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Awning
Crank windows, hinged on the top, that open upward.
Bargeboard
Trim work at the top of gable end walls below the soffit.
Basement
(Foundation)
A basement has a slab bottom, and it uses steel or engineered
wood
members for floor framing. These members are stronger and
span farther,
eliminating the need for a lot of columns. This in turn opens
up the basement
and makes it functional.
Bungalow
(Home Style)
Popular in California, bungalows provide simple and affordable
middle class
housing. They are small and easy to build with a square floor
plan, gables,
usually one large middle dormer, and porches with big square
columns that
are larger on the bottom. Bungalows are usually 1200 square
feet or smaller.
Cape
Cod (Home Style)
Cape cods are generally symmetrical plans. The front door
is in the middle,
and they usually have dormers. There is not a lot of overhang
or
ornamentation, and it is typically one or one-and-a-half stories.
Cased
Opening
A doorway with no door, shown on the blueprint with two parallel
dashed
lines.
Casement
Crank windows that are hinged on one side and open like a
door. In our
plans, these windows usually go over the sink in the kitchen.
Circular
(Stairs)
Stairs built on a radius.
Colonial
(Home Style)
Dates back to historical New England. Two story home with
a symmetrical
façade. The main roof ridge will run parallel to the
street. The main entry
door is in the center of the façade, and windows are
symmetrically placed on
either side. The second level will have its windows symmetrically
placed
around the door as well. Additional wings might be “tacked-on”
to the house
proper. Bedrooms are typically on the second level.
Contemporary
70’s (Home Style)
Clerestory windows, roofs that pitch in one direction, large
overhangs on just
two sides of the home, vertical wood siding and patches of
stonework are
the main characteristics. Solar adaptation is also a key feature.
Contemporary
80’s (Home Style)
Trendy details like glass block and pipe railings. Strong
geometric forms.
Contemporary
Traditional (Home Style)
Traditional homes with modern design elements, particularly
open spaces.
Country
(Home Style)
Typical country homes have a front porch, dormer(s), and a
roof ridge that
runs parallel to the street. The most notable characteristic
is a large front
porch with an open rail. “Dog-house” dormers are
frequently on the roof.
The exterior material is usually clapboard siding. Regardless
of the size of
the home, they appear to be small and quaint. Historical country
homes had
a fireplace on either side of the home to function as the
heat source. The
historical country home also had a “dog trot” hallway,
which was one main
hallway that runs through the middle of the house, also known
as a double
loaded hallway. During warmer months, the front and rear doors
can be
opened to allow a breeze to come through and cool the house.
Crawl
Space (Foundation)
A crawl space foundation means an elevated first floor system
that is usually
high enough off of the ground to crawl beneath. Piers are
made up of 8” x
16” blocks, and the foundation wall is made up of brick
and 8” blocks. The
foundation wall contains foundation vents, which allow air
to circulate
throughout the foundation so that moisture does not build
up.
Dormer
Windows
Also referred to as dog houses, dormer comes from the French
word dormir,
which means “to sleep.” Dormers are located on the
second floor, usually in
bedrooms or bathrooms, and project through the roof to provide
a window in
this space.
Double
Hung Windows
Both lower and upper sashes can move up or down.
Early
American (Home Style)
This is reserved for homes that are replicas of historic American
homes. A
true Saltbox, Cape, or Federal home would be grouped together
in this
category.
Eave
Made up of both the soffit and the fascia. This is the term
that is given to
that edge of the overhang beyond the wall.
European
(Home Style)
These are homes with a lot of visual excitement. There can
be many roof
lines and generally many gables. The undulating façade
gives it a “castle”
feel. The exterior material would be stone, brick, stucco,
or a combination of
two or more materials.
Farmhouse
(Home Style)
This is an adaptation of the “country” home. The
main difference between a
country house and a farmhouse is that a farmhouse has a wraparound
porch.
The porch wraps around the home. The roof ridge runs parallel
to the street
with or without dormers. The roof pitch breaks to a shallow
pitch at the
porch. One main roof covers the main body of the home. The
exterior
material is clapboard siding.
Fascia
Runs horizontally across the ends of the roof rafters ends,
creating the
“edge” of the roof.
Fixed
Windows
These windows cannot be opened.
Floor
Framing
Built up on the foundation wall and piers out of 2 x 10 floor
joists and beams.
The direction and the length of the framing are shown on the
blueprints, and
they typically are placed 16 inches apart.
Footing
Trenches of poured concrete around the perimeter of the house
and below
each pier or column that supports and distributes the weight
of the house to
the ground. Two steel rods, known as rebar, run through the
trench of the
foundation.
Foundation
Technically, the foundation is the part of a building that
meets the ground,
where all loads are transferred to the ground.
Friezeboard
Trim work that follows the eve horizontally below the soffit
on the wall.
Gable
Roof
A roof that consists of two sloping planes that meet at the
ridge (peak). The
planes are supported at their ends by triangular, upward extensions
of walls
known as gables.
Gambrel
Roof
A ridged roof with two slopes on either side, the lower slope
having the steeper pitch.
Hip
Roof
A roof that consists of four sloping planes that meet at the
ridge (peak). The
roof seems to sit on top of the supporting walls, creating
a pyramid shape
when viewed from the side.
Hopper
Crank windows, hinged on the bottom, that open outward from
the top.
Load
Bearing Walls
Load bearing walls carry the load from above, down to the
foundation. Load
bearing walls brace from the floor to the roof. They are noted
on the
blueprint with hatch lines.
Mediterranean
(Home Style)
Warm climate homes with many windows and an open floor plan.
The
exterior is usually stucco with a tile roof. A hip roof with
large overhangs is
most common. Some of these elements are characteristic of
the
Southwestern home style also.
Overhang
Part of the roof that hangs over the wall.
Palladian
Window
One larger window with a circle top window above and flanked
by two
smaller, rectangular windows. These are usually fixed windows.
Rake
Refers to the slope of the roof at the end of a gable, where
the outside part
of the overhang forms an upside down V.
Ranch
(Home Style)
Single level home with a low pitched roof that runs parallel
to the street.
These homes tend to be long and narrow, with the longest dimension
facing
front. Porches may or may not be present.
Risers
(Steps)
Height of the step, which varies per house (vertical surface).
Salt
Box (Home Style)
Early American home that is one-and-a-half stories and looks
like a
trapezoid when viewed from the side. It is two stories in
the front, and the
back slopes down to one story.
Scissors
(Stairs)
Also known as U-shaped stairs, scissors stairs reverse direction
half way up
to return back the way it started.
Shed
(Roof)
A shed is actually a half gable. One slopping plane is supported
by walls.
This usually comes off the back side or out of another roof.
Shed roofs are
also used over some porches.
Single
Hung Windows
Only the bottom sash moves up and down, the top is fixed.
Slab
(Foundation)
For a slab foundation, the site is leveled off, and a trench
is dug around the
perimeter of the home site. Gravel is then spread across the
site, and
concrete is poured approximately four inches thick over wire
mesh and a
moisture barrier. In areas of load bearing walls, trenches
need to be dug to
allow for additional thickness at this location. Slab foundations
have no piers
or floor joists, and the concrete slab is the floor system.
Sliders
Windows that slide open, like sliding glass doors.
Soffit
The underside of the roof overhang or porch ceiling that covers
the rafter
bottoms. This horizontal surface usually has vents to allow
air into the attic.
Straight
Run (Stairs)
These are just like they sound, they run straight up to the
second floor.
Traditional
(Home Style)
These homes usually do not have porches, but several will
have covered
entryways. They usually have hip main roofs and bold, front
facing gables.
There will be several main ridge lines running both parallel
and perpendicular
to the street. The exterior material could be clapboard or
masonry (brick,
stucco, stone). These homes strive for a grand appearance.
Treads
(Steps)
Top of the step, usually 10-½ inches to 11 inches deep
(horizontal).
Vacation
(Home Style)
These are usually very open houses that may be elevated off
the ground.
They tend to have a modern or cottage feel.
Victorian(Home
Style)
Gingerbread detailing is the key element. Most have multiple
roof lines with
varying roof pitches. Some have octagonal turrets (towers).
The exterior is
always clapboard. Lattice work and decorative railings are
often used.
Winders
(Steps)
Steps that wind around a corner or post, turning 90 degrees
from the original
direction and typically having several triangular shaped treads
at the turn.
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