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Wood prices are soaring and contractors are scrambling for a solution. Find out why a VersaTube steel building system will save you money on materials.

Housing recovery in the U.S. is on the rise and so is the price of lumber. According to the National Association of Home Builders, a typical 2,400-square-foot home in the U.S. requires approximately 14,400 board feet of softwood, and with the price of lumber as high as it’s been in the last two decades, homeowners are looking for a more cost-effective option to meet their building demands.

While many people have expressed concern over the recent surge in the cost of lumber, they are quickly discovering that there are a number of other, more intelligent building alternatives on the market today; the most popular of which has been the implementation of steel-framed structures.

Steel provides a number of structural advantages over wood. In addition to being stronger, it does not rot, wrap, twist, buckle, split, crack, splinter, creep or settle. It has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of any construction material used today and unlike lumber, it is not susceptible to fire, termites, mold, fungi and other destructive organisms. It doesn’t require the application of any protective coating and in terms of workability, it’s second to none.

In addition to its many structural benefits, it also provides a number of fiscal advantages as well. Just as we’ve seen in the past year or so, the price of wood can fluctuate a significant amount depending on a number of outside factors. The price of steel is and has been extremely stable for a number of years. Steel-framed structures produce virtually no waste and as a result, the need for costly clean-up activities that are generally associated with building construction can be eliminated. Because it is considered to be a much a safer option, steel framing can potentially lower your insurance premiums as well.

The most significant savings associated with steel-framed structures are realized when it comes to manpower costs. Unless you own your own carpentry business, the construction of a wood home is going to require the help of a contractor. Because the materials used to erect steel-framed buildings are often pre-fabricated offsite, they can be delivered to your house with simple instructions on how to assemble them (a popular option otherwise known as Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Construction). In many instances, a DIY steel-framed structure only requires the work of one or two people.

While wood has and will continue to be used for the construction of buildings for a number of years to come, homeowners are quickly discovering that steel is a more feasible choice for a number of different reasons. And with the price of lumber continuing to rise, electing to go with a pre-fabricated steel-framed structure that you can erect yourself is currently the most intelligent and cost-effective option available today.