"We take the time to educate our customers and clients on the market, so when making a real estate decision, they are comfortable and know they're doing the right thing."

The Lukens Home Team
 

New Construction
Steel Frame Homes

Many new construction buyers are now considering steel frame homes in Madison, Sun Prairie and Dane County, Wisconsin. The Lukens Home Team has found that homes with steel framing are the alternative for thousands of new home buyers. Steel framed homes in Madison and Sun Prairie are now available at prices that are very comparable to wood framed home construction.

You may think you've never seen a steel framed house, but that's because once completed, these homes look like the homes you are used to seeing. 

More energy efficient

Steel framed home exterior wall and insulation systems achieve an R value of 29. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends at least an insulation value of R-18 for wall systems in homes. Additionally, the other building methods used create a home are actually more energy efficient then the average wood framed structure. In addition, by staying straight and true, steel framing helps prevent cracks due to shrinking or warping, thus preventing air leaks that result in costly loss of energy.

Comparably priced

While the the cost of a steel framing is still slightly greater than wood framing, efficient building systems results in labor savings much greater than the conventional wood stick built home, making the final cost of your new steel framed home very comparable.

The steel framed wall panel used in our construction is the strongest design engineered. This design withstands racking of the structure in winds of excess of 150 mph.

The average 2,000 square foot single family wood framed home requires one acre or 40-50 mature trees. (Humane Society of the United States, Washington D.C., HSUS News.). The North American steel industry manages approximately 400,000 acres of land to satisfy its mining needs. Compared to the acreage needed by the timber industry to meet the current demand for wood based products, the steel industry needs only 1% of that land to meet its needs. 

To frame that same 2,000 square foot home using steel conserves these resources, and instead uses recycled steel from just six scrapped cars. Steel is and can be recycled an infinite number of times without degradation. During the last decade, more than 500 million tons of steel scrap have been recycled, more than any other material, keeping steel out of dwindling landfills. Additionally, the waste from steel construction is very minimal and is 100% recyclable--so nothing goes into a landfill. 

Waste generated from wood stick built homes is in the range of 20%, versus less than l% from a steel frame home. Considering that this 1% is then recycled, light gauge steel is the most environmentally correct building material available.

Burn
Steel is non-combustible, improving fire safety and reducing the amount of structural damage in the event of a fire. The steel frame also provides better protection against lightning than any other construction system. Scientists recommend seeking shelter from a thunderstorm in a steel frame building because the frame provides a path directly to the ground, reducing the likelihood of explosion and secondary fires.

Warp, split, rot, break or squeak over time
With steel framed homes, complaints common to wood frame homes such as  shrinking, warping, cracking and nail pops simply don't occur.  Walls remain straight, floors are flat, doors and windows don't stick and upper floors feel solid. Steel studs don't warp, twist, split, rot or settle, creating swelling, creaking, sagging, bowing, rotting, splitting and general deterioration. Over time, these differences become even more apparent, helping your home maintain its value for a longer period of time, and reducing your maintenance and repair expenses. Galvanized steel frame components protect your home against rust.

Attract termites and other pests
Steel frames do not need to be treated for termites and are free of resin adhesives and chemicals normally used in wood construction materials to guard against dry or wet rot and fungi.