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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 method of construction 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, mobile communication towers, masts;
• 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 (not counting the 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. make the right choice of 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, the type of 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.