By Iris Richmond. Jeffrey Prostor, president of Brookfield Homes, likes turning the tables. He asks people to imagine a history in which builders have been using steel, instead of wood, for the past 100 years. Imagine what would transpire if such a builder were approached by someone, product in hand, proposing the use of wood:
"Here's wood. Now, I have to warn you that it's heavier to carry and not as straight; it warps, cracks, and squeaks; it can catch fire; it doesn't span as well; and its price per foot will fluctuate. Did I mention that it's organic and therefore susceptible to mold? Oh, and there's this bug you should know about, it's called a termite ... ."
Prostor is sold on steel. In the early 1990s, he firmly pulled up a chair at the steel table and helped pioneer the use of a product that, until recently, had no infrastructure to support it.
Codes catch up
prescriptive methods for working with steel took effect in 2000, when the material began to be covered in residential building codes. There are now more than 3,000 trained steel-code officials, and the membership base of the North American Steel Framing Alliance (NASFA) expanded from 52 to over 400 members in the last three years.
 Photo: Dietrich Metal FramingTaciturn Tiles: This diagram represents the Dietrich Metal Framing floor joists that should keep Centex's homes squeak-free. |
"Today, it's easier for production builders to use steel. There are fewer hurdles in the way, but many are only
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