Everything is treated the same as with wood framing, except usually screws are used to attach to the steel instead of nails. No special equipment or procedures are necessary.

It means that our steel is shaped and cut while it’s cold. When steel is hot rolled it is shaped while at a high temperature. The hot rolling process is cheaper, but the heat
expansion and contraction after cutting leads to warping, inaccuracies, and a rough mill-scaled surface that is difficult for paint to adhere to. In contrast, cold rolling has much tighter dimensional tolerances, creating shapes which are consistently accurate and straight. The yield strength of cold rolled steel is also significantly stronger than that of hot rolled.

ORCA PODs can be affixed to any foundation with or without a crawl space, including wood, brick, steel, and concrete. The homes can also be placed on steel pilings.

We can ship our PODs throughout Canada as long as routes allow. Our Swallow, Wren, Quail and Jay can easily be shipped to most places in Canada.

ORCA manufactures your framing panels here in our Courtenay, BC facility. Depending on location/accessibility and the complexity of jobs, we have mobile units in which we can actually ship the machine and raw coils of steel to produce on-site. Our machine is single phase, so we are incredibly flexible on how we produce and deliver our frames, with efficiency at the forefront.

Homes built with LGS have no issues with rot, mold, or vermin, meaning owners will have little to no home maintenance to worry about. This is ideal not only for a home that is used year–round, but also for structures used periodically, such as recreational cabins/cottages.

If your frame is properly installed and your home is insulated, noise shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, due to the steel panels fitting together so precisely and not warping or
settling, you might notice that your house is a little quieter. No more squeaky floors!

There is no evidence that steel framing has any effect on WiFi, television, or radio signals.

For the most part, you hang them just as you would in any house—using a drywall anchor. If you have a large or very heavy piece to hang, you can screw a bolt or hanger straight into a stud. Your local hardware store carries stud-finders, or you can use a magnet to locate the right spot.

There are less studs required in each wall, which means fewer thermal connection points where energy can be lost. Due to the precision-fitting of our studs, the building
envelope is much tighter than that of a wooden structure. You won’t get the same air leaks that occur when a wooden house ‘settles’ or expands and contracts with moisture. Additionally, ORCA uses external insulation with our LGS framing system, which forms a continuous thermal break (like a jacket) on the outside of your house. All this contributes to keeping heat in your house and money in your wallet.

Steel will neither ignite nor spread a fire.

In the case of a lightening strike, steel framing is actually safer than a traditionally built house. The steel studs conduct energy straight down to the ground, not allowing it to spread through the frame where it could cause explosions or secondary fires.

In terms of building material cost, LGS is competitive. Our PODs vary in price depending on size and chosen options. Reach out to let us know what you are interested in and we will find out more details for a custom quote.

Although our methods are innovative and future-looking, steel framing isn’t a new concept. It’s been used successfully in residential and commercial construction for over 70 years and is now increasing in popularity as more people look toward sustainable and efficient building options.

When compared to conventional building products, steel is healthier, stronger, impervious to water and infestation, rust and fire resistant, keeps its integrity (no movement over time), allows for more flexibility in design, saves time and money, and is the most eco-friendly building choice on the market.