Galvanized Tubing for Building and Construction

You will need a structural frame to work with. A 1 1/2 pipe bends and "knicks" easier. You need a plan, height of walls and weight of roof and structures and dealing with the non gravimetric force (side push to walls if saddle roof) You will need to "waffle" everything (horizontal connections between pipes too to stiffen the structure) and make some inner walls the same way to deal with this and wind force influence. Fire issues. to name some

Why not use conventional steel studs with the associated plates and attachments? They are readily available, approved, and used for most commercial wall construction.

Reason for the tubes- is I work for tube mill and have access to this size & gauge as excess. The size is the equivalent to the 1 x 2 x 18ga that is used in housing and hotel buildings. I have seen many green houses made from larger tubes but spaced much further apart. I understand cross bracing or lateral memmbers but designing plans that have snow & wind loads is not my expertise.

You will find this very interesting...

what is the area, climate extremes. and height of your walls (or ceiling) You want your roof also in the pipes? How wide is the span? Is your available pipe square with outside dimension 1 1/2 inch? What is the square footage you plan to use? Some dimensions are really necessary to start. Can you weld or needs everything screwed or bolted together?

I should go this way: your steel is 1.5", that is not enough for a regular 8' or 10' feet high ceiling. Your pipes are probably 10 or 20 feet long? For the walls there is a cheap trick that will give you the best possible stability. Put your corners vertically at the outside where you want them, run a second set of pipes horizontally against the outline pipes, more to the inside. This will become the center of the wall. Against the horizontal pipe you put 4' apart, all on the same side (the outside) let's call it risers (vertical pipes) Where doors and windows double these @ width and height and leave space for finishing material. Our wall is now 3" thick already, but lacks stability. That is the next step: On the inside of the horizontals just in the middle between the risers outside put a next series. The wall is now already 4.5 inches wide. If you place the horizontal pipes @2' and interlace them, you get a solid wall frame. Of course it needs connected to the foundation. This can in 2 different ways. I will host you through everything if you want. But give me your dimension of the house you want to build. With the suggested pipe length you can have even a close to 10 feet ceiling. I am not a US Citizen, but have designed, engineered and built high end turn key projects in Europe and in the Bahamas. I have signed in Florida for a structural change in a duplex and had it approved. But I think it is more appropriate to ask one of your local engineers. I think favors still are good. You can mail me too.

In order for what you want to do with the small sized steel tubing you're first going to have to adhere to the the State of Ohio's Building and Fire Prevention Code. You must be able to have structural members that can safely carry the Snow Load on the roof and transmit it to the wall framing that eventually transmit the loads to the foundation. then you have to contend with wind loading!

Frankly, as a practicing Structural Engineer (NY LPE) I have never in my 33 years in this business seen a house structure made of the tubing sizes that you want to use. I very much doubt that you can really use them for your planned end purpose. It doesn't mean it can't be done, but it's going to take a lot of structural analysis and design time on the PE's part to get it to work. You are going to spend a lot of money and time to have the PE reverse engineer the steel tubing into built-up structural members based on the tube sectional properties and steel strength. Then there's the fire code issues to contend with! You could possibly fabricate built-up sections to make roof trusses, but it may end in the long up not feasible or unrealistic!

The final fly in the ointment is the local Code Enforcement Official, aka Building Inspector, that has final say on your house design. Don't forget you have to deal with electrical distribution, plumbing, waste disposal and HVAC issues too!

I am in the process of fabricating a 2 story told shed/storage building that I designed. The structural members consist of build-up light gauge steel wall studs fabricated into roof trusses and supporting columns, all resting on a heavily reinforced concrete Alaskan Slab, a form of thickened mat foundation. It took me a long time to reverse engineer the structural members to make everything suitable to safely carry the design loads and meet other code provisions. I'm able to do this because I have the metal working tools and skill sets.....cutting, bending steel + sheet metal screws and lots of welding.

I frankly doubt you could of afforded what it took me as a LPE to design this building using the salvaged steel wall studs and galvanized steel plate and sheet metal. If you insist that you want to go this way, you're going to need a set of plans signed and sealed by a Ohio LPE, and you will make him or her a petty penny in professional services rendered!!! Other words, you'll make him a wealthy man in short order!!! I'd forget the Architect as this is way beyond their experience in design of structural members...IMHO, most Architects lack the necessary skills, experience and education to successfully design anything structural.

My advice to you is to rent an apartment or house until such time you can afford to buy a house or trailer that meets the building code. I really don't see the great rush to build this monstrosity!!?? What's this about stalking???????? If that's the case find a battered woman's group home etc etc where you can live. Living inside a house made of essentially steel toothpicks won't stop the stalker!

I wish you Good Luck!!!

I might be going down a wrong road here in my question.

There are similiar products on the market now. http://www.greensourceproducts.com/green_buildings/green_building_construction.asp

The difference is the dimension 1 x 2x 18ga (residential) 16ga for larger projects (5 story hotels etc)

http://www.techbuilt.com/Technical-data-panels.html

There are many steel tube building in greenhouses, etc that exist in Ohio year round and many fabric structures are built in Canada. All I am going to do is sheeth it and insulate it. From my estimates this is way stronger than a 2x4 structure when properly braced. And this product 1.5sq x 18 is the common skeleton for all specialty truck bodies. Also besides aluminum tubes/studs many of the "specialty trailers" that are hauled a lot are made of these too.

So I am thinking there are plans out there I can use that are metal buildings. This is where I am going - I am not trying to reinvent the wheel.

Hi, I have used this system in 1983, It is very good as paneling but the structure goes up on a different load carrying system. A frame work of steel or concrete beams. What I try to do is give a solution with the materials you are talking about, and provide the structural strength for 1 story house. We have used a lot of Canadian Skeleton structures in C channel - on the outside plywood and synthetic planking. To the interior NOTHING else but rock wool and as inside wall sheet rock 5/8". They have passed the code and also the latest 3 devastating hurricanes. 2 story high. Check > shoreline Freeport Bahamas< they all are build that way. The structure, with your pipes, when quasi tripled can carry the same loads or more. It is all about momentum, and joining the toothpicks together will give you that result. We build a lot with ICF blocks now, but it will cost a lot more than a "concrete block" house. Styrofoam can pose a fire and mice problem in colder areas when not shielded.

Hello MSteel1,

I took a look at the panel literature and it appear that you might have to use the 5.5" walls with 16 ga tubing because they are able to withstand a 15 psf wind loading acting against the walls and still support roughly 5000 pound axial loads. Those axial loads would be the reactions coming from the supported roof structure under load, which would include the dead weight of the roof itself plus the weight of snow (known as snow load). I frankly do not think these panels are strong enough to be used in a roof system. If the Ohio Building Code Design Snow Loads are anything like those found in the New York State Code, then these panels have insufficient load carrying capacity. Where I live, in the Mid-Hudson Valley Region in the eastern extent of the state, and 60 miles south of Albany, the Code requires the roofs here to support a Design Snow Load of anywhere from 45 pounds per square foot (PSF) all the way up to 65 PSF, depending exactly where your house is located.

You haven't said how large of a house you want to build. Any dimensions available? Think in multiples of 2 feet or 4 feet in the house width and length because that will save you money. And the more corners you have the more expensive the wall system will become.

Getting back to the roof, you are better off either having light gauge steel roof rafters or prefabricated wooden roof trusses installed as the main roof structural members. Of course you'll have to install the gypsum board ceilings and insulation, as well as plywood sheathing, roof felt paper and asphalt roofing shingles.

One other thing about these prefabbed wall panels is that there is no provision for running electrical wire through them, unless I missed it somewhere in the literature? Electrical outlets too??? Ditto about plumbing, say at the kitchen under the sink at an exterior wall. What about plumbing and wiring for the remainder of the house? What about heating and coooling the house? What about the waste plumbing and where is the waste being disposed of? Is the house being installed on a concrete slab on grade or a traditional foundation with basement. Remember, all this construction must meet Building Code, and you just can't throw up a shed just for the heck of it....think safety first....for yourself and any children if you have them! See, there is much more than plopping up a bunch of walls and calling the resulting box a house.

In the end, I personally think you're better off buying a factory prefabricated modular home and installing it on a full basement foundation having concrete masonry block walls or reinforced concrete foundation walls...it's fast, cheaper than traditional construction, and will meet code. Don't forget you must purchase the land to build on unless you already own it. and that takes time to legally to file a deed...then you have to obtain plans for the house ans submit them to the local building department for review...then once you get approval, then you can start construction beginning with excavation of the basement and ending with construction of the foundation footings and walls and floor slab.

I personally don't see how you're going to do all of this in a 6 month time constraint...nearly impossible, unless you have a relative who also is the Gov.!

Good luck! I'm trying to help you, but in the same token I hate to be also a stick in the mud and can't help thinking this steel tubing idea is nothing but a crazy pie-in-the-sky idea that just can be logically used in house construction without getting someone hurt eventually. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I truly feel you need a wakeup call here MSteel.

Thank you for your assistance. I am scrapping the idea. I know the 18 ga is approved for walls I have viewed the construction and permits (The roof is a different system). If I could afford it I would just purchase from them. It could be enclosed an insulated in 3 days or less.

Instead I have already discussed with zoning & the inspector and can get an agriculture exemption permit to build with that as the only permit and I will use pole barn construction. This will be an Ag building with living quarters. I know it sounds strange. But it is done (horse, dogs and greenhouse). I have more items to deal with than just moving a spouse and children- So I will just have to trust in divine intervention and move forward.

You're very welcome Mssteel. I wish you and your family good tidings and future good luck in your endavors!!!

Please have a great weekend!