Wooden Vs Steel Frame Garden Room

When constructing or installing a garden house, a special frame construction technique is usually used. Thanks to this technique, it is possible to build any structure as simply and quickly as possible. Moreover, garden rooms have a small area, and therefore do not always need a strong foundation.

Frame Materials

There are two types of buildings that are made using the frame construction technique. These are frame and frame-panel structures. A feature of the frame-panel building is a ready-made frame, which is produced in the factory. But when building garden rooms, a frame structure is often chosen. This allows you to assemble the structure directly at the site of its future placement.

To create frames, the following materials are usually used:

1. Wood. This material is easier to work with. But when choosing wood, it is very important to check its moisture level. The optimal moisture level is less than 15%. If the content of moisture in the wood is too high, the structure will not last long enough. Since the garden room usually has a small area, 50mm wood will be suitable for construction.
2. Metal. A metal frame is much stronger and more durable than other materials, including wood. Currently, the technology of constructing frame structures with the use of a thermal profile is being actively developed. When constructing the frame, C- or V-shaped profiles can be used. They have perforated grooves, which can significantly reduce the weight of the finished structure and reduce its thermal conductivity by 90%.

Features of Wooden Frames

To create a structure, it is recommended to use planed material with a moisture content of no more than 15%. The advantages of a timber frame include:

1. Low cost. The thickest beams will be required to create the main harness. For everything else, thinner bars are suitable. Thus, it will be possible to save even more on the construction of a garden room.
2. Easy processing. Wood is very easy to work with. You just need to cut it the right length. A jigsaw or a grinder can be used to cut the wood. The wooden structure is held together with nails or screws. Since special skills and tools are not required when working with wood, even one person can usually take on the task of building such a structure.
3. Minimum thermal conductivity. Thanks to this, extra isolation is not necessary.

The disadvantages of this building material include the following characteristics:

1. Exposure to decay processes and the effects of various insects. But this can be avoided by treating the wood with special solutions before using it.
2. The ability to absorb moisture. To avoid this, it is recommended to pre-treat the wood with a moisture-repellent substance and take care of creating a moisture removal system. Thus, the wooden structure will be fully protected, therefore the durability of the structure will increase.
3. The possibility of drying out. If this happens, the structure is capable of shrinking, deforming or slightly changing its size. Therefore, it is important to choose only high-quality and dry materials. To be sure, it is recommended to check the indicator with a special device before purchasing any type of wood.
4. Burning susceptibility. Wood can ignite when exposed to a flame. A special fire-repelling solution will help protect it from burning. After using it, even in case of a fire, the wooden frame will not be harmed.

Of course, wood, as a building material, has its drawbacks. However, they can all be easily fixed. The correct choice of material and preliminary processing with special compounds will help to avoid damage.

Features of Metal Frames

Along with wood, metal is used in the construction of garden rooms. The advantages of this material include the following:

1. Resistance to moisture and other factors, even without special preliminary preparation.
2. Strength and durability.
3. Resistant to shrinkage, rotting, insects, etc.
4. Easy to assemble the structure. Similar to a wooden frame, metal can be assembled independently without the help of professionals. For this, ordinary screws are used. To simplify the assembly of such a structure, special holes are made on the surface of the metal profiles at the stage of production. However, in this case, you will need special tools to cut the material.

Despite a significant number of positive qualities, metal also has some disadvantages:

1. The cost of a profile is high compared to a wooden one. Thus, the entire structure will cost more.
2. In the event of a fire, the metal profile can strongly deform. Moreover, there is no fire-repelling treatment that would protect the metal from damage when exposed to open flames and high temperatures.
3. High rates of thermal conductivity. Therefore, if such a garden room is planned to be used year-round, additional insulation will be required.
4. The need to use soundproofing gaskets in the construction of a metal frame. This is done so that later while moving around in the room, a creaking sound does not appear.

Each of these materials has both positive and negative qualities. But if we summarize the above, we can conclude that wood will be the best material for building a garden room. However, in any case, when choosing a building material, you should always consider your own needs and desires.

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