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Comment by CodeSheikh | Hacker News Reader

Any builders/newly constructed home owners out here?

I am thinking of building a new house instead of buying a used one. This is most likely going to be my biggest investment ever. I am looking at lands in upstate New York/New Jersey region, basically a region with 3 months of frost weather. I am not really a big fan of wooden houses. I have read all sorts of material online how wood is cheap, suitable of expansion/contraction weather, and contractors are cheap who build wood frames. But part of me just wants a durable concrete house.

I was thinking of getting a slab or raised slab concrete foundation with concrete pillars (non cylindrical) protruding upwards that would make up entire foundations of the house. Instead of wooden frames I can go for steel frames (new kid on the block). Then for the rest of the stuff, I can use wood and combination of other materials.

It would be nice hear someone else' similar experience and/or suggestions.

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If you have the money it's entirely possible. Steel / Concrete is dramatically more expensive than wood framing though, like, an order of magnitude or close to it. You'll also have a harder time finding a contractor. Most residential contractors are not going to be able to build a steel / concrete structure and the job is going to be too small to interest one of the larger commercial contractors unless you're paying a hefty premium.

Depending on the region, insulated concrete form houses are 5-20% premium over an equivalent wood-framed house. Foundations and basements are almost always made of concrete anyways, so it's not that difficult to find a contractor that is comfortable with an expanded role for concrete.

Concrete platform + steel framing isn't unusual for commercial or multi-family residential buildings, but it's pretty much nonexistent for single-family housing. If you want a concrete/steel house, you're better off going with insulated concrete forms (ICF). In cold regions, many basements are already built with ICFs so finding a contractor to build an entire house that way shouldn't be too difficult.

Don't sell wood short though--contractors can build crappy wood houses, but they can build crappy concrete houses too, and a good wood framed house loses nothing to concrete, except maybe sound insulation and resistance to damage. In your region, as long as you make your house airtight (through taped sheathing, liquid or taped membrane, or airtight drywall) and keep at least 33% of the insulation value outside of the sheathing you should be good.

If you want to build a steel-frame house in the New Jersey area, check out Andar Steel (andarsteel.com), a company that builds steel framing for houses, and has contractors they work with that are used to this.

Look into hempcrete; great insulative properties. Probably not the best for loading bearing, but it's being developed.

What's your desire for steel and concrete?

laminated wood products (osb, etc) are pretty strong

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