Lumber warps, shrinks and moves as it dries and as the seasons change. Light-gauge steel does not. That is why the walls of a Mytikas cabin stay where they were built, and it is the first decision behind everything else we make.
In the film above, Ed Libby, our Chief Construction Officer, explains why we frame in steel. Ed has been building since 1978.
What moves inside a wood wall
Wood is a natural material. It takes on moisture and gives it up again, and it changes shape as it does. Studs bow and twist. Plates shrink. Over a few seasons that movement shows up as cracked seams, doors that stick and floors that are no longer flat.
A cabin asks more of its frame than a house does. It is built in a factory, travels by road, and then sits through mountain winters and dry summers.
What steel does instead
Every stud, track and joist in a Mytikas cabin is roll-formed on our own Howick lines in Florence, Colorado, from 100% recycled galvanized American steel. Each member is formed to within half a millimeter, cut to length, punched and labeled at the machine. Fastener and service holes are in the steel before it reaches the framing floor.
The result is a frame that goes together the way it was drawn. Steel does not warp, shrink or twist. It will not burn, rot or feed termites.
Where you notice it
You do not see the frame once the cabin is finished. You see what it holds.
- Flat walls, so quartz countertops, tile and cabinetry sit tight against them.
- Square corners, so doors and windows have a true opening to work in.
- Wide openings. The folding glass wall on Ridgeline™ asks a lot of the frame around it.
It is also why we can put a 10-year full-unit warranty on the whole cabin. We know what is behind every wall, so we stand behind all of it.
Questions we hear
Is there any wood in a Mytikas cabin? Yes, where wood belongs: in the hardwood maple cabinetry built in our own shop and in selected finishes. The structure has no wood framing.
Does a steel frame make the cabin cold? No. Closed-cell foam fills the wall cavities, and a continuous layer of rigid foam breaks the thermal bridge through the framing. The walls are R-33.
Will the steel rust? The framing is galvanized, and the coating protects the steel from corrosion.
Is the framing code-evaluated? Yes. Our wall framing members and joists are ICC-ES Evaluated. See ICC-ES Evaluation Report ESR-4576 at www.icc-es.org.
Can I buy the framing without the cabin? Yes. Mytikas Steel supplies light-gauge steel framing members, wall panels, floor systems and roof trusses to builders and developers.