PRIEST RIVER — Home, sweet home.

Just faster, stronger and less expensive.

That's the premise behind NexGen Steel Framing, a company looking to transform how homes are built by replacing traditional wood framing with engineered cold-formed steel.

"First, steel is not just for commercial projects anymore, said Kris Kuper and Kelli Cline, who began representing the business in the region earlier this year. "NexGen Steel's system is fully engineered for residential homes, 'barndominiums,' multifamily developments, and everything in between. If you are building it, we can frame it in steel."

What makes it possible is NexGen Steel's complete cold-formed steel framing system, a patented framing solution using American steel instead of traditional wood. 

"What makes our product unique is the turnkey nature of it," said the sisters. "We are not supplying sticks of steel. We are delivering a patented, engineered framing solution so your team can simply stand walls and set truss in days rather than weeks.

Cline and Kuper said the process begins with converting wood plans into steel engineering and BIM integration, creating a full digital model of projects. Once clients approve the final plans, NexGen's automated roll-formers produce custom steel framing components with a tolerance of just one millimeter. Each piece is pre-punched, numbered, and assembled by NexGen’s trained staff into panelized walls and trusses. 

Then the project is bundled and shipped in the exact sequence your crew will need to erect it on site. 

The system is four times stronger than wood, but at the same time is 60 to 70% lighter and has greater durability. The galvanized product does not burn, rot, mold, rust, warp or compress.

"NexGen structures have stood through Hurricane Ida, LA fires, and every storm on record," the pair said.

Cline and Kuper said the precision steel framing company is redefining the way homes, multifamily units and buildings are built. Automated roll-forming technology is used to create custom cold-formed steel framing systems, often referred to as 3D printed steel, Cline and Kuper said.

Wood plans are converted one-to-one to steel, engineered to the exact specifications, with clients able to approve the final plans before production begins. Everything from wall panels to floor joists to roof trusses are manufactured, numbered and  labeled.

"These elements replace wood entirely, other than accidents you want to preserve in your build," the pair said in  press release. 

The load is sequentially shipped to job sites, with NexGen training and certifying framing crews prior to their first job using the steel frames. Door and window openings are built in and blocked in place prior to their arrival on the job site, with framers just needed to stand them up, plumb them and screw them together.

Another plus to the system is that walls and trusses are much lighter than their wood counterparts, making them easier and safer to handle, the pair said.

"All this results in increased labor speed — certified framers work at half the cost per square foot. Any wood framing crew can learn to do this. They need to know how to plumb a wall, run a string line, and get it square. Typically, no adjustments are required in the field; no saws or cutting — in fact, the pair said, most tools stay in the truck. On-site modifications work much like timber, except crews use a reciprocating saw with a metal blade and snips instead of wood tools.

"Think of it as a sophisticated Lego system for construction," Cline and Kuper said. "Our approach eliminates the guesswork, waste, and delays that come with traditional wood framing and replaces them with speed, precision, and predictability."

The pair said they immediately wanted to get involved with NexGen Steel Framing after seeing the product and realizing what it could mean for the area. 

"We each recognized North Idaho as a highly desirable place to live because of its small-town feel, natural beauty, and people who want to keep it that way," the pair said. "At the same time, we realize this environment carries the inherent high-risk of fire and wind damage, making structure insurance coverage very challenging for some."

With the region having one of the highest growth rates in the country, Cline and Kuper said NexGen's innovative technology attracted them right away because of its potential to add value to a structure while increasing its durability. As an added bonus, the pair said insurance premiums often are lowered because of the added value.

While wood is what brought construction to this moment in time, Cline and Kuper said NexGen offers a better path to the future.

"NexGen Steel exists to give builders, developers, and homeowners a better option," they said. "One that is faster, stronger, more predictable, and built for the realities of today's changing environment. Lumber prices swing. Skilled labor is hard to find. Weather and supply chain delays cause timelines to stretch. We solved all three."

Their mission is two-fold, the pair said. First, share the many advantages and applications of the NexGen system. Second, establish the product as the go-to framing solution for the region's construction industry.

"Our vision is to help make new construction ownership more attainable by bringing down costs and timelines while improving product durability, reliability, and insurability," the pair said. "We believe that when builders succeed, communities thrive, and that is exactly the kind of impact we are here to create."

What distinguishes NexGen Steel apart is the depth of expertise behind the system, the pair said. A Marine veteran, NexGen founder Chad Brown is a multi-state licensed general contractor with over 30 years of experience.  The longtime contractor has been mastering cold-formed steel framing since 2016, with more than 4,000 structures built before going nationwide with this product in 2026. 

But, more than that, the process is key to what makes NexGen the future of construction.

"Beyond the credentials, our process is what truly differentiates us," the pair said. "We do not sell you a pile of studs and a catalog. We deliver a customized, engineered, sequenced, and labeled system, and we train your framers to assemble it onsite.  The complexities are solved before the steel ever ships – saving you valuable energy, time, and money."

For more information, call Kelli Cline and Kris Kuper at 208-428-3566; or email them at [email protected] or [email protected]. NexGen Steel can be found online at nexgensteel.io/p/kris-kuper.

    A crane positions steel trusses during construction of a building framed with NexGen Steel's cold-formed steel system. Company representatives Kris Kuper and Kelli Cline said the panelized walls and trusses are manufactured, labeled and shipped in sequence for assembly on site.
  

    Workers secure a prefabricated steel wall panel to foundation anchors during installation of a NexGen Steel Framing system. The company says its cold-formed steel framing is designed to provide a faster, stronger alternative to traditional wood construction.