Questions About Steel-Framed Houses

RHemmings

First, I will poiint out that my wife is Indonesian and wants us to have a house in Indonesia too. (Post-retirement, half the year in the UK, half in Indonesia? etc.)

I do realise it's a bit of an ask to ask here, but I'd like to know if there are people with experience of steel-framed houses of different types.

One of my concerns is the lack of enforced building/safety standards and the large number of earthquakes. 

Looking online, I've read that reinforced concrete and steel-framed buildings are the safest in earthquakes. And, I was thinking steel-framed bungalow with a corrugated iron roof. So that there is less heavy stuff to fall down. 

Expats in Indonesia do sometimes (at least) say that it is advised to have your own house built as you can check that it is built properly by 'watching the workers like a hawk'. In my ignorance, I'm thinking that it would be easier to check that a steel framed house is ... done properly than reinforced concrete. Reinforced concrete is also said to be a good choice for earthquake zones. 

Insulation is going to be important as there will have to be air conditioning in at least part of the house. I've read online that spray foam insulation is absolutely the best choice for steel-framed houses. But, I don't know if that's specifically for retro-fitting insulation for an existing typical UK steel-framed house, or whether it would apply for a newly built house as well. 

There's information on different types of steel-framed house here: https://nonstandardhouse.com/posts/  

This talks about exterior cladding for steel-framed houses, and seems to be written for new houses. Maybe. https://www.dunkerley.co.uk/news-blog/insulate-steel-framed-house/ 

This here talks about rockwool as insulation. https://www.lauraluindustry.co.uk/blog/how-to-insulate-a-steel-frame-building/  

Discussion here, including promoting spray foam insulation. https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebuilding/comments/1auaai9/insulation_options_for_a_steel_framed_building/  

Because the problem there is heat, not cold, then I think that solid concrete floors would not be a problem. E.g. as per here: https://www.dunkerley.co.uk/news-blog/choosing-foundations-for-a-steel-frame-building 

In terms of visuals, there are various rendering and cladding options. E.g. I've read of insulating cladding that fakes a brick look. This of course may not be available locally, but I can ask. Also, some steel framed houses have the ground floor rendered with concrete, which looks more traditional. 

If anyone wants to reply saying I'm a complete fantasist who could never get anywhere near having a house built to my overview specifications, then this will be fair criticism indeed. That's exactly how I feel right now. 

The basic parameters I have vaguely in my head right now are: three bedroom bungalow, with electricity and cold-water, plus toilet. Outdoor toilet not a problem because it never gets cold. I'm already used to not having hot water when staying in Indonesia. 

Section62

RHemmings said:

...I do realise it's a bit of an ask to ask here, but I'd like to know if there are people with experience of steel-framed houses of different types.

One of my concerns is the lack of enforced building/safety standards and the large number of earthquakes. 

Looking online, I've read that reinforced concrete and steel-framed buildings are the safest in earthquakes. And, I was thinking steel-framed bungalow with a corrugated iron roof. So that there is less heavy stuff to fall down....

Eathquake engineering is a whole subject in its own right, but very roughly, masonry walls (brick/block/stone/rubble) are good in compression but awful in tension.  Most of the time that doesn't matter if you arrange for all your walls to be in compression, and as buildings don't move around (much) in normal conditions your masonry walls will be Ok.  The problem with earthquakes is that you have to forget about the idea of buildings not moving around.

In an earthquake the building's foundations can be moving up and down or side to side  - which imposes loads on the walls quite different to gravity (and wind) in the normal situation.  So you need to build the walls using materials that can cope with these loads - which means strength, plus also the ability to resist tension and shear.

Which means (heavily) reinforced concrete, or just forgetting about the concrete and use steel alone.  Timber could also be a good choice.

In terms of stuff falling on you... even a lightweight corrugated iron roof will do you quite a lot of damage if it falls on you, plus the roof structure you needed to support the corrugated iron in the first place.  The goal has to be trying to stop anything falling on top of you, by making the structure as resistant to earthquakes as possible, commensurate with your budget and appetite to risk.

RHemmings said:

...If anyone wants to reply saying I'm a complete fantasist who could never get anywhere near having a house built to my overview specifications, then this will be fair criticism indeed. That's exactly how I feel right now.... 

I'd now think twice about having sigificant involvement in designing and building my own home in the UK - where I've got a reasonable grasp of the language, and of the rules and regulations and practices regarding construction.

I wouldn't entertain the thought of trying to supervise or insert myself into the design/construction of my home in a different country, least of all in an earthquake zone.  The designers/builders there will know far more about what works and what doesn't than I ever could.... all I need to do is to figure out how to incentivise them to do the best possible job they can.

GDB2222

For a single storey house, a wood frame may be excellent. 

It depends what materials are used locally and which the builder has experience with?

stuart45

In my early 20's I worked in Southern California and other areas for a few years and most of the houses in earthquake zones were stick built timber framed houses, and single storey. The majority of masonry walls were built with hollow concrete blocks, with rebar and grout. Roof coverings were usually felt shingles. Californian regs are probably higher than anywhere in the world with regards to earthquakes. The skyscrapers can move quite a long way in an earthquake without any structural damage. 
I'm not sure how well some of the poorer countries put up their buildings.

lincroft1710

Does your wife have any relatives who live in earthquake areas of Indonesia? If so surely they would be in the best position to suggest/advise on suitable construction materials. 


If not, there is an old saying "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", so perhaps you should follow local building practice. 


A few years ago I was on Bali and was surprised that none of the hotels/guest houses we stayed out had front doors. Individual rooms obviously had (lockable) doors, but not reception areas. So that is how the locals lived and how they built their hotels 

RHemmings

Thanks for the replies here. I'm going to take some more time to consider them and do some more background research before replying properly. 

ThorOdinson

Japan has very strict standards for earthquake engineering, and uses steel frames for almost everything.

I'm Yokohama there are some European houses built on a hill by the first Westerners to live there. Built from brick. Mostly rubble now, fell on top of their owners. Heed the advice of the locals.

GDB2222

ThorOdinson said:

Japan has very strict standards for earthquake engineering, and uses steel frames for almost everything.

I'm Yokohama there are some European houses built on a hill by the first Westerners to live there. Built from brick. Mostly rubble now, fell on top of their owners. Heed the advice of the locals.

My preconception about Japanese houses was that they were mostly made of wood and paper. Shows one should not trust preconceptions! 

RHemmings

Unfortunately I have made absolutely no progress with this at all. The more I looked into it, the more that there is too much uncertainty. 

I was thinking that we were going to visit Bali later this year, and could do things in person. But, it appears that for family reasons we will meet family in a third country. (Long story). 

It seems that to get what I want, it's going to get expensive. But, my lifetime planned property purchases include both buying my son a, preferably, small freehold property in the UK and also the house in Bali. While I'm financially comfortable, I'm not super rich and that limits both of those plans. I will admit that I'm keeping an eye on leasehold reforms and what the situation will be once we see what actually happens and the dust settles.

Sorry to ask the question and, like another thread of mine in 2024, it just sort of peters out.