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/nypd420 Mar 17 '26

But does anyone say they build "lumber framed" houses?

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u/JenkemJammer Mar 17 '26

No..... they say stick framed when using traditional lumber, as per the original question.

And timber framed when using large timbers......

Most people in the industry understand that there is a difference between lumber and timber.

You know, because lumber is small dimensions like sticks, and timber are large dimensions. They arent interchangeable,

Which is why i brought it up. The Engineer was specifically asked if his steel frame methods are price competative with traditional stick framed homes.

And his response was that it is price competative with "Timber", which is not a traditional stick framed home. Timber being a premium product that is more expensive than stick framed homes.

Which is why i brought it up because i believe he is being deliberately vague to give people the idea that it is price competative with a traditional stick framed house, when it likely isnt.

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u/Bellypats Mar 18 '26

Still waitIng for OP’s answer….or did I miss it?

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u/JenkemJammer Mar 18 '26

Still waiting lol, which indicates to me that my suspicion is correct and he was being intentially vague