The construction of a house

Houses are built of wood, brick, stone and concrete. Many new types of individual houses are made from reed slabs, rolled gypsum concrete panels or wooden sheets. A lot of houses are built of prefabricated blocks (prefabs). All the parts of such houses are produced on an industrial scale in factories and assembled on the spot.

The building process takes place under the supervision of foremen and engineers. The structure is put up by bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, plumbers, painters, locksmiths, glass-cutters, etc.

In the construction of a house the first step is to make a careful survey of the site and to examine the soil in order to find its bearing power. Next, the building lines are staked out. After this, the foundations are built. The excavation is dug for the basement and then followed by the actual building of the foundation walls below the ground level. Then the foundation work is finished by providing anchoring sills. That is the case of a wooden building. In the case of a brick structure, the building of the walls may be directly proceeded with.

Foundations are to keep the floors and walls from contact with the soil, to act against the action of the frost and to prevent from settlement. The part upon which the stability of the structure depends is the framework. It carries the loads which are imposed on it. To do this work properly and safely the floors, walls, roofs and other parts of the construction must be correctly designed and proportioned.

The designer determines the size of the walls, the floor joists, the beams, the girders and the parts which make up the framework. He also decides how they are to be spaced and arranged.

The building of a wall consists in laying down courses of bricks and bonding them together with mortar. The instrument used by the bricklayer is called a trowel. In order to shape the brick to the necessary size or to chip it, the brick chisel and the hammer are used. Walls are constructed to enclose areas and to support the weight of floors and roofs. The walls may be solid and hollow. Besides brick, stone, concrete and other natural and artificial materials are used for the construction of walls.

When doors or windows are to be made, a lintel is usually inserted in the wall above the opening. The entrance leading into the house from the street is called the front door, from the yard – the back door. The sashes are placed in position only later and so, of course, are the window panes. The panes are fastened in with the help of glazier’s putty.

Storeys are separated by several successive layers: the firestop joists and rough flooring. The regular flooring is placed upon the rough floor, being supported by stringers and girders. The staircase leads to the upper floors. The staircase consists of stairs (steps). When we ascend or descend from step to step we hold on to the banisters (handrails). The steps between two landings are called a flight of stairs. Floor boards are laid in several different ways. Of these the more usual are plain jointed when the boards are simply laid side by side, a nail is being driven in through the boards into each joist. Tongued and grooved, one board can first be nailed and the other board, upon being slipped into it, will be kept down by the form of the joint. Thus, the nails are prevented from appearing on the surface of the floor.

Walls may be either covered with wall-paper or only plastered. In both cases, lathwork is first made which is subsequently covered with plaster. The chief instruments used by the plasterer are the trowel and the float.

The whole structure is crowned by the roof which covers the building and protects it from exposure to the weather. It ties the walls and gives strength to the structure. A complete roof consists of covering, sheathing, rafters, purlins and roof trusses. The covering is the outer or weather-resisting coating of the roof. The materials mostly used for the covering are shingles, slate, tiles and iron. The sheathing is the layer of boards or other material to which the covering is attached. The rafters are the inclined beams which support the sheathing. The purlins support the rafters. The roof trusses are the frames which support the roof and transmit its weight to the walls or columns of a building. The wall-plates are plates which are laid on top of the wall to distribute the weight transmitted by the trusses. The ridge is the highest horizontal line of the roof. After the building of the house is completed there will be need to make a number of connections: sewer and water pipes with faucets (taps). This particular part of the work is undertaken by plumbers, while electrical, gas and other connections are made by the electricians, etc. (5200)

IV. Pronounce the following words and word combinations, try to memorize them:

V. Translate the following sentences paying attention to the words given in bold type:

1.​ The aim of the foundation is to avoid undue settlement.

2.​ The combined dead, imposed and wind loads must be transmitted to the ground safely.

3.​ A strip foundation has a continuous strip of concrete which provides a continuous ground bearing.

4.​ Wide strip foundations are used to spread the load over a large area of soil.

5.​ If it is necessary to transmit the building load through weak and unstable soil, it is recommended to use piled foundations.

VI. Discuss these questions:

1.​ What is the purpose of a foundation?

2.​ What factors should be considered when constructing a building?

3.​ What influences the choice of a foundation type?

4.​ What type of foundation is used for low buildings?

5.​ Where is it necessary to build wide strip foundations?

6.​ In what cases are piled foundations used?