Project facts
| Status | Under construction (upper floor framed, garage slab poured) |
|---|---|
| Location | Whites Beach, TAS |
| Site | Sandy, gently sloping coastal block with a water outlook |
| Design | A-frame with a tall central gable, lower-pitched wings either side, an upper floor level and a garage at one end |
| Frame | Hot-dip galvanised light gauge steel (C-sections and SHS), roll-formed and pre-punched |
| Foundations | Suspended steel floor on adjustable steel posts and piers (inline purlin subfloor); slab-on-ground garage |
| Related | A-frame floor plans · Adjustable footings |
The Design We Are Aiming For
Every BRIbuild home starts as a fully engineered steel frame model like this one before a single section is rolled. This is the target for Peter and Leanne's build at Whites Beach on Tasmania's coast — a striking A-frame with a tall central gable, flanked by lower-pitched wings and a garage off one end. The model shows the complete light-gauge steel skeleton — wall frames, rafters, floor and ceiling systems, and the diagonal strap bracing that ties the whole A-frame together — all detailed to the millimetre so every part arrives cut, punched and ready to assemble on site. We'll add the build photos here stage by stage as Peter and Leanne's home comes up out of the ground to match this design.
The Block at Whites Beach
Peter and Leanne's build begins on this sandy coastal block at Whites Beach on Tasmania's east coast. Light, free-draining coastal sand and a gentle fall toward the water — a setting the lightweight steel frame of an A-frame suits perfectly. The first jobs are to clear the block, sort solid access, and set the house out accurately before any steel arrives.
Clearing the Block and Forming Access
Solid all-weather access onto a sandy block gets sorted early. A concrete culvert goes into the table drain to keep water moving, then crushed rock is tipped and spread over the top to form the crossover. Every delivery from here on — subfloor steel, the frame, the roofing — comes in over this entrance, so it is worth doing properly first.
Setting Out the Footprint
With the block cleared and access in, the house gets set out. Timber profile boards (hurdles) are braced up clear of the building line and string lines strung between them to mark the exact corners and wall positions straight off the engineering plans. Diagonals are measured to pull everything dead square and the profiles are levelled, giving a precise reference to set the subfloor piers and steel to. This is the outlook Peter and Leanne's A-frame will be built to enjoy.
The Steel Frame Arrives on Site
With the block cleared, access in and the footprint set out, the steel turns up. Everything you see here is hot-dip galvanised light-gauge steel, roll-formed and pre-punched to the engineered drawings so every piece arrives cut to length and ready to assemble. The long bundles with the open channel ends are the C-sections — floor bearers and joists, wall studs and plates. The heavier pieces with the closed rectangular ends are the SHS posts and bearers that carry the floor. It is the same inline purlin subfloor system used across our builds, delivered flat-packed and strapped, staged ready for the subfloor to go down.
The Steel Subfloor Frame
With the footprint set out, the galvanised steel subfloor frame is now complete. An inline purlin grid brought dead level on adjustable steel posts seated into the piers, lifting the floor clear of the sloping coastal block. From above you can see the whole A-frame footprint take shape, with the wall-frame steel already delivered and stacked on site ready to stand. Building the floor in steel keeps it straight and stable on a cut site like this, and gives Peter and Leanne a true, level platform to frame the A-frame up from.
Standing the Structural Steel
With the floor locked in, the structural steel takes shape. Portal beams and braced wall frames define the footprint and the start of the A-frame geometry, all in light gauge steel that suits the coastal Tasmanian conditions. The bracing holds everything plumb and square while the frame is tied together, ready for the rafters and roof to follow.
This is day one of the frame going up at Whites Beach. The suspended steel floor is decked and level on its adjustable stumps and footings, which is the right answer for a sloping waterfront block like this one. The first wall frames are stood and braced, with the steel stacked alongside ready for the A-frame rafters to climb. From here the gable end rises to frame the channel view, which is the whole reason to build an A-frame on a site like this.
Light Gauge Steel Framing
The light gauge steel framing goes in at Whites Beach. Prefabricated wall frames are stood and fixed onto the suspended floor platform, light to handle and quick to erect, which is exactly why steel suits a tight coastal site like this. Each frame is plumbed and braced as it lands so the A-frame holds its line.
The Upper Floor Level
Up to the upper floor level at Whites Beach. The second-level steel floor structure is framed and decked, setting the platform for the living space that will sit up in the A-frame and take in the channel view. Working in steel keeps the upper level straight and stable as the height goes on.
Pouring the Garage Slab
Pouring the garage slab at Whites Beach. The concrete is placed and screeded off level to give the garage a solid, durable base. A slab-on-ground for the garage works alongside the suspended steel floor of the main A-frame, each approach suited to its part of the sloping site.