Introduction
Shelter is a basic human need and houses are considered an essential part of modern society. There are numerous types of houses constructed to provide shelter to humans. Wood-frame houses are the most common types of houses in Canadian suburbs. Millions of home owners use this building system to construct their residential houses. Roaf and Manuel observe that Canadian wood-frame construction is a mean of using a renewable locally available resource to build durable houses (415).
Wood-frame construction provides some of the world’s most affordable housing using the abundant forest resources for housing material (1). This paper will set out to elaborate on the process of building a residential house in Canada. It will talk about the pre-construction process and explain the construction process in order to highlight the techniques and materials utilized to produce a typical wood framed designed house with a basement.
The Pre-construction Process
The pre-construction phrase occurs once the decision that a residential house will be constructed has been made. The pre-construction phase is critical to the success of the entire construction effort. The first step in the pre-construction phrase is to acquire the piece of land where the house will be set up. Once the land has been identified, it is crucial to assess the land.
During the land assessment stage, it is important to understand zoning. Zoning dictates the manner in which the land can be utilized by the owner. By visiting the zoning department, one can obtain important information on the restrictions that might affect the type of house proposed. Lind et al. declare that it is integral to ensure that the property acquired is zoned for the intended use before carrying on to the construction stage (11).
Once it is determined that the proposed residential house can be built at the site, a survey of the land is carried out. Land survey helps to ensure that the ground is suitable for a house. Anderson documents that before ascertaining if the grounds are suitable for construction, the subsoil conditions must be determined by carrying out various tests or investigating other houses built near the construction site (1).
Through test borings, the subsoil conditions can be determined and if rock ledges are encountered the feasibility of building on the land is accessed. In addition to this, land assessment is integral to the construction process since it might influence other factors such as house design and building orientation. The building orientation will contribute to the energy efficiency of the residential house. Lind et al. state that the windows should be located in such a manner that they capture solar gains during winter and enhance house cooling during the summer months (9).
Once the land has been surveyed, the next pre-construction process of determining a budget can be curried out. The budgeting phrase entails deciding on the amount of money that one is willing to spend on the construction process. Budget plays a crucial role in the construction of residential houses since it often determines what can be done (Anderson 1).
With an unlimited budget, it would be possible to build almost any type of house. However, most people do not operate on limitless budgets and the budget determines the size and type of house that can be built. The budget should be realistic and one should determine how much money they can afford for the house. The budget should be produced before the house starts being designed to avoid costly changes to the building plan.
To establish a firm budget for the project, an accurate estimate of the construction cost is needed. In most cases, the owner provides the design builder with a conceptual design of the house. Like any other project, the success of the house construction process depends on effective planning. Before construction can begin, a floor plan should be created.
This phase can be undertaken by the house owner or by a hired architect. While an individual can effectively make a simple plan for himself, a competent architect might be needed for complex house designs. An architect is also best suited to ensure that the available space is utilized in the most efficient manner. With the conceptual design, it is possible to determine the cost of construction. Changes can be made to ensure that the building cost is within the budget limit specified by the owner.
An important and very challenging task in the pre-construction phase is obtaining property. In typical residential construction, the owner begins to research financing at this stage. In the case where the home owner has sufficient funds, he does not have to be troubled by the financing stage. However, most people do not have the means to independently finance the building of a house. A lender is therefore needed to provide some of the money required for the project.
This money can be acquired as a construction loan and permanent mortgage. The IICLE declares that financing is always an owner responsibility since it is the owner’s financial integrity and equity in the property that will determine if a lender makes a construction loan (12). The lending institution will want a number of documents from the owner. Lenders require blueprints, site plans, and a complete cost estimate of the building process.
A land deed is also required to act as collateral for the loan. To protect their investment, lenders will want information on the general contractor being used to carry out the construction. Reviewing the credentials of the contractor reduce the risk by ensuring that the contract is not only competent but also legally authorized to carry out construction projects.
Before construction can commence, it is necessary to obtain a permit from the local government. This permit ensures that the proposed residential building complies with governmental requirements such as code and zoning (IICLE 13). Some regions have stringent building codes and covenants in place to protect the development’s aesthetic and architectural integrity. The owner must therefore have his designs plans approved before construction begins.
The design plans presented to the building department should be sufficiently detailed to enable the examiner to determine if the proposed house is compliant with the building code of the region. Once the municipality officials have determined that the basic requirements have been complied with, a building permit is issued. This marks the completion of the pre-construction process and from here, the residential house building project is ready to move on to the construction phase.
However, it is important to ensure there is easy access to the site even after the permit has been given. Anderson reveals that before construction work can commence, measures should be taken to ensure that the equipment and delivery vehicles can get to the construction site (2). The tools used for the construction process require power to operate making sources of basic power a necessity. Provision for water must also be made since the construction work will require water. Finally, a storage area for keeping the variety of materials used during construction should be designated.
The Construction Process
The first physical step in the construction process is preparation of the building site for construction. In this step, the site to be occupied by the house is cleared out. The trees that are growing within 20 feet of where the house will be located should be removed since their roots can affect the integrity of the house’s foundation.
The next step involves placing the house on the physical site. The house placement is determined by factors including zoning regulations and the subsoil conditions (Burrows 10). A surveyor is typically responsible for marking out the outer walls of the house. The location of the corners must be done accurately since the entire construction will be based on these measurements.
Excavation and Foundation Building
The next important step in construction is the excavation process. Lind et al notes that the topsoil on the building area should be stripped before excavating begins. Since the house will contain a basement, the foundation will include a basement excavated deeply into the site using earth-moving equipment. Anderson notes that power trenchers are the most common equipment used in excavating for the walls of houses (4).
The soil removed during the excavation process is carefully stored for future use. The width of the trenches should be enough to allow workers to move freely while constructing the foundation wall. After excavation has been done, the footing concrete is poured and set. Allen and Rob state that the footing serves as the base of the foundation and it is responsible for transmitting the weight of the building into the earth (106). The footing must be on undisturbed soil or rock and as such, the minimum depths of footings are determined by the soil conditions. The contractor pours concrete into the footing trench to provide the reliable foundation.
The next step involves constructing the foundation. Allen and Rob state that the foundation is responsible for transmitting the weight of the floor, wall and roof into the building’s footing (106). Foundations may be made out of concrete blocks, cast in place concrete or preserved wood. On average, the foundation wall is 7feet and 4 inches high but it can extend to 8 foot. While constructing the foundation, space is left for openings including the basement windows.
The foundation wall rises above the level ground outside the house. This is critical to ensure that the wood framing is protected from the soil moisture contained in the ground (American Wood Council 6). The height above ground level should also be high enough to provide crawl spaces. Crawl spaces provide access for the house to be inspected periodically for termites. It is important to damp-proof the foundation thereby stopping moisture from moving into the wall.
Damp-proofing can be done using sheet material or bitumen. In addition to this, it might be necessary to waterproof if the foundation is subject to hydrostatic pressure. Drainage provisions are made for the foundation wall unless the house is built on free-draining soil. The drain pipes are installed around the perimeter and this prevents infiltration of water into the basement. Once this is complete, the foundation is backfilled. The backfill loading should be uniformly applied against foundation walls (Allen and Rob 450).
Framing
After completing the foundation work, the construction efforts move to the framing task. Framing involves using wood-frame elements to produce a strong and stable building structure that can not only accommodate occupants but also resist physical elements such as wind, snow, and earthquakes (Stephenson 130). Lind et al. document that repetitive framing members are used in the wood-frame construction process (89). These members are made of engineered wood products of dimension lumber and they are spaced at n more than 24inches apart.
The most common framing method is platform framing. In this technique, the floor platform is constructed and the walls are subsequently added. The walls can be built in a horizontal position and then tilted into their vertical position once they are complete (American Wood Council 7). The first floor framing involves bolting sill plates to the foundation walls. Around the floor openings, beans and rim joints will be used to carry loads. Intermediate support structures for the floor are required in the basement. Steel or wood beams are used in the basement to support the floor loads.
The wall framing is then constructed and when ready rotated into vertical position. The bottom plates are nailed onto the floor framing members with temporary braces being used for support. The interior walls of the house are assembled and erected in the same manner as exterior walls. These walls act as room dividers as well as bearing walls for the ceiling joists (Anderson 4).
Top plates are added to the walls once they are in position. Ceiling joists are then placed and nailed into place. The joists are placed across the width of the house. The ceiling joists support ceiling finishes or act as the floor joists for second and attic floors. Rafters are then placed on the top plate to accommodate the roof.
Roofing and Exterior Finishing
After the roof trusses have been positioned, the next step includes installing roof sheathings. The sheathings are made of lumber planks or plywood and they are applied over roof trusses and nailed to cover the entire roof (Datin 144). A membrane is installed along the edge of the roof to stop water from entering into the roof. After the roof sheathing is in place, a roof covering of choice is installed. Coverings may include galvanized steel, asphalt shingles, or clay tiles. During roofing, provisions are made to gather rainwater from the roof and direct it away from the building.
After completing the roofing, wall sheathing follows. This step involves placing an outside covering to the wall framework (American Wood Council 11). The covering can be made of plywood, fiberboard, or lumber. The sheathing panels can cover the wall and the sill area. To improve the durability as well as the aesthetic appeal of the house, external cladding is added to the sheathing. After wall cladding, flashings, which are components used to redirect water to designated drainage area are installed.
The next stage involves installation of windows and exterior doors to the house. The space for these elements is already provided for when building the walls. At this stage, the constructor decides on the type of windows and doors to be used. Windows installation should be done carefully to avoid water and air leakage problems. If the house is designed to have a skylight, these windows will be installed at this stage.
Interior Work
After completing the exterior part of the house, the project moves on to the interior. The interior utility systems are installed starting with the plumbing. After plumbing, the heating and cooling ductwork is installed. Heating, plumbing, and electrical services are placed in the space between framing members.
To make the indoor conditions healthy and comfortable, space conditioning systems are employed (Rock 15). This includes heating, cooling, ventilating, dehumidification and air filtration systems. The heating and ventilation systems are the only compulsory systems but many houses include the other systems to increase comfort.
The interior wall and ceiling should be given a finishing to improve their appearance. In most houses, a painted gypsum board is used to give the wall a pleasing appearance. For the bathroom, ceramic or porcelain tiles can be used. The floor is then covered using various products such as laminated flooring or ceramic tiles.
Floor covering increases the durability of the floor and also makes the cleaning process easy. The next step involves installing interior doors and cabinets. Doors provide some privacy by separating various rooms in the house. The kitchen cabinets and clothe closets improve the functionality of the house.
The final step in construction is applying finishing coatings on the building. Finishing material is used to the completed framing to make the building durable and weather tight. The coating might be in the form of paint, varnish or stain and the choice is made by the house owner. Coatings not only improve the look of the house but they also provide protection from water, light, and abrasion (Stephenson 130). At the end of the construction process, the house is ready for occupancy. The owner should carry out regular maintenance to increase the life of the house and reduce the cost of repairing.
Recommendations
To ensure the best results are obtained from the construction process, good design and construction practices must be followed. This will ensure that the house constructed will not only be durable but it will provide comfort and safety to the occupants. Ensure that the house is properly reinforced to cope with the weather conditions in the region.
Some regions of Canada are prone to extreme weather ranging from wind and snow. The wood-framed residential house should be tailored to withstand extreme wind conditions and the snow loads found in the region. Failure to build with extreme weather conditions in mind might lead to the house collapsing or being damaged by extreme wind of heavy snow.
Safety should always be included in the design and construction process. The building should not only meet but aspire to exceed the various safety level standards required by the local authorities. Design for safety will reduce the risk faced by the future occupants of the house in case of emergency situations such as fires. While the National Building Code does not explicitly require fire-rated construction for residential houses, builders can take some measures to increase fire safety. The doors and exit routes can be made large enough to ensure that occupants can escape easily in the event of a fire emergency.
The environmental footprint of the residential house should be considered. Specifically, the construction effort should aim to reduce the environmental footprint of the building. Constructing a residential house with energy efficiency in mind will reduce the environmental footprint of the building. Energy efficiency can be achieved through a number of ways. The building design should be compact and better insulated and airtight assemblies should be used in construction.
Conclusion
This paper set out to discuss the process of building wood frame designed house with basements. It began by noting that this kind of house is popular in Canada. The paper then described the pre-construction process, which is integral to the successful construction of the house. Through this process, the necessary property for building and financing is acquired. The construction phase includes setting the foundation to the building and then wood framing the house. After the exterior of the house has been finished, the interior is dealt with. In the end of this process, the Wood frame designed residential house with basement is ready for occupancy.
Works Cited
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American Wood Council. Details for conventional wood frame construction. Washington, DC: American Forest & Paper Association, 2001. Print.
Anderson, Leo. Wood Frame House Construction. Tennessee: The Minerva Group, Inc., 2002. Print.
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Datin, Peter. “Wind-Uplift Capacity of Residential Wood Roof-Sheathing Panels Retrofitted with Insulating Foam Adhesive.” Journal of Architectural Engineering 17.4 (2011): 144-154. Web.
IICLE. Pre-Construction Issues 2009 Edition. Illinois: IICLE Press, 2009. Print.
Lind, Richard, David Ricketts, Jasmine Wang, Chris McLellan and Barry Craig. Canadian Wood-Frame House Construction. Ottawa: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 2013. Print.
Roaf, Susan and Manuel Fuentes. Ecohouse: A Design Guide. NY: Routledge, 2007. Print.
Rock, Brian. “Thermal and Economic Evaluation of Slab-on-Grade Insulation in Wood-Framed Buildings.” Journal of Architectural Engineering 15.1 (2009): 14-25. Web.
Stephenson, Tom. Understanding Construction Drawings for Housing and Small Buildings. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.