeleton for a modest home can be erected in just days as opposed to weeks, and you don't need costly, skilled workmen like framers or joiners to be present, just a handful of people with relatively practical DIY skills.
This is revolutionizing things in the realm of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), also known as affordable housing. With the dramatic reduction in time to erect a skeleton for an ADU, the costs of construction are also greatly reduced, resulting in more people being able to afford to buy their own home and a boom in the number of competent DIYers who are choosing to build their own home.
In reality, there are only two things you need in order to build a property that will last you a lifetime – solid foundations and a robust frame or skeleton. Thanks to the teaming up of Framecad with Frame Up Now, the latter is all but guaranteed.