Using structural steel in wood
frame construction is not as
hard as it looks. It's mostly a
matter of recognizing that steel, like
wood, has unique characteristics that
create their own set of rules. A good
craftsman can translate many existing
woodworking skills over to steelwork.
Builders who haven't worked much
with structural steel assume it is hard
to find, expensive, and difficult to
handle, but nothing could be further
from the truth. In many instances, in
fact, steel is the easiest and cheapest
material for the job. And it's often no
more difficult to handle on site than
wood components of the same loading
capacity.
The best reason to use steel in residential
construction is its high
strength-to-size ratio.