Tools & Resources
Steel Rescues Impossible Roof Design
The Orchard Hills home in western Sydney utilises steel building frames made from ZINCALUME® steel.
| Location: | Orchard Hills, Sydney |
| Country: | Australia |
| Project Size: | 2,000 square metres |
| Client: | Ron Littler |
| Fabricator: | Arthur Hosking Custom Steel Frames 110 Fitzroy Street Dubbo NSW 2830 Ph: 02 6884 2266 Fax: 02 6884 3159 Email: csfd@customsteel.com.au |
| Products Used: |
TRUECORE® steel |
A new colonial style home under construction on acreage in western Sydney contains two massive homes under one steel roof. The project realises a life-long dream for Sydney businessman Ron Littler to build a family home with two or three wings, large enough to also accommodate his daughter and son-in-law.
The Orchard Hills home has a total floor area of more than 2,000 square metres, with two large attic areas inside the roof space, made possible by the use of steel building frames made from ZINCALUME® steel.
Building work came to a complete halt about 12 months ago when Ron Littler could not convince any manufacturer of timber roof trusses to build the roof structure.
"I never anticipated any problems with the roof because it had been architect designed and certified by an engineer, but until I read an article about steel roof trusses I could find no company prepared to take on the job," said Mr Littler.
The new roof structure was designed by Your Building Connection and the roof was manufactured, delivered to site and erected by Custom Steel in Dubbo.
"I travelled to Dubbo to see the Custom Steel operation and after meeting principal Arthur Hosking, I walked away full of confidence about the company's capability and about using framing made from ZINCALUME® steel," Mr Littler said.
The development by BlueScope Steel of ZINCALUME® steel for wall and roof framing gives homeowners the flexibility to create unique design options more efficiently and at a price competitive with traditional materials.
The L-shaped building comprises two mirror-image homes, with two separate roof attic spaces each with an area of 120 square metres.
"The home is a bit on the awesome side and a lot of planning and thought has gone into creating it," said Mr Littler.
"It will have a community room in the centre where everyone can come together at Christmas and for parties, or we can all gather on the verandahs which run around the entire home.
"I've always liked steel and this experience has certainly proved that if we ever do build again it will be a full steel home."
