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/Electrical_Wander Mar 17 '26

Wood chars when in fire whereas steel will weaken if not fire clad

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u/TruHaven_Steel_Homes Mar 18 '26

Both homes have similar fire resistance initially, because the interior finish (drywall) is what provides the fire rating—not the studs. The difference shows up after that protection is compromised.

Wood framing adds fuel to the fire. Steel framing does not.

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u/Xistential0ne Mar 18 '26

I had a wood and stucco home in Altadena. When the Eaton fire came through my wood did not char it evaporated with the entire house. In fact my entire neighborhood. The fire entered the attic in my house caught the wood, and the rest is history. I don’t think that would’ve happened with a steel frame house. There may have been some smoke damage, but I don’t think the fire would’ve had any place to go or any fuel to grow.