When it comes to supporting a house, we think of its foundations, RSJs, and also of its roof. This article will consider all three so that we better understand the elements of a house that matter when it comes to building and maintaining one. Should you need a new roof or help with an old one, then companies such as Gouge Quality Roofing can help. When building a house from scratch, it is important to enlist the help of professionals to make sure that everything is built to the required standards. This avoids the cost of putting things right later, provides peace of mind, and makes for a house that is a far better investment in terms of its resale value.
Foundations
Generally speaking, three different types of foundations are used when building a house. Which one is used is likely to be based on several factors. Primarily, it will relate to geographical location, in terms of soil condition, and the design of the house that you are planning to build.
Full basement
A full basement foundation exists as the deepest of the major foundation types. It will match the majority of the floor space with regards to the level above and is usually at least six feet in depth. Modern homes will mostly have basements that are taller so to allow for converting them into living spaces.
Crawlspace
The crawlspace will relate to short foundation walls that will stand on a footing. The walls will be short and, as their name suggests, create spaces that you can literally belly crawl through. They can be four feet tall to allow enough space for storage of equipment.
Slab-on-grade.
This particular foundation consists of a solid-concrete slab resting on the ground. Grade is a reference to ground-level, and slab, the monolithic concrete pad. Monolithic means one stone. Slab-on-grade foundations will mostly be found in climates that do not experience ground frost because this may result in cracking of the concrete base and the shifting of the foundation.
To conclude this section on foundations, we should bear in mind that these are the three main types of foundations, so there will be others that are used to support a house from the ground up.
RSJ
An RSJ stands for a Rolled Steel Joist. It can also be known as a universal beam, an I-beam, H-beam, w-beam, or a double-T. Probably any letter of the alphabet you could think of. These references to them are to do with their shape. Anyway, their purpose is purely structural. It is common to see them inside houses where there has been an extension built. They provide support where walls have been taken out.
Roof
Nobody usually gives much thought to a roof, we all rather take them for granted, but it is one of the more important elements of a home. A roof that is of good quality, well-insulated, well-shaped, and well-maintained, will protect a home from all the elements, save on energy, and look particularly pleasing due to its curve appeal. Yes, that is right, a curved roof will make your house more pleasing to look at and so more saleable if you come to sell it. Also, by keeping you warm, a roof is keeping you healthy physically. Mentally, it is peace of mind to know that you have a secure roof over your head that is protecting the possessions you have become sentimentally attached to. It remains a mystery why insurance companies do not consider roofs more when they could, after all, if poorly maintained, result in large claims. Household surveys will certainly take roofs into account.
So, if you are building a house, you will want to consider the above in terms of making things structurally sound. If you are looking to repair something, such as the roof, it might be because it was not constructed correctly in the first place.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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