House on a metal frame. Metal profile houses: what is and how to build

When building their own house, each owner wants it to be reliable, comfortable and at the same time inexpensive. There are many ways to construct residential buildings today, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. There are also metal frame houses on the market, and some choose this type of structure. But what advantages does it have, what should you think about before deciding on this acquisition, and how do the owners of such mansions respond?

What does the term "frame house" mean?

The frame structure has several layers, like a pie. Externally, the building may look different. It is sheathed with siding, clapboard or other materials that can withstand bad weather and temperature changes. But the main thing in such a structure is a house, which is made of durable insulation. Between the inner and outer sheathing, insulation must be laid, therefore, such buildings are used as shops, baths, summer cottages and, of course, for housing.

House project: price and design

Even before starting construction, it is important to decide on the project. There are two options here: you can order an individual drawing for your future home, or you can choose a ready-made one from the catalog. The second option will be much cheaper, since you will not have to pay for the work of engineers. In addition, the construction itself will begin faster, because you do not have to wait until the personal project of the house is completed and adjusted. The price for a finished drawing depends on the size of the building and its complexity. For example, a project of a small cottage with two floors will cost about 1000 euros.

Assembling the structure

Immediately you need to make a reservation that it is very difficult to build a house from a metal frame with your own hands. This is impossible without skills and experience. Since the entire structure is rather thin-walled, it requires reliable fastening of all. Reliably fixing the cladding allows the profile. Also, the profile is the basis of the walls in the building itself, and it is necessary for the installation of windows and doors. It can also be noted here that the cost of a metal frame together with fasteners is about 160 thousand Russian rubles per set. After the installation of the frame, the facade cladding is carried out, for this, a professional sheet is used. To maintain a comfortable temperature in the building, insulation is laid on the walls and ceilings layer by layer. In such a design, waterproofing elements are necessarily present. From above, this structure is covered with external panels.

Advantages of metal frame structures

Of course, these houses have many advantages. These include:

  • fast frame as well as the entire building. It takes only a couple of months from the moment of ordering to putting it into operation;
  • the exterior of the building is dignified and modern;
  • a house can be built by a team of four people, and this saves money on attracting labor;
  • it is very simple to perform due to the smooth and thoughtful frame of the entire building;
  • the lightness of the design means that it is not necessary to prepare a powerful foundation, and the shrinkage will be insignificant;
  • in operation, this structure is economical, since it is not difficult to heat it;
  • metal frame houses are durable;
  • usually, environmentally friendly construction and finishing materials are used in the work, so the building does not "emit" harmful chemicals;
  • such a structure is able to withstand seismically unstable zones. Due to the "elasticity" of the frame, the house can withstand shocks up to 9 points;
  • according to rough estimates, the building can stand for more than a hundred years;
  • this construction method allows you to embody various design ideas;
  • metal frame houses are easy to repair, and at the same time a lot of money will not be spent;
  • due to good noise insulation, extraneous noise from the yard does not penetrate into the house;
  • construction work can be carried out during the cold season.

Does this technology have disadvantages?

It is known that each building has its own shortcomings. What can alert a person who thinks about such a dwelling? Since we are talking about the entire system of such construction, you can pay attention to the material of the frame. It is made of galvanized steel, which itself has good thermal conductivity and a tendency to corrosion, which is very dangerous for thin structures. But the manufacturers claim that they were able to compensate for these shortcomings with various compositions with which the metal is processed. It is also worth noting that metal frame houses must be erected by professionals. If mistakes are made during assembly, the entire structure will soon collapse. Therefore, it is important to note that it will not be possible to save money on the construction of a building by entrusting the work to amateurs.

Houses from a metal frame, as the name indicates, are built on the basis of light and durable metal structures that function as roofs and walls, as well as various cladding, thermal insulation and a variety of protective membranes that protect structures from the external and internal environment. from the frame are distinguished by the fact that the bearing and enclosing-insulating properties of the walls are distributed between different layers and elements, each coping with its own specific task. Most often, the metal frame technology is used for the construction of public or industrial buildings. In addition, architects and engineers often turn to this type of frame houses in order to create an unusual exterior or interior of a building. Sometimes parts of the metal frame remain open as a decorative element outside or inside the building.

Types of frame houses

Frame houses can be roughly divided into several types.
Houses with a frame made of rolled metal, which are distinguished by the fact that the entire structure is supported by metal columns. Such a structure is durable, but at the same time it is quite light compared to reinforced concrete. For example, most skyscrapers have such a frame at the base. True, the complexity of the installation of frame structures of this kind and the need to manufacture individual parts and parts (sometimes the entire set) prevent their distribution in private construction. Therefore, houses from a rolling frame are mostly erected in cases when it is necessary to create a very original interior or exterior of a building. Sometimes parts of the frame remain outside the house in the form of a fancy decor, often of an unusual geometric shape.

Houses with a metal frame made of lightweight profiles

Another type of metal frame houses is lightweight houses. The difference between such a house lies precisely in its frame, which is made of steel thin-walled structures. Such structures are similar to metal profiles for installing drywall, only those that are used to construct buildings are thicker and more rigid. Usually houses made of a metal frame made of a lightweight profile are quite inexpensive, although they do not have a long service life.

Mobile and modular homes

With a certain degree of relativity, some types of mobile and modular houses can be attributed to houses with a metal frame. Almost all mobile homes are based on a rigid metal frame, and most modular homes consist of modules formed by a combined frame made of metal and wood. Therefore, this technology is not very suitable for the construction of capital residential houses. It is best used for the construction of garden or guest houses, auxiliary premises, etc.

Warming and finishing

These manipulations are followed by the installation of a windproof film along the outer contour of the building frame, after which it is sheathed with insulation. After installing the windows and the front door, they start finishing the facade. In addition, the insulation is laid in parallel inside the building frame, and then the vapor barrier films, as well as drywall, are laid down the subfloor.

After this comes the finishing phase. At the same time, everything depends only on your imagination and the size of the budget, since there is a huge variety of finishing materials available on the market. All! Your home is ready!

Pay attention to how much the appearance of the house depends on the cladding. There is an opinion that houses made of metal frames do not look very good compared to wooden or brick houses. However, do not forget about the possibilities of frame houses, allowing you to experiment with decoration as soon as your heart desires. You can even simulate a wooden house if needed! Pay attention to how harmoniously the combination of warm matte wood paneling looks with a cool muted shine of metal, which complements the gloss of large windows and doors.

Construction stages: foundation and metal frame assembly

The process of constructing a frame building begins at the production site, where finished structural parts are completed, and are often assembled in panels at the factory, which reduces the cost of on-site installation. After summing up the external communications, work begins on laying the foundation. Any kind of foundation is suitable for frame houses made of lightweight galvanized steel. It is best to use a shallow slab or strip foundation to meet quality standards. Several people are quite capable of assembling the metal frame of a house with an area of \u200b\u200babout 150-200 km. sq. for a period of time from 7 to 10 days. If the panels assembled at the factory are to be installed in advance, the duration of the work is reduced to 4-6 days.

After the installation of the frame, roofing work begins, followed by the laying of communications.

Distinctive features of frame houses

Frame houses are distinguished by the ease of changes in external and internal design, which is ideal for the construction of attics, additional rooms (for example, bathrooms or dressing rooms), garages, guest and auxiliary rooms, etc. If you like experimenting with planning, frame houses will allow you to bring your experiments to life, changing the appearance of the facade with the help of different cladding - DSP, artificial stone or brick.

Usually, the thickness of the walls of a metal frame house is no more than 25-30 centimeters, which allows you to increase the usable area inside the house. One of the main factors is the relatively low cost of building frame houses and a fairly fast construction speed. On average, the complex of works takes from 1 to 4 months, and due to the peculiarities of the technology, the installation of structures can be carried out throughout the year and even at sub-zero temperatures.

Disadvantages of metal frame houses

There is an opinion that frame houses are fire hazardous due to the use of many synthetic materials. In addition, these houses are quite lightweight and can easily fall prey to a violent hurricane. The lifespan of a frame house is not very long - 30-50 years, however, it is much easier to repair it than, say, a brick or wooden house, which greatly simplifies the replacement of protective films, insulation, etc. In addition, frame buildings have a low heat capacity and often do not meet environmental standards.

Advantages of metal frame houses

Frame houses are practically not subject to moral aging, since their facade can be easily altered depending on modern fashion. In addition, houses from a metal frame allow you to implement a variety of options for planning and finishing facades using facing bricks, plaster, lining, finishing stone, siding and their combination. The technology for erecting frame houses is quite affordable and you will not have problems finding a contractor. Moreover, this technology is relatively labor-intensive, so that the most talented builders among us, in principle, can cope with the construction on their own, especially since the construction of a frame house takes very little time and absolutely no heavy equipment. In addition, houses made of a metal frame are distinguished by the absence of shrinkage, which will allow you to immediately carry out finishing work and move into such a house. And the last - frame houses are very earthquake resistant and can withstand loads up to 9 points on the Richter scale.

Futuristic restaurant

An excellent example of the possibilities of a metal frame for creating whimsical images of a complex structure. As we mentioned above, the metal frame technology is ideal for the construction of non-residential buildings like this seaside restaurant. If she can handle such unusual shapes, then how can she not cope with an ordinary private house?

The building is a combination of a monolithic reinforced concrete frame and metal structures and is a complex engineering and technical structure with the most modern types of engineering support. The restaurant includes three halls: a panoramic hall for 50 seats, with glass walls and a hardened Triplex floor, a summer terrace for 110 seats located 15 meters above the water level and an underwater hall for 90 seats with windows-illuminators, located in the underground part , all production and engineering premises of the restaurant are located there.

The welded frame of a building made of metal is a durable and strong internal frame of the structure. The advantages of such metal frame structures are lightness, strength, relative simplicity, high rates of production and installation, mobility and independence from the access road to the installation and installation site, ease of embedding into any space. The metal frame of the building is perfectly compatible with the simplest block and pile foundations, and is also easy to complete, configure and rebuild. The material of the metal frame of the building is a profile pipe, less often a corner and a channel are used.


The metal frame of the building includes the bottom rail, the top rail and racks between them. In a metal frame, it is very easy to provide for doors, openings, windows and metal lathing of the roof and floor. A frame building made of metal can be sheathed with corrugated board, wood, sandwich panels. The metal frame is very easy and convenient to sheathe and insulate. Metal frame for building

Advantages of metal frame buildings:

  • Buildings erected using metal-frame technology have a low cost (if compared with buildings erected using traditional technology). The cost of construction mainly depends on the materials used. The cheapest houses today are with wooden frames. The cost of houses with a frame made of a profile pipe is much higher, and their price is directly proportional to the section of the pipe. After all, for example, bending a profile pipe is a rather laborious operation, and it is not cheap.
  • High speed of metal-frame construction construction. The use of a profile for the frame as the main material can reduce the construction time of a building several times.
  • Lack of so-called "wet" processes in the technology of construction of residential buildings using a frame (except for laying the foundation). This allows the installation of a frame building at any time of the year and regardless of weather conditions.
  • Making metal structures with your own hands provides for the absence of any shrinkage - not only during construction, but also during the operation of the structure.

Construction of a house with a frame made of a profile pipe

When a house is created from metal structures by working with your own hands, the most optimal solution would be to use a frame made of a profile pipe. Despite the apparent simplicity, such a frame will have a rather complex design. It is imperative to have a foundation that will be lighter than with conventional construction. Here it is worth paying attention to the fact that without a foundation, structures can be created that will subsequently move from one place to another, for example, greenhouses or hotbeds.

In this case, appropriate adjustments should be made to the calculation of the profile pipe. Typically, for the frame of a residential building, profile pipes of a square cross-section measuring 60x60 or 100x100 mm are used. You can determine more precisely the dimensions of the pipe, knowing the dimensions of your house and using the profile pipe calculator. carried out outside production facilities must be carried out in compliance with all the necessary safety requirements.

We manufacture frame elements from shaped pipes as follows:

  1. We take pipes and, if necessary, cut off from them the part that is needed for the installation of the structure.
  2. We bend the pipes, if they need to be given an arched shape, having previously calculated the radius of curvature. This operation can be done using a special tool - a manual pipe bender, or you can go to a specialized workshop where pipes can be bent on a pipe bender.
  3. We weld the resulting frame elements in accordance with the requirements of the drawing for the metal structure.

For interior decoration, the most optimal solution would be to use a grooved board made of coniferous wood with a width of 40-60 mm. The board must be treated with antiseptics and antipyretics (substances that reduce the flammability of wood). For the subfloor, you can use a board laid on top of the logs from the same profile pipe. Any profile covering can be laid on top of the sub-floor. Extruded polystyrene foam with a thickness of 60-100 mm is well suited as a heater. And the frame racks made of a profile pipe can be additionally insulated with foam strips.

For exterior decoration, you can use siding or facade plaster, and if finances allow, then natural wood. Correct processing of metal pipes allows you to make a roof from them not only as a separate structure, but also as a frame element. The calculation of a profile pipe for the manufacture of roofing rafters is carried out taking into account the planned roofing: a lightweight and with a large roof angle allows the use of thinner pipes.

Construction of a metal frame for the construction of a garage

When creating from metal structures working with your own hands, you need to take into account that this structure must be very rigid, durable and stable. A corner of a large section can serve as a material for the frame. It is better to fasten the frame elements by welding, but you can also use a nut-bolt connection by drilling holes for fasteners with a puncher.

The assembly of the metal frame must be done at the construction site. First, the lower frame is mounted, which is attached at the corners to the pins protruding from the foundation - this ensures its immobility. Then corner posts are installed, connected at the top with ceiling girders.

Vertical posts are installed along the rear and side walls of the metalwork made by hand, which will ensure the rigidity of the structure and will serve as a lathing for the installation of wall cladding. There should be a distance between the uprights equal to the width of the sheathing sheet, or slightly less by 3-5 cm if overlapping installation is provided.

"What will not come up with!" - perhaps this is the first thought of most readers who first encountered such a concept as frame houses from a metal profile. The use of metal as supporting structures seems to be a rather strange decision, but do not rush to conclusions - study all sides of the issue.

Metal houses - is there any experience?

Metal products have been used as load-bearing structures for a very long time; numerous shopping centers, skyscrapers are vivid examples of this. True, the technologies and materials used in the construction of such large objects do not justify themselves at all in private housing construction - the rolled metal products are very heavy, bulky, special welding and riveting technologies are used to connect individual elements, you cannot build such a house with your own hands.

Everything changed when light steel thin-walled structures were invented - hereinafter LSTK. For such structures, only thin steel sheets are suitable, formed into a Z-shaped profile with through grooves or perforations, which are to retain cold. This type of LSTK is also called a thermoprofile, and if we talk about private construction, then it is advisable to use only it.

Of course, no matter what tricks manufacturers come up with, metal remains a material with high thermal conductivity. This fact, in most cases, scares away people who are sorting out options for frame houses. The problem is solved by high-quality thermal insulation, which is a multi-layer cake. The calculation of insulation, the determination of the dew point should be carried out only by specialists with extensive experience, otherwise you risk getting many problems when operating the house.

The second point that scares off consumers is metal corrosion. Without going into the details of chemical reactions, we all know that metal rusts, including steel. Rust formation directly affects the strength of the metal structure, in our case, the strength of the "skeleton" of the house. This problem was solved by hot electroplating, due to which metal structures receive a protective shell with a thickness of 20 microns. With proper installation and providing reliable protection from moisture, it can extend the life of the metal up to 100 years!

Benefits of a metal frame - is the tree resting?

Metal frame houses are a technology that is unlikely to displace wood from. The maximum that is destined for them is to develop in parallel. And this is completely justified - both metal and wooden frames have disadvantages and advantages. Perhaps, it is in this comparison that it is best to consider metal-frame houses - why are they better and worse than wooden ones?

Metal, as mentioned above, has a high thermal conductivity - wood is much better in this regard, it itself is a heat-insulating material, participating in the general scheme of house insulation. In a metal-frame structure, there is no hope for the frame - all tasks for thermal protection fall on the insulation and cladding.

It is more comfortable to live in a completely wooden house, built with your own hands. The tree breathes, filling the air with aromas. However, this living material has a lot of enemies - woodworm bugs, moisture, fungus. Of course, today there are many ways to protect yourself from all these factors, but this translates into high costs. These enemies are not afraid of metal, except perhaps for moisture, although the processes in both cases will proceed at different rates in favor of the metal.

True, there is another side to the issue - in a modern house there are too many household appliances that affect the frame, magnetizing it. This can affect the well-being of particularly sensitive residents. The light weight of the LSTK (up to 50 kg per m2) allows you to build a house with your own hands on the lightest foundation. Even on heaving soils that do not allow the use of buried foundations, you can build a large, spacious house. The metal frame is devoid of such wood drawbacks as drying out and shrinkage.

The accuracy of mounting the elements of the metal frame is always excellent. Thanks to this, time, labor and, as a result, finances are saved - construction from LSTK is cheaper. The cost of the elements themselves is also cheaper.

Disadvantages of a metal frame - forewarned is forearmed!

Oddly enough, but a metal frame during a fire behaves much worse than a wooden one. You should not think that using metal in construction, you will protect yourself more than in the case of a wooden bar - fires in most cases start outside (set on fire) or inside the house (malfunction of household appliances), where there are many materials that will catch fire and burn out - furniture, things, decoration.

The main thing is that during a fire all residents can successfully evacuate - the more time they have before the house collapses, the higher the chances! So, the metal frame significantly reduces the evacuation time - at high temperatures, the skeleton of the house loses its rigidity, which is why the house coils in a spiral, falls off, warps... In the process of burning, the tree keeps the house from destruction much longer - the timber is charred, but inside it keeps its shape.

Another drawback that is found almost immediately in the design and operation process is the difficulty in installing built-in furniture and appliances. By default, the metal frame does not have a rigid, reliable base to which you could fix the shelves with your own hands, or install massive cabinets and pencil cases on top. So the builders, together with the owners of the house, must determine in advance the places that will need to be reinforced with additional profiles and platforms from the boards.

The load-bearing capacity of LSTK significantly limits the number of storeys and the use of heavy building materials. Do not use heavy ceramic tiles or install a fireplace on upper floors. In the latter case, it is generally difficult to combine steel profiles with structural materials (brick, cement).

An important point is the protection of the house structure from industrial currents and atmospheric discharges. Metal profiles are excellent conductors of electricity, and therefore can be dangerous for the inhabitants of the house. This problem is solved by the potential equalization system, the calculation and installation of which is the lot of professionals.

Installation of LSTK - assembling the constructor!

Building a house from LSTK is really like assembling a construction set for children. Before installation, a project of the future house is created - all the little things are thought out in the project, right down to where the furniture and household appliances will be installed. It is highly desirable that, in addition to the drawing, a 3D project of the house was also developed - this way the customer will see the house with his own eyes.

After the design documentation is completed, the drawings are transferred to the production line. Frame parts are manufactured individually, numbered, packed and sent to the construction site. The finished profiles already have holes for fasteners and utilities. Connecting elements also come in a complex.

It is more difficult with a thermal profile - in most cases, builders are offered ready-made sizes and shapes that should be taken into account when designing. It is best not to change the existing length, cut or shorten anything. In any case, every detail is packed and marked according to the house project drawings. Builders do not have to select parts - they just need to fasten the profiles with their own hands, according to the marking of individual parts. This approach significantly speeds up the construction process.

Construction from LSTK is becoming more and more interesting for modern consumers, thanks to one important advantage - the possibility of free planning. Lightweight trusses allow spans up to 14 meters in length without additional support elements. The rooms inside the house are very spacious, free, filled with air.

It should be remembered that the larger the room, the more difficult it will be to heat them, respectively, the better it is to insulate the walls with your own hands. Non-combustible mineral wool slabs, as well as moisture-resistant expanded polystyrene, ecowool, have proven themselves best of all. LSTK, although not too friendly with other construction materials, is easy to finish, be it a block house imitating a rounded log, or porcelain stoneware, which will give the building the appearance of a solid structure.

Frame houses are popular recently, and the materials for their manufacture are varied.

The main criteria underlying the choice of building materials are sufficient strength, durability, safety for human life, water resistance, heat protection, and high resistance to. The standard option is this. About 85% of the inhabitants of European countries and the USA live in frame-type houses with metal profiles... In the regions of Russia, the steel frame was previously used in the construction of production facilities, warehouse hangars and workshops. Today it is most often used in the construction of residential buildings.

The basis of this type of houses is completely made of metal. The frame of all floors is made from it, as well as and. The thickness of the profiles used, and their shape for each specific case, is different, because they experience different external loads.

These buildings have certain features:

  • lightweight metal frame for the house significantly reduces the mass of the building;
  • accelerated construction time: due to the straightness of the steel profile, you do not need a level, a special square, a plumb line and a drill;
  • reliable insulation protects against thermal shock.

As a rule, the space between all wall panels is filled with foam concrete or aerated concrete. Thermal insulation with polyurethane foam can be used. For this, a specific spraying method is used.

The space that we filled should form a special dense layer that reliably and efficiently retains heat. It is necessary to fill with foam all cavities inside metal profiles, and all problem areas. The insulation material must be of high quality and, when solidified, form a dense coating.

Stone decoration

All common finishing building materials are used to decorate the frame walls of the house.

For their decoration, you can only use painting, as well as plaster. The original solution will be a natural stone finish.

They also use silicate or decorative brick trim,.

The cost of a frame house from a metal profile

The cost of a house with a metal frame will consist of the cost of the following important indicators:

  • project;
  • materials;
  • construction and installation work.

When buying a certain assembly of a house, the price will be reduced by eliminating the individual development of the plan. But the standard widespread project has its own price. The cost of building materials and works does not exceed the price of timber houses.

For example, the cost of a two-storey house 6x6 m from panels with a rough finish will cost about 700 thousand rubles. If you choose the assembly yourself, you can significantly save.