I switched to metal several years ago for basements. It's a nice clean quiet installation--tin snips, tapcons for the floor and power driver for the sheetmetal screws. It provides a better structure for drywall: straight with no shrinkage. It doesn't add moisture to the basement nor provide material for mould growth. The only rust I've found on old metal framing that I've ripped out is on the floor, where it can absorb moisture from the concrete. To avoid that, put in on an inch or more of extruded polystyrene before anchoring into the floor. As noted above, wiring is different and you have to put reinforcements in for doors, sometimes for cabinets. It costs more than wood, but an experienced installer can put it in very quickly. I know it looks flimsy, but when it's screwed in place and drywalled, you really don't see a difference.

Terry, What you quoted is a paragraph of wishful thinking written by a cheerleader for their product, who doesn't really know what they are talking about. Here are a few things that jump out at me: "This is a reduction in heat transfer paths of 600 to 800 per cent." Imagine that you were interviewing a "bookkeeper" who told you that 2+2=5. That would be a clue that he doesn't have a grasp of even the most basic fundamentals, right? The quoted statement is the same thing: It is impossible to reduce anything by more than 100%. Anyone who is competent to analyze thermal performance understands that at a level that is as fundamental as a bookkeeper understanding that 2+2 is not 5. For this reason, I feel confident in deducing that the person who wrote that statement has absolutely no clue about what they are talking about. "The 8" exterior wall studs on red iron homes are 24" o.c verses 16" o.c. for stick built homes which reduces the load paths through the walls by 33 per cent." This is the crux of the problem. The thermal conductivity of steel is much higher than wood. I don't have numbers easily at hand, but I believe that the thermal conductivity of a typical steel stud is around ten times that of an equivalent wood stud. So, if you reduce the number of studs by 33%, you've reduced that 10x down to 6.66x, which is still a big loss, not a gain. Further, it is now common to build wood-framed houses with exterior studs on 24" centers, so the basic premise is faulty. "One thing they are all having is greatly reduced heating and cooling costs resulting from a high effective SYSTEM R value due to efficient design." That is just flat out a false statement. The only way it could possibly be true is if they tore down an existing house, and replaced with a new house that is completely identical except for having a steel frame, and then compared the two. I highly doubt that this is what they are talking about. They might be talking about people who are saying, in essence, "Our heating bills are much lower than the (uninuslated) 1950's tract house that we moved out of." Or, given what I typically see in marketing, it is not unlikely that the above statement is, "This is what we think our customers would tell us, if we asked them, which we actually didn't take the time to do prior to writing this up." It is possible to make steel structures perform well. The person who wrote the statement you quoted, in my opinion based solely on that statement, is not qualified to be able to do that. The existence of that statement as a representation of the company's capabilities makes me suspect that there in no one else at the company who is capable of it, either. Now, on to your questions: "But since I am going to be living IN the roof space, I suspect I'll want all the insulation I can get up there...rather than the system they just described??. Good thermal performance is a lot more complicated than just throwing a lot of insulation at the problem. Insulation is typically greatly compromised by leakage paths of various sorts. The challenge is controlling the leakage paths. "And will asphalt architectual shingles on 3/4 inch plywood make a difference? ( as opposed to a steel roof)." It will make a small difference. Not enough to materially change the performance of the structure.

My front door which must be original, around 25 years old, has a few odd dents, but not too bad...however, I've seen worse, with some doors quite badly dented. I suspect fibreglass is a more desirable material in this regard. I disagree that steel can't be fixed, however, once you're prepared to paint it, you ought to be able to patch it with car body filler - and get a very good degree of finish. The one thing the former owners did well in my place -they were very poor renovators - was paint the front door, they sprayed it glossy black and it looks quite nice, however, it doesn't make a lot of sense, seeing as all the trim, windows etc are all white. I'm tempted to repaint it white (I have an airless sprayer that'd do a nice job) but the woodwork surrounds are looking old and frayed and it's obviously not as thermally efficient (and home inspector told me sidelights should be safety glass, and they aren't) - and these things tend to be replaced as a whole unit - so I guess I'll just budget for that. I'd like good vinyl low-e sidelights, maybe ones that'd open. We'd get a fantastic through -breeze that'd reduce the need for A/C (another future purchase) I've been living in Australia for some years, and as far as I know, steel and fibreglass doors are unheard of. I'd actually love to be able to introduce some of that technology, and lower-cost double glazing there too. It doesn't get that cold in most parts, but it certainly gets hot, and there's not much in the way of mandatory insulation.

Our house was built in 2001. We have a double front door and garage entry door, both fiberglass by Thermatru. The front door with full lite glass has had serious warping. The top and bottom both twist in. This is in a covered area facing East. The garage entry is fine, but the seal went out in the 1/2 glass. I sent claim to thermatru direct. Via email I was able to get replacement. But not what I wanted. They were willing to send me one new door slab and 3 new pieces of glass since our style was discontinued. That would have been a nightmare trying to get the new one to match both inside and outside with paint and stain. We compromised with 2 new front slabs and 1 new glass. They sent it immediately. We are just getting around to replacing with spring weather. I’m exasperated and haven’t even started. Seeing what they sent, it is going to be a huge hassle to change out the glass AND strip and repaint the surrounds, etc that didn’t get replaced. Now looking at steel doors from Menards, Mastercraft. I see the good and bad reviews, but honestly I’d be happy if that lasted 2/3 the time these did as these fiberglass doors are crap. I want durable fade free doors. I did buy a Home Depot door for garage to house, with glass, not fire rated, my concern in that. Our installer said it was the easiest door he’s ever put in and to this day it opens and closes perfectly. On at least its 5th year. Didn’t spend more than $500 for it.