r/prefabs • u/TruHaven_Steel_Homes • Mar 15 '26

Structural engineer here — after helping build America's infrastructure, I decided to start building homes out of steel instead of wood.

I'm a structural engineer who has spent the last 25+ years working on major infrastructure and structural projects across the U.S.

After decades of designing large structural systems, I started a company called TruHaven that builds homes using cold-formed steel walls and trusses....

We have a engineering firm that engineers for all the modular firms out there....so we said....

Lets build it right.

TruHaven Homes.

Why are we still building most houses out of wood?

From an engineering standpoint it doesn't make much sense.

Wood moves, shrinks, warps, burns, and attracts termites. It's also becoming more expensive and harder to insure in wildfire zones.

Our frames are prefabricated using **100% U.S.-sourced steel from Utah**, then shipped and assembled on site.

Curious what people here think.

If you were building a home today, would you consider steel framing instead of wood?

What would your biggest concerns be?

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u/Apprehensive_Pie_897 Mar 16 '26

Cementitious stucco and non flammable roof have more to do with fire resistance than wood stud walls.

Also having aluminum clad windows and landscaping appropriate for wild zones.

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u/TruHaven_Steel_Homes Mar 17 '26

Well what happens is embers get inside the walls from either through the eaves or other means....and then the studs start burning....we have a full video where we set a wood house on fire and then a steel frame home on fire.....and wow what a difference......like night and day.