东台泽尚建材有限公司

When adding floors or expanding rural old houses, and renovating or transforming villas, many brick-concrete structures cannot address the load-bearing issues. Using a light steel system offers structural stability, ease of construction management, high construction efficiency, short construction periods, small cross-sectional area, and light self-weight, providing more usable space compared to equivalent reinforced concrete structures. Therefore, the light steel structural system is highly advantageous in floor addition and expansion projects. #HouseRenovation #OldHouseTransformation

Light Steel Villa vs. Brick-Concrete Villa

First, let’s discuss the differences in structural materials between light steel villas and brick-concrete villas:

The light steel structure is made of G550 high-strength aluminum-zinc plating, offering superior rust and corrosion resistance. The aluminum-zinc plating layer is 150 grams per square meter. The national standard for galvanized steel materials is 60 grams per square meter, while the galvanized amount for outdoor high-voltage power towers is 160 grams per square meter (ensuring no rust for 50 years in exposed environments). Light steel materials adhere to the American G90 standard, with a galvanized amount of 275 grams per square meter. Aluminum-zinc plating offers 3 to 6 times the corrosion resistance of galvanized plating. Therefore, 150 grams per square meter of aluminum-zinc plating is equivalent to 450 grams per square meter of galvanized plating. Light steel materials enclosed within walls are even less prone to corrosion and can remain rust-free for 100 years (data from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development).

Brick-concrete structures, on the other hand, combine traditional bricks, cement, sand, and steel bars. With proper maintenance, the lifespan of concrete can reach 50-60 years. However, due to the inherent expansion and destructive effects of concrete, if no measures are taken, its lifespan may be shortened. The design service life of brick-concrete structures is 50 years, but this does not mean the building is uninhabitable after 50 years. Instead, the safety factor decreases, requiring building assessment, repair, or reinforcement.

2. Design: Light steel structures are custom-designed by architects based on standard drawings and constructed accordingly, allowing for complex structural designs without additional costs;   

Brick-concrete structures generally lack standard drawings, with workers making adjustments based on experience during construction. Simple designs are common, while complex designs require higher craftsmanship, significantly increasing costs.

3. Cost: Light steel villas are calculated based on the projection area, with the roof area not separately calculated. The rough construction includes water and electricity systems, doors, windows, and exterior wall and roof decoration.

For brick-concrete villas, cast-in-place roofs are calculated separately at 50% of the area, and the rough construction does not include water and electricity systems, doors, windows, or exterior wall and roof decoration.

4. Safety: Light steel structures bear loads as a whole, with mutual traction and strong deformation resistance and recovery capabilities. They can withstand magnitude 9 earthquakes and category 13 typhoons, making them the primary building structure in earthquake-prone areas. Under rare earthquake conditions, the main structure remains intact and does not collapse.

Brick-concrete structures have an earthquake resistance rating of magnitude 5-6. Earthquakes exceeding magnitude 6 pose risks. While concrete and bricks appear solid, collapse can occur instantly, causing severe harm. We should consider how many rural brick-concrete houses lack supervision and fail to meet standards.

5. Insulation: Light steel villas are equipped with insulation systems. With the same insulation effect: 5 cm of polyurethane or 9 cm of insulation wool can match the insulation of 76 cm of concrete or 1.7 meters of brick walls.

Brick-concrete villas generally lack professional insulation systems, as cement and bricks offer poor insulation.

6. Speed: The main construction period for light steel villas is 25-30 days, with dry construction unaffected by weather.

The main construction period for brick-concrete villas is 3-6 months, with construction affected by weather conditions.

7. Environmental Friendliness: Light steel villas are 90% recyclable, generate less waste, and cause no pollution during construction. They are prefabricated buildings strongly promoted by the state.

Traditional brick-concrete villa materials are not recyclable, generate large amounts of waste, and cause severe environmental pollution. Currently, some materials used in brick-concrete construction are subject to various restrictions by local governments. As traditional brick-concrete construction masons become increasingly scarce, craftsmanship relies solely on accumulated construction experience. Over the decades, there has been little fundamental progress. Skilled craftsmen are dwindling, and young people are unwilling to work on construction sites, leading to a situation where older technical workers are more valued. With the future development of prefabricated buildings, migrant workers will transition into industrial workers, requiring no construction experience. With simple training, they can assemble and construct according to drawings, giving them a sense of belonging, achievement, and good career development. Only in this way can the supply and demand situation for construction labor be reversed.

Jiangsu Dongtai Zeshang Building Materials Co., Ltd. is a comprehensive service company specializing in the design, consultation, and construction of light steel prefabricated residential systems. Zeshang Prefabricated Houses has always been committed to the development and application of new integrated light steel housing systems, advocating for the standardization, modularization, and generalization of housing design and application while achieving personalized, humanized, intelligent, healthy, and comfortable living environments.

The Zeshang prefabricated building technology system is a highly energy-efficient green building system with excellent building physical properties, providing customers with comprehensive green building integrated solutions.

Light steel prefabricated houses represent the mainstream trend in prefabricated housing and are a revolutionary breakthrough compared to traditional houses. They also align with the national "Four Savings and One Environmental Protection" housing industry policy.

As practitioners of steel structure prefabricated buildings, Zeshang Prefabricated Houses will continue to strive for a more brilliant future with more professional, high-quality, and efficient products and services, along with a pragmatic, innovative, and pioneering spirit.

Main Products: Light steel villas, prefabricated houses, exterior wall cladding, asphalt shingles, cultured stone