This country home stands strong on its steel flooring system
This four-bedroom home in Menangle, a rural village in the Macarthur region of NSW, was built on a steel flooring system to take maximum advantage of its idyllic country setting. Designed by the owner Lee, an estimator for a timber and truss company, the home offers everything he and his partner could hope for. There is a large home theatre, an expansive master suite with its own verandah oriented to capture hillside views, and an open-plan kitchen adjoining light-filled dining and living spaces.
Lee bought the 5.5 acre property, which was an empty battle-axe block, in 2016, with the intention of building a large custom family home. When Lee and his partner looked at the land for the first time, they were on a quest to find the ideal plot for their third and last build — a home that would bring the whole family back under one roof. While Lee’s partner was unimpressed after their initial viewing, during a second visit the sense of serenity and lush scenery won her over, leading to a change of heart.
To begin with, Lee wanted the house to have a slab base. However, as there is a coal mine located 600m underground he knew there would be a possibility of movement and didn’t want to risk it. Instead, he decided to proceed with a strip footing base using a strong bearer and joist system.
While at first he favoured a timber frame, after engaging Noble Builders, he decided to go with their recommendation of a full-steel solution from Spantec. For the build, Spantec supplied its Boxspan, Ezipier and Ezibrace products, and Lee couldn’t be happier with the result.
“With the Spantec Boxspan flooring system there is no creaking at all. You wouldn’t even know that it’s on bearers and joists,” says Lee. “At first, I thought that due to the floor’s height off the ground, a steel bearer and joist system might lead to a bit of creaking or noise, and possible bounce, but since moving into the home there has been no noise. The floor feels solid and strong underfoot.
“If you have a sloping site like ours and you want a strong concrete-like feel underfoot, I highly recommend the use of the Boxspan flooring system. Our expectations were more than achieved, which is a testament to the 30 years of experience behind the design and engineering of the system.”
For this project, Spantec provided a complete design and engineering service. The full subflooring and deck kit arrived to site cut to size, every piece was labelled and seamlessly fitted together. In fact, Spantec provided a full lightweight solution to tackle the 3m slope of land, taking into consideration all loads from such a large structure.
Adds Lee, “It was a smooth process for both myself and the builder. Whenever something was required, Spantec was straight on to it. Due to COVID delays and shortages of materials, the overall build did go over budget; however, during the period we were dealing with Spantec, there were no price increases or material shortages. If additional material was required, Spantec ensured that it would be taken to site ASAP. The level of service provided by Spantec during this time was amazing.”
While Lee still has a few finishing touches to make, such as adding cladding around the floor to give the home more of a country look, he says, “All in good time. We just want to enjoy our new house and its surroundings for now.”
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