Choices
Why this, not that
Construction choices side by side. Neither column is a rule. The right one depends on the site, the code, and the house.
Slab on grade, or a crawl space
One way
The floor is concrete on a stone base and a vapor retarder. Pipes under it are buried, so they are planned before the pour. The edge has to deal with frost and with heat loss.
The other way
Short walls lift a wood floor. Someone can reach drains and ducts later. The crawl space has to be dried and vented, or sealed and conditioned. A wet crawl space rots the floor above it.
This house is drawn as a slab-level pad. A crawl space would show taller foundation walls. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
Platform frame, or balloon frame
One way
Each story is a deck. Walls are one story tall, so the lumber is ordinary stud length and the floor stops the cavity.
The other way
Studs run past the floor and the joists hang on a ledger. It was common in older houses. The floor cavity needs fireblocking so it is not a chimney.
The two floor lines on this model are platform framing. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
Roof trusses, or site-built rafters
One way
Trusses are designed as units and set quickly. The webs are part of the structure. You do not cut them to make an attic.
The other way
Site-built rafters are assembled on site. A conventional ridge-board roof uses ties to resist outward thrust; a designed structural ridge-beam roof uses a different support arrangement.
The roof planes on this house could be either. The drawing does not decide. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
A gable end, or a hip
One way
A gable is a triangular wall. It is simple, and it takes wind on that flat face. The east end of this house is a gable.
The other way
A hip slopes on all sides, so there is no tall flat face. It needs hip rafters and more intersections. The west side of this house hips toward the balcony.
Both are already on this roof. Neither is called better. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
Cavity insulation alone, or a layer outside the sheathing
One way
Filling the stud bay is the usual first move. The studs themselves remain cold bridges.
The other way
A continuous layer outside the sheathing covers those bridges. It changes the drying of the wall and the thickness at windows, so it belongs to the whole assembly.
The model shows the frame, not an insulation product. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
Cladding that drains, or cladding tight to the wall
One way
A gap or a drainage mat behind the siding lets water that passes the face run out and lets the back dry.
The other way
Direct-applied siding still relies on a properly integrated water-resistive barrier and flashing behind it. A separate drainage gap can improve drainage and drying. Whether that gap is required depends on the cladding, assembly, manufacturer's instructions, and applicable code.
The siding strokes on this house stand for a drained skin. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
Dampproofing, or waterproofing
One way
A dampproof coating on a foundation resists moisture when water is drained away and does not press on the wall.
The other way
Waterproofing is a continuous membrane for walls that can see standing water, such as a basement in wet soil. It still wants a drain. The coating is not a substitute for slope.
This pad is not drawn as a basement. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
A heat pump, or a furnace
One way
A heat pump moves heat and can cool as well. In a mild marine winter it is often the simpler year-round machine. Cold snaps still need a design that holds up.
The other way
A furnace makes heat by burning fuel and needs a vent and combustion air. Cooling is a separate coil if you want it.
The utility room could hold either. Capacity is not in the sketch. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
Shear walls, or a moment frame
One way
A solid wall with structural sheathing and hold-downs is the ordinary way to take sideways load.
The other way
A moment frame resists by bending when a wall cannot be solid, such as a long glass line. It is designed, not improvised from a window header.
The model has walls that could be shear walls. It has no moment frame drawn. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
Cut the high side, or fill the low side
One way
Cutting native ground leaves the house on soil that is already in place.
The other way
Filling can level the pad, but only with material placed in layers and compacted. Organic soil is stripped first. A footing on loose fill settles.
See the cut-and-fill diagram. This house is shown after the pad is level. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
A second story, or a teardown
One way
Keeping the main floor and adding above saves the part of the house that still works, if the foundation and the walls can carry the new load and the roof can be opened safely.
The other way
A teardown starts from a new foundation. It is the clearer structure when the existing frame, the foundation, or the plan is not worth keeping. It is also a larger project.
This drawing is already two stories. It does not price either path. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
Dry the roof in first, or finish inside while it is open
One way
Closing the roof and the openings protects the structure and the existing rooms. In this climate that is the urgent work.
The other way
Interior finishes before the shell sheds water get wet, and wet board and insulation are often thrown out.
The sequence on this site puts dry-in before the rough-in is buried. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
Copper supply pipe, or PEX
One way
Copper is rigid, handles sunlight better, and is joined by solder or press fittings. It costs more in labor on a remodel.
The other way
Cross-linked polyethylene is flexible and is common in remodels because it can snake through existing bays. It has to be kept off flames and out of sunlight, and the fittings have to be the listed ones.
This plan does not choose a pipe. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
A tank heater, or a tankless heater
One way
A tank stores hot water. The recovery rate and the tank size set how long it lasts. A gas tank needs a vent. An electric tank needs a circuit.
The other way
A tankless unit heats water as it flows. Its capacity depends on the required flow and temperature rise, together with the available gas or electrical supply. Indoor gas units need approved combustion venting; condensing gas units also need condensate drainage. Electric tankless units do not need a combustion vent.
The utility room could hold either. The sketch does not size one. Teaching sketch, not a specification.
Still to write
- Window frame materials Coming soon
- Ridge vent or gable vents Coming soon
- Nail schedules for shear walls Coming soon
- Specific code editions side by side Coming soon