Adopted for its aesthetic aspect and its technical performance by architects and designers, steel is a material that can be used for all types of structures: warehouses, commercial offices, stadiums, schools, … but also individual houses and modular housing!

In this article we detail 4 good reasons to choose steel for your future construction.

Respect for the environment

Allowing a dry construction (little waste on the building site), steel is indefinitely 100% recyclable and without any alteration of its qualities!

The most recycled material in the world for more than a century (the first recycled steels appeared in 1856 with the MARTIN-SIEMENS process), steel contributes to the preservation of resources.

Indeed, the steel industry has been committed for several years to 100% responsible construction: from the extraction of raw materials to the deconstruction of structures.

This is unlike other materials such as concrete (which can only be recycled once) or wood, which is very often impregnated with glue, varnish and/or paint, allowing only recycling in the form of particle panels, which again can only be held with glues…

In addition, the high degree of prefabrication for steel construction means that on-site operations are reduced, as is the production of waste. All this while optimizing deliveries and deadlines: 30 to 70% less than in traditional construction. Not only do steel construction sites not use water, they are also clean and quiet: a good point for your future neighbours 🙂

Always respecting the environment, steel is a material that allows real energy savings. Coupled with efficient acoustic and thermal insulation solutions, you will limit your energy losses and greenhouse gas emissions.

Resistance to natural and climatic phenomena

The steel meets all the requirements of the various safety regulations.

Due to its natural properties and the treatments associated with it, it is a material that is at once fireproof, seismic, paracyclonic and insensitive to fungi, termites and other pests.

Regarding fire risks, steel is non-combustible. That is, it does not participate in the development of fire. Moreover, it is gas and flame proof and retains deadly fumes. Reversible, it is also the only structural material with the ability to regain its original capacity during the cooling phase.

Steel construction is capable of deforming inthe face of seismic shocks without collapsing (a major cause of death in earthquakes).

This is why, in areas of high seismic risk, many buildings, even of the building type, are built of steel.

At Bimify we use the TITAN construction process developed in Japan 40 years ago.

The elements of a metal structure can therefore be deformed without risk of breaking. Thanks to its lightness, steel reduces the masses set in motion during an earthquake and consequently theinertia of the building.

In France, since May 1, 2011, the “seismic regulations” to evolve with the entry into force of theEurocodes 8 establishing the “rules of design and dimensioning of structures for their resistance to earthquakes” and the establishment of a new seismic zoning.

Low maintenance, steel is the most naturally resistant material to natural phenomena such as storms and pests.

Steel can be strengthened by numerous corrosion protection systems and is a guarantee of longevity for your construction. Finally, the lighter a structure is, the less energy it needs to heat it. Consequently, your steel structure, 6 times lighter than concrete, will provide better insulation.

Saving time and money

Not only is steel 30% cheaper than traditional and 3 times faster to build, it is also a material that allows for the development of large glazed spaces.

A real advantage to take advantage of themore comfortable natural lighting for the occupant (provided you also think about summer sunshine with high-quality glazing or sunbreakers) and also to make real energy savings! With a very competitive overall cost, the use of steel in your construction guarantees a long service life in terms of both appearance and function.

Design and modularity

This is the primary property of steel: its manageability, which allows architects and designers to give free rein to their great creativity!

Indeed, this material adapts as much to the modern, with a new construction, as to the old one with, for example, the restoration of an old building.

Thanks to its economic advantage, low environmental impact and unlimited design, steel is perfectly suited to the construction challenges of the City of Tomorrow.

Allowing multiple uses and decorations, steel can be used for any type of building: from the Tiny House to the R+8, from the garden lodge to the large urban halls.

In addition, the manufacture of steel structure elements is extremely precise.

With Building Information Modeling(BIM) technology, you can be sure of a construction free of measurement errors.

This is the case at Bimify, with our French production based on these modelling and robotics technologies. Our Tiny Houses and other galvanized steel constructions are thus entirely modular and customizable, to create your unique construction!

Want to discuss your project with professionals? Contact the BIMIFY team 🙂

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You have studied the different alternative habitats and you wonder how he managed to build his tiny house? Welcome to the world of mini houses!

In full expansion, it’s true that these cute little houses have what it takes to seduce the greatest number of people: economical, mobile, comfortable and fully customizable (at least with Bimify ^^), Tiny Houses allow you to become a homeowner at a lower cost and to settle (almost) everywhere.

Now that your choice is made, you must now think about the construction of your future Tiny House and decide whether you want to build it yourself or entrust its realization to a team of professionals.

In this article, we detail the various elements to be taken into account to help you launch yourself into this project as a self-constructor or subcontractor.

Your budget

As with any project, it is essential that you set a budget that you can stick to so that you don’t get overwhelmed by unexpected expenses.

For a self-built Tiny House, the amount of work varies according to its surface, the choice of materials used and its interior design. It is therefore difficult to have an exact estimate in advance of the budget that will be devoted to it… but you should know that on average, building your own micro-house costs between 15 000€ and 25 000€ excluding taxes, just for the Tiny House. In addition to these expenses, thepurchase of the trailer and the price of its installation site must also be taken into consideration: purchase or rental of the land.

For a subcontracting, that is to say the realization of your mini house by a team of professionals, the budget is more predictable because established in advance on estimate.

With Bimify for example, you have the possibility to choose among different kits: delivery of the frame + trailer or a Tiny House out of water/out of air or even entirely delivered turnkey.

The prices depend of course on the delivery method chosen, the desired surface area, the number of mezzanines or the materials you select. With a fully customizable design, the prices of our Tiny Houses vary from 20 000€ to 50 000€ ht approximately.

Your do-it-yourself level

Building your own Tiny House depends essentially on your level of DIY… So you might as well be as honest as possible with yourself on your skills in this area from the outset so that in a few months’ time you don’t find yourself having to pay the full price to a professional and incur new expenses that you hadn’t budgeted for!

Building your own Tiny House from scratch is not an easy task and requires a real expertise in DIY. It’s still a place where you’ll be living so bet on its safety 😉

List your skills and ask for the objective advice of your loved ones: What can you do? Cut the wood? Plumbing and electricity? Install ingeling? Break through and Screw? Or just plant a nail?

This will help you avoid unpleasant surprises by adapting your project to your level.

By the way, whether you’re a DIY expert, intermediate or just a beginner, Bimify offers you building kits adapted to your abilities and your desire to get involved.

Your free time to spend on it

You are an experienced handyman and can devote yourself full time to the construction of your Tiny House? You are at the top of your game: it will take you about 3 months of work.

If you can’t invest as much and only spend your weekends, then the work will take about a year.

Of course, entrusting the construction of your Tiny House to professionals will be much faster. For example, thanks to its 100% recyclable galvanized steel construction process, Bimify can build the frame of your mini house in 1 day!

As far as safety is, galvanized steel complies with CSTB’s EUROCODES, DTU 32.3 and EC, BBC and RTA DOM standards.

To find out more about the Bimify TITAN construction process click here .

The choice of trailer

As the basis of your Tiny House, don’t forget a quality trailer adapted to your Tiny House project.

To begin with, it must therefore be robust. Beyond the weight, which does not necessarily guarantee a better quality, look at the shape of the chassis and its composition. Made of galvanized steel, this will ensure safety if the sections that carry the loads are well distributed along the entire length of the frame to avoid the risk of deformation.

The height is also an important aspect in your choice of trailer for Tiny House. Check that the ground clearance (lowest point of the chassis after the wheels and used for carrying loads) is not too small or too far in front of the wheels to allow you to pass agricultural terrain or even just speed bumps! In any case, choose a trailer with a ground clearance of more than 20 cm when empty.

A trailer for a Tiny House costs about 5000€ and must measure maximum 2,55 m wide and 18 m long.

Beware, a Tiny House is permanently attached to its trailer, the registration certificate of the latter is no longer valid. In this case, the vehicle would be verbalisable for “significant undeclared transformation”.

A report of RTI (Receipt by individual title) or of RI (Individual Receipt) for change of type RESP (Specialized Trailers) and bodywork is thus necessary.

To apply for certification, here’s where to go:

Île-de-France (75, 77, 78, 91, 92, 93, 94 and 95): DRIEE (Regional and Interdepartmental Directorate for the Environment and Energy)
DOM-TOM : DEAL (Direction de l’Environnement, de l’Aménagement et du Logement)

Everywhere else: DREAL (Direction Régionale de l’Environnement, de l’Aménagement et du Logement) of your region.

The choice of materials

Don’t forget that the total weight of the trailer + Tiny House is crucial! It must not exceed 4.25 tonnes to be transportable with an EC licence.

So choose materials that combine strength and lightness.

If you want to build your own Tiny House with a wooden frame, choose spruce or chestnut wood, known for their strength and light weight.

You should also know that other alternatives to wood exist. At Bimify, for example, we have chosen a galvanized steel frame: 6 times lighter than concrete, this material is nevertheless more robust: seismic, paracyclonic and fireproof, it allows us to optimize the starting weight of your Tiny House.

As for the cladding, if you want it in wood, use larch, red cedar, Douglas fir, acacia wood or even chestnut for their resistance to humidity.

However, don’t forget that wood requires regular maintenance to preserve its appearance and protection. Otherwise, you also have the choice of composite or multi-material wood as at Bimify .

As for the interior design, same fight! Think lightness and comfort for the design of walls, closets, sanitary elements, furniture, etc.

From the DIY kit to the turnkey formula, Bimify offers you different Tiny House kits, starting at 8 340€ TTC!