Глава 3 Строительство дома. Вариант 1

STEPS TO BUILDING A HOUSE

One of the amazing things about American homes is that the huge majority of them are built using completely standardized building practices. One reason for this consistency is a set of uniform building codes that apply across the country. Another reason is cost -- the techniques used to build homes produce reliable housing quickly at a low cost (relatively speaking). If you ever watch any house being built, you will find that it goes through the following steps:

• Grading and site preparation

• Foundation construction

• Framing

• Installation of windows and doors

• Roofing

• Siding

• Rough electrical

• Rough plumbing

• Rough HVAC

• Insulation

• Drywall

• Underlayment

• Trim

• Painting

• Finish electrical

• Bathroom and kitchen counters and cabinets

• Finish plumbing

• Carpet and flooring

• Finish HVAC

• Hookup to water main, or well drilling

• Hookup to sewer or installation of a septic system

• Punch list

Many of these steps are performed by independent crews known as subcontractors. For example, the framing is generally done by one subcontractor specializing in framing, while the roofing is done by a completely different subcontractor specializing in roofing. Each subcontractor is an independent business. All of the subcontractors are coordinated by a contractor who oversees the job and is responsible for completing the house on time and on budget.

We will walk through these different stages so that you can see what is involved, understand all the steps and learn about the different materials used in the construction process. We will use a typical three-bedroom home as our example.

AFTER - TEXT EXERCISES

1. Give the English equivalents.

1. Каркас

2. Опорная поверхность

3. Устанавливать прокладку трубопроводов

4. Водосток

5. Стена из стоек

6. Водопроводный канал

7. Водонагреватель

2. Translate the following word combinations.

1. amount of housing

2. analysis if structure

3. construction works management

4. aesthetic inconsistency

5. fireproof

6. a composite system

7. killed lime

3. Answer the following questions.

1. What are the main steps to build a house?

2. What are the reasons for using completely standardized building practices?

3. What does a subcontractor do?

4. What should every house be provided with?

Вариант 2

SITE PREPARATION

The first crew on the site handles site preparation. Often, this crew and the foundation crew are the same people, but sometimes not (especially if there are a lot of trees on the lot). Houses are generally built on a foundation that is either a basement, a crawl space or a slab. The site-preparation crew typically arrives on the site with a backhoe and/or bulldozer. The crew's job is to clear the site of any trees, rocks and debris, level the site if necessary and dig as necessary for the foundation being built.

For a crawl space, the site preparation crew digs a set of trenches and holes. Concrete is poured into these trenches and holes and will act as the interface between the foundation wall and the ground. The concrete in the trench is generally about 18 to 24 inches wide (45.72 to 60.96 cm) and 18 to 24 inches deep. Once it hardens, it forms a massive concrete "beam" on which the house rests. The width of this concrete beam is controlled by the compressibility of the soil. In light soils, the beam will be wider to try to spread out the load, while in heavy clay soils it can be narrower.

Concrete takes approximately two weeks to cure to full strength (depending on the weather), so once the concrete is poured nothing will happen for some period of time while curing takes place. If this house had been built on a basement, the site-prep crew would have dug a square hole about 8 feet deep. If this house had been built on a slab, the site-prep crew would have trenched around the outside approximately 2 feet deep and then completely leveled the area for the pad. Slabs, basements and crawl spaces are the three main foundation systems used on houses. In wet and coastal areas, it is sometimes common to put houses up on posts as well.

AFTER - TEXT EXERCISES

1. Give the English equivalents.

1. водосток

2. кровельная черепица

3. плотничье дело

4. глина

5. армированная проволока

6. сохранять влагу

7. конденсировать тепловую изоляцию

2. Translate the following word combinations.

1. Plastic window light

2. To keep away from moisture

3. Cable junction

4. Index pf corrosion

5. Arterial highway

6. Waterproof fabric

7. Large – scale excavation

3. Answer the following questions.

1. What does a house include?

2. What does a crew do?

3. In what way should concrete be used?

4. What are the three main foundation systems used on houses?