All images provided courtesy of Dominion Metal Frames, Inc.
One of the largest homebuilders in western Canada is piloting a program to build the wall, floor roof truss framing for new single-family homes using cold-formed steel (CFS), rather than traditional wood framing.
Cantiro, an integrated Canadian real estate company that develops homes, communities, rental and commercial properties in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, is partnering with Dominion Metal Frames, Inc., a steel-framing systems manufacturer and installer based in Edmonton, Alberta. Dominion Metal Frames uses roll-forming equipment and software from Scottsdale Construction Systems, a Steel Framing Industry Association member.
Scottsdale’s advanced construction system employs rivets in its panelizing process, which fasten securely and won’t come undone.
2,163 SF Homes with Steel Framing
Tom Rus, founder and president of Dominion Metal Frames, says his company is providing Cantiro with the steel framing for a series of 2,163 square-foot, single-family homes with double garages in Edmonton. Rus believes the Cantiro homes are one of the first in Alberta to be framed with CFS members, if not the first in the province.
Cantiro is piloting the new construction process on one of their most popular home models to test efficiencies and performance as well as gather feedback from various stakeholder groups. Given the positive results to date, Cantiro is looking to expand the program to more models and different home types as part of its construction of some upcoming show homes with a potential public rollout in late 2025.
Rus says Cantiro executives are appreciative especially of the following benefits of steel framing on their single-family homes:
- Longer spans versus traditional lumber products. CFS members’ open web systems can eliminate posts and beams in the home design
- Flexibility for the homeowner. The long-span potential of CFS enables homes to be built with open-concept basements, which homeowners can develop as rentable suites
- CFS studs, joists and track will not warp, split, crack or creep when exposed to the elements
- Lower insurance costs. CFS has ability to reduce the builder’s risk insurance and course of construction insurance by as much as 50%, Rus says
- Installation efficiency. Compared with wood framing, CFS is dimensionally stable and does not expand or contract, making it easier to work with
Roof trusses are lifted into place, completing the steel framing of a Cantiro home in Edmonton.
Mold, Rot — No Worries
Canadian building codes have shifted to support greater energy efficiency in construction, Rus says. This has resulted in the “constructing airtight homes and controlling air movement” with heat recovery ventilators and other air handler systems, he says.
The resulting lack of breathability of many newer homes “has increased the potential for mold within the wall cavity,” Rus says. However, steel framing “eliminates the concern of mold and rot,” he says, “and is the solution to eliminate any concerns of a toxic building cavity.”
According to its web site, Cantiro is placing a strong emphasis on innovation in home design, offering a variety of residential collections that cater to different lifestyles and preferences, including single-family homes, townhomes and three-story homes with a clear focus on energy-efficient and sustainable building practices.
The steel framing in this Cantiro home in Edmonton received approval.
More Steel-Framed Residences Expected
Rus believes that steel framing will continue to play a role in Cantiro developments. He says Cantiro is working closely with his company.
“The pilot was the first,” Rus says. “We just received the next order of 8 units, 2 of them are show homes, and another is a net zero concept. We are piloting a couple of other designs we have come up with on these next homes. These exciting designs will significantly improve homes for our climate.”
In time, Rus hopes to compete on some of Cantiro’s mid-rise development projects, which include four to six-story apartment buildings.
“In the mid-rise space in Canada, [cold-formed steel] framing can be more cost effective than the traditional timber frame,” Rus says.
And because steel framing’s benefits also include the ability to lessen the impact of today’s skilled labor shortage in Canada, Rus believes that his Scottsdale equipment and software can produce the wall panels, floor joists and roof trusses for home construction with fewer man-hours of input compared with traditional stick-built lumber construction.
Emphasizing the work speed at the Cantiro pilot, Scottsdale’s LinkedIn post says that DMF was able to “quickly panelize floors and walls for this single-family residential undertaking.”
This second floor of a Cantiro steel-framed home reveals “K” bracing within the wall cavities that provide shear engineering strength.
Due to their strength, steel floor trusses allow for long spans without beams.
The load path is easily identified as the floor trusses, roof trusses and wall studs all align.
Individual roof trusses, panelized off site by Dominion Metal Frames, were assembled into a single roof system on site and lifted into place by crane.
The strength of steel allows for lintels that can be fully insulated.
Additional Resources
- Australian Research Council and Scottsdale Fund CFS Floor Truss Research
- ICC-ES and Scottsdale to Appear on ‘Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid’
- SFIA Releases Updated Technical Guide with the Most Up-to-Date CFS Load and Span Tables in the Industry