Metal studs in external walls - why?

awec

My house was built in the last few years. It's block built, with stud walls internally both upstairs and downstairs.

All of the external walls (that is the walls that have block behind them) are metal studs, while all the rest of the house is wooden studs.

Anyone any idea why they'd use metal studs for the external walls?

sydthebeat

awec wrote: »

My house was built in the last few years. It's block built, with stud walls internally both upstairs and downstairs.

All of the external walls (that is the walls that have block behind them) are metal studs, while all the rest of the house is wooden studs.

Anyone any idea why they'd use metal studs for the external walls?

1. less chance that condensation at thermal bridges would cause mould issues. if its a cavity block and internal drylining, every stud is a thermal bridge.

2. speed of construction. I will assume the metal studs and plasterboard on all the other walls were erected prior to the internal timber studs. Can you tell if plasterboard sheets on the other walls shoot through from one room to another? do you have a particular issue with sound transference between rooms?

awec

No issue with sound or anything like that, was more just curious. Noticed a few months back when I was hanging stuff on the outer walls that the studs were metal, and always meant to ask why this might be.

Mo idea if the plasterboard on outer walls goes through rooms or not.

Gumbo

Have a look at the MHI metal frame system.
Could be something similar?

€1m houses in Phibsborough were built using this. They also have a 9 storey apartment block under construction in chapilizard.

mfceiling

3 reasons...

Speed, speed and speed.

I'm working at this nearly 20 years and it still amazes clients when they see the volume of work than can be done in such a short space of time.

Metal stud is relatively cheap, perfectly straight and uniform, easy to work with, strong, and can be used to form virtually any shape or form.

awec

kceire wrote: »

Have a look at the MHI metal frame system.
Could be something similar?

€1m houses in Phibsborough were built using this. They also have a 9 storey apartment block under construction in chapilizard.

Not sure if it's that, I've never actually seen the studs.

mfceiling wrote: »

3 reasons...

Speed, speed and speed.

I'm working at this nearly 20 years and it still amazes clients when they see the volume of work than can be done in such a short space of time.

Metal stud is relatively cheap, perfectly straight and uniform, easy to work with, strong, and can be used to form virtually any shape or form.

Yea but then why revert to wood for all the internal walls?

Yellow_Fern

awec wrote: »

My house was built in the last few years. It's block built, with stud walls internally both upstairs and downstairs.

All of the external walls (that is the walls that have block behind them) are metal studs, while all the rest of the house is wooden studs.

Anyone any idea why they'd use metal studs for the external walls?

I think its common. The metal ones have fire ratings dont they?

Gumbo

Yellow_Fern wrote: »

I think its common. The metal ones have fire ratings dont they?

No they don’t. You have to protect them from fire using an approved system.
Gyproc Metal Stud would be an approved system if used and constructed in accordance with their approved certification details.