Prefab Steel Home News | Prefabricated Buildings & Construction

From The Ashes

– a few words from the article – Copyright Dwell

“After a wildfire, a prefab home in California puts resilience first.”

When the Tea Fire swept through parts of Santa Barbara and Montecito in the fall of 2008, more then 200 properties were destroyed. Some home owners cut their losses and moved on, but others vowed to rebuild. Combining a prefab steel super-structure with concrete walls and insulated metal panels, Anthrazit House in Santa Barbara was designed by architects Pamela and Hector Magnus and built in collaboration with EcoSteel.

“We were looking for ways to rebuild faster and to help a building take the brunt of the fire.” says Hector

So began a three-way collaboration between the owner, Architect Magnus, and Ecosteel to design build a 3,300 SF residence – dubbed Anthrazit House for it’s charcoal hue that could withstand future conflagrations while remaining energy efficient. The key lies in the materials: A foundation and walls made of concrete, a prefab recycled-steel frame, a standing seam insulated metal roof, and fire resistant insulated metal panels that envelope the exterior steel.

“The construction method is a little different then traditional wood frame” explains Hector. We spent more time in design because we wanted to see on paper what the final details would look like. The roof, for instance, is a super-thin plane, and we wanted to make sure it terminated correctly on the leading edge. And the exterior skin had to align properly with the windows.”

“That’s the beauty of prefab, you can minimize field work”

Connecting the steel to the foundation at just four anchor points paved the way for sweeping mountain and canyon views. “Steel allows us to do that” Hector says. Expansive windows on the second floor face a park, while a steel-and-glass stairway keeps things open. The house is laid out on three levels, with the main entrance leading to the top-floor kitchen which features concrete floors, quartz counters, a refrigerator and wall oven by Electrolux, and a stainless steel apron-front sink from Kraus. The ground-floor studio is built into the hillside, which helps keep indoor temperatures moderate.

Interested in custom building your own home with EcoSteel? Contact Us Here

More images of the Anthrazit Project below:

EcoSteel Prefabricated Steel Homes Process

There’s little question that prefab steel is the current direction of the future of building. Cost effectiveness, efficiency and speed of construction combined with new technologies allows for 100% custom buildings. All of these make steel a very powerful option whether you’re building your next home or starting a new development. (If you’re thinking of pursuing a commercial option, you can also build a prefab office building with EcoSteel.)

1: Prefabricated steel homes are a fantastic choice, and you can get the home you want with less time, money, and inconveniences. It is important to understand what this process includes though, so you do not have unrealistic expectations about prefabricated steel homes. A common misconception is that prefabricated steel homes only take a week or two, and another is that the home is delivered already assembled and no further labor is required. These homes are much faster to build, and normally cost significantly less, but they still require some time to manufacture, and do require final assembly on the building site. You will also still need permits, plans, and other paperwork requirements as well.

Paperwork, Design, And Engineering Steps

Once you have decided on prefabricated steel homes to meet your home needs, the first step is the design and engineering aspect of the home. You will need to have the architectural plans drawn up for the home, and this is the first step required for prefabricated steel homes usually. Once you have the plans drawn up you will need to decide on a quality company for the best possible eco prefab home. The next step is to virtually build the prefabricated steel homes using three dimensional modeling and engineering software. This will take between four and six weeks usually, and can prevent costly mistakes later on. You will also need all of the required permits, and you can arrange these while your prefabricated steel homes are going through the virtual build process.

Manufacturing

Once the virtual build is done, the prefabricated steel homes will be manufactured. There are many companies that can perform this step. EcoSteel prefab homes include panels for the walls and roof that are manufactured according to your specific home plans, and these panels are insulated and may include wiring and channels for other components to be installed, depending on the company you choose to do the manufacturing. Prefabricated steel homes are ordered as a kit, and should include all of the panels and framing materials that are needed to assemble the home on site. Doors and windows are not included in most basic kits, and these will usually need to be purchased as well. Homeowners considering home renovations may want to weigh the costs and benefits of new windows vs windows replacement to determine the best course of action.

Delivery And Assembly Of Your New Home

Once all the components of the prefabricated steel kits have been manufactured, the contents are delivered to your new home building site. You will need a subcontractor and a work crew to finish the assembly and building process, because the framing and the panels will need to be constructed or installed. The prefabricated steel homes kit does not arrive completely built, there are still a number of steps that need to be done before you will be ready to move in. Prefabricated steel homes do take some time, but you will save a lot of time and money while getting the home you want. EcoSteel is an industry leader in eco prefab homes that can help you through the entire process.