Central Coast Builders Floored with a Problem

Location:	Wyong, Central Coast, New South Wales
Country:	Australia
Builder:	Masterton Homes
Products Used:	LYSAGHT QUIKA-FLOOR®

The Central Coast region just north of Sydney is taking off as among the fastest growing areas in the Country. This astonishing growth has provided a problem for house builders in the form of a scarcity of conventional flat building sites. The standard answer of a concrete slab on ground just won't work when the building block becomes steep.

Limitations on cut and fill have been put in place by Central Coast Councils concerned at the scarring of the landscape, loss of trees and vegetation, and problems with overland stormwater flow.

Progressive house builders think that there is a better way.

Masterton Homes' Steve Gray says: "We have tried many flooring systems, but one we have found among the best is LYSAGHT QUIKA-FLOOR®. Our owners agree, because if they had any problem we'd hear about it soon enough!"

Masterton Homes builds around 1,500 homes each year, with 300 to 350 being built on the Central Coast. Steve Gray says that having started using LYSAGHT QUIKA-FLOOR® for the first time about a year ago, the percentage of houses being built on steel framed flooring is growing.

Gray went on to say: "There is a learning curve, the carpenters are learning to use it. There is no resistance now to steel framed flooring, but at first the carpenters were unsure about working with steel. I think they probably imagined that they would have to become welders, but when they found it was simply screwed together they felt comfortable with it."

The advantages of LYSAGHT QUIKA-FLOOR® do not stop at sloping sites, but are equally of benefit on flat sites, as more and more builders are coming to recognize. Termites are simply not a worry for steel and homeowners enjoy the advantage of having useful underfloor space that can be used for storage. Because LYSAGHT QUIKA-FLOOR® can span up to 2.7 metres, it is ideal for later excavation to provide additional rooms, a workshop, or underfloor parking, without disturbing the structure. The slim adjustable steel posts provide a clear and virtually unobstructed underfloor space, without bulky brick piers intruding on the space.

Steel, by virtue of its straightness and consistent strength, provides a squeak free and movement free floor. The simplicity of LYSAGHT QUIKA-FLOOR® steel floor framing means that carpenters can construct the floor in as little as eight to ten hours. Best of all, some builders are reporting savings of up to A$12,000 per house largely by saving on excavation, retaining walls, and sub-soil drainage that would be required for slab on ground when the site is sloping.

The Central Coast is known for its superb beaches and vast waterways, but with LYSAGHT QUIKA-FLOOR® the homeowner need not feel concerned about corrosion. The steel is given the protection of hot dipped galvanising to the posts, in line galvanising to the bearers, and durable ZINCALUME® steel to the joists. Ensuring that the subfloor is enclosed within the brick veneer structure further protects the flooring system from the marine environment*.

* For those jobs within 1km of breaking surf additional protection requirements maybe required. Please Contact Us for more information.

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