A study of owner preferences for steel and wood framed homes

Abstract

This thesis reports the findings of a mail survey of 386 single family residential households from the Las Vegas, Nevada area. The purpose of the study was to develop an understanding of the differences, if any, between those households that purchased steel framed homes (SFHS) and those households that purchased wood framed homes (WFHs). The objectives of the study were (1) to determine if there were any significant differences in the demographic profiles of the two study groups, (2) to determine if there were any significant differences in the environmental awarenesses of the two study groups, (3) to determine if there were any significant differences in the decision criteria for home purchases by the two study groups, (4) to determine if there were any significant differences in the energy efficiencies of the two types of homes. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data collected from the owners, and inferential statistics were used to test differences in responses. The SFHs were shown to consume less electrical energy during the summer cooling season than WFHS. The study demonstrated that steel framed owners home (SFHOS) recognized and believed they received better quality in their homes as compared to the perceptions of quality by wood framed home owners (WFHOS) in their homes. SFHOs noticed having difficulty mounting heavy objects to the walls while WFHOs remarked that their wood framed walls were not always straight and true. There was no discernable difference in the level of environmental awareness between the two groups. A difference in home purchase price between the two groups may be explained by the fact that the WFHs studied were older than the SFHs studied.