When our design engineer informed us that our ceilings are going to be 2 865m high, I thought it might be time to buy him a new (metric) measuring tape, or maybe refer him to an Optometrist. It turns out, however, that the man is far more clued up than we gave him credit for. Nardi van Zijl from Zijl Hof Design has designed our steel frame to fit the MgO boards and the Cavitybatt to minimise trimming, thus saving on labour and wastage – brilliant! Apart from the fact that we also have an extra spacious feel to the house and better views from the upstairs bedrooms.
Minimising waste is one of the main reasons for choosing LSF (light steel frame) building. I always get upset when I see the amount of rubble and wastage on a conventional building site. Two other top advantages for me are its environmentally friendly production (steel is the most recycled material in the world), and its high level of insulation, resulting in energy saving. Some groups have quoted a 70% reduction in energy requirements. I think this is a bit optimistic, however a CSIR analysis shows that “a LSFB house requires on average 50% less energy than uninsulated heavy masonry building to heat up to the comfort levels defined in SANS 204…” Leading Architecture.
We have come across so many advantages during our research that we would struggle to justify a brick building. A few other advantages of LSF building include:
- Cheaper than heavy masonry construction
- LSF reduces foundation requirements
- Flexibility of design (almost anything is possible!)
- Precise production
- Fast construction due to pre-assembled wall units (also thanks to Nardi’s expertise)
- Stronger than bricks and more resistant to earth movement
- High level of insulation against water, heat and sound
- Corrosion resistant
- All electrical, plumbing, and other piping are hidden inside the walls, and are easier to install.
Well, enough theory. I still have a few weeks to convince the sceptics out there that this is the new way to build.
This week saw the beginning of site work. For my husband that is. He spent ages traipsing around our plot of land to find the boundary markers. So far we have found 2 of the 4 – nothing like a treasure hunt for Easter! We are all set to officially start work on 2 May, so hopefully this time next week I can show you some initial site pictures!
P.S. I learnt two new words this week. The first is styrene, which is a derivative of benzene, and the precursor to polystyrene. The second word is polyisocyanurates. This is a very complex chemical structure which is basically a foam used as insulation.
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