site prep work
Site Prep is extremely important, and involves quite a few different things. The lot must be cleared where ever is going to be built, and most of the time the builders try to limit the obstruction to wild life around the site. They must set up a perimeter around the site so that no one can just walk in and get hurt. They need to level the land, compact it, check for any holes, check the soil quality and after all this is done site prep is finished.
-Picture 1
-Picture 1
Rough Plumbing/electrical
Rough electrical is all the electrical wiring in the building within the framing placed according to the working plans, everything needed for the house to function properly is installed, such as outlets, circuit breakers, fuse boxes, switches, etc. Everything will most likely be checked again to ensure that everything is safe before the insulation is put in and the walls are covered.
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All the plumbing and sewer lines are placed below the foundation, in accordance with the plans. They line them up with where everything will be, and then they place the foundation over the rough plumbing.
-Pictures 2-4 (left to right) |
foundation/concrete slab/footings
Foundation is just as important as the framing, and if done incorrectly can also destroy the entire building. The entire house rests upon the foundation. There are different types of foundations, such as full basement; where underneath the house there is a basement made of typically CMU's or poured concrete, slab on grade; where the concrete is right on top of the dirt, grade beams; where the house rests upon supports due to the grade not being stable, and crawl space; where there is space between the house and the foundation, but it is not as big a gap as a basement. The type of foundation chosen is highly dependent on the location of the site and the climate.
-Pictures 5-9 (left to right)
-Pictures 5-9 (left to right)
Framing
Framing of the house is extremely important, as it is the skeleton of the house. If it is installed incorrectly slowly the entire frame will begin to deform because of that single misstep. There are three main types of framing; Balloon, Platform, and Post and Beam (Pictures in that order). Balloon framing is where the studs go from the bottom all the way to the top where it meets the trusses. Platform Framing is where the floor joists for ever level above the first floor are based off of the previous ones top plate. And Post and beam framing is a system of horizontal and diagonal braces that transfer the loads of the building to vertical posts. The choice of which framing to use depends on the uses of the building, it's environment, budget, etc.
-Pictures 10&11
-Pictures 10&11
roofing
There is a roof to go along with any and every house, but they all vary a lot from one house to the next. First there are supports or trusses which make up the initial roof. On top of this there is a cover of osb, or plywood. This is then covered by felt paper or tar paper, to protect the wood from water. There can be various types of shingles or Spanish brick that go on above this that are layered from the bottom up to allow water to run off the roof easily. There can also be corrugated steel roofing that lasts much longer than standard roofing materials. And there is also the flat roof, that isn't really flat. It is designed to have water flow off of it and into their drainage pipes off the roof.
-Picture 12
-Picture 12
exterior finish
The exterior finish of a house is mostly aesthetic, however it does possess a real purpose. It protects the walls of the house from weathering and erosion. The different types to choose from are really just dependent on the clients personal preference(if they demand a certain look), and the surrounding area and cultural aesthetic of the other buildings. Paint is predominantly used to protect wood from rotting, and to conceal certain defects. Preservatives, tarnishes, and stains are equal alternatives for protecting wood.
-Pictures 13&14
-Pictures 13&14
finish plumbing/electrical
To properly finish the plumbing, all the lines are hooked up to their corresponding appliances and outlets. For Electrical the wires are hidden away in the walls, so they aren't dangerous to anyone. Everything's connected to their outlets, lights, circuit breakers etc.
-Pictures 15-17
-Pictures 15-17
hvac
HVAC is the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning of the building. It is very important for any building that isn't in a temperate climate. There are quite a few different ways to cool down a building or warm it up, but a few of the main ones are Swamp Coolers, Radiant Heating, and Ductless Split Systems. Swamp Coolers cool by forcing air through a moist filter that cools down the air and prepares it for the building. Radiant Heating has tubing with hot or cold water, or electrical wiring, going through the foundation and or walls and heats and can cool them by transferring heat between the objects it's in contact with. Ductless Split Systems are much cheaper than the two previously listed and work like a regular air conditioning unit using condensers, except it doesn't have the need for air ducts. It has tubes that go through and connect to individual room cooling units that can be controlled individually as well.
-Pictures 18-20
-Pictures 18-20
insulation
Insulation for houses are equally as important as the HVAC installed in them. With out the insulation, all the cooling or heating wouldn't matter because it wouldn't be able to stay in your house. The better your insulation is the less your HVAC system has to work which means the less you'll be spending on energy bills. You'll primarily want to have the most insulation in your attic, ceiling, and basement. There are quite a few different types of insulation. The basics are foam ridge board a very stiff board of insulation, roll out which is similar to the board but is more flexible and comes rolled up, various types of sprays, and blow in insulation.
-Pictures 21-24
-Pictures 21-24
interior finish
There are a lot of different types of interior finishes, and they are all up to the designer. However certain rooms tend to have a specific type of finish. Kitchens for example usually have high gloss paint, medium gloss are in kitchens and bathrooms, eggshell is typically dining rooms and living rooms, satin is in foyer's hallways, flat or matte are usually in bedrooms, and wood paneling is usually in dens.
-Picture 25
-Picture 25
landscaping
Landscaping is the planning of what the lot is going to look like i.e.; where plants are, various types of different plants, the elevation of certain points in the plan.
-Picture 26&27
-Picture 26&27