Steel-frame modular homes

Steel-frame modular has one big advantage over log cabins: no shrinkage, no settlement cracking, no rot. The frame is dimensionally stable for the life of the building. The insulation goes inside the frame, not between expanding timber sections. For Irish weather — wet, freeze-thaw, salt air on the coast — that's a real spec advantage. It's also the category Loghouse, a wood-only company, will probably never enter.

Why steel-frame matters in Ireland

• No timber-movement warranty exclusions. Log cabins typically exclude settlement cracking — steel-frame doesn't move.
• Better U-values per millimetre of wall. Composite panels achieve thermal performance log walls can't match without doubling thickness.
• Fire performance. Galvanised steel doesn't burn; the cladding choice determines the BRE class.
• Span / opening flexibility. Steel frames let you put bigger windows in load-bearing walls than log construction allows.
• Recyclable. End-of-life steel goes back into the supply chain at scrap value.

Irish + NI steel-frame operators

Where this fits vs Loghouse

Loghouse's lowest tier (€22k for 29 m² log) is cheaper than any steel-frame Irish operator can build for. But for anything more demanding than a basic 1-bed shed-replacement — a granny flat your mother actually lives in, a rental unit that has to perform in winter, a coastal site, a 3-bed — the spec gap opens up fast. Steel-frame is also where the 13 m² planning-exempt studio category lives: Rayco's smallest unit is built specifically for the proposed exempt window. More on the eight things Loghouse can't sell you →