HOUSE i-^ UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO.73 (,■ ^ By L. O. ANDERSON and O. C. HEYER, engineers Forest Products Laboratory • Forest Service Agriculture Handbook No. 73, February 1955 U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE • WASHINGTON, D. C. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. - Price 65 cents (Paper cover) ACKNOWLEDGMENT THIS publication was prepared by the Forest Products Laboratory as a project under the housing research program of the Office of the Administrator, Housing and Home Finance Agency, authorÍ2;ed by Title III of the Housing Act of 1948, as-amended, through agree- ment with the Forest Products Laboratory, Forest Service. Special acknowledgment is made to W. A. Russell, structural engineer, technical staff, Housing and Home Finance Agency- The preparation of this manual was under the direct supervision of L. V. Teesdale and the overall supervision of R. F. Luxford of the Laboratory staff. Other staff members who contributed mate- rially were M. E. Dunlap, who made valuable review suggestions; F. L. Browne, author of the section on paints; the late Arthur Van Kleeck, author of the section on fire preventive measures; and C. S. Moses, author of the section on decay and termites. (II) CONTENTS Page Page Introduction 1 Wall sheathing 47 Location and excavation 1 Types of sheathing 48 Condition at site 1 Corner bracing 49 Placement of the house 2 Installation of sheathing 49 Height of foundation walls 3 Roof sheathing 53 Excavation 4 Installation of roof sheathing 53 Concrete work 5 Plywood roof sheathing 53 Footings 6 Wood board roof sheathing de- Draintile 8 tails at ends of roof 55 Foundation walls and piers 9 Wood board roof sheathing de- Poured concrete walls 9 tails at chimney openings 55 Concrete-block walls 10 Wood board sheathing at valleys _ 56 Masonry piers 12 Exterior trim and mill work 56 Sill anchors 12 Cornice construction 58 Reinforcing and wall ties 13 Rake and gable-end finish 60 Brick or stone veneer 14 Roof coverings 62 Notch for wood beams 15 Asphalt shingles 62 Termite protection 15 Wood shingles 65 Concrete floor slabs on ground 16 Built-up roofs 66 Basic requirements 16 Finish at ridge 68 Combined slab and foundation-, 17 Exterior frames, windows, and Independent concrete slab and doors 68 foundation walls 18 Double-hung windows (check- Vapor barrier under concrete slab rail windows) 68 on ground 20 Casement sash (outswinging Insulation requirements for con- type) 71 crete floor slabs on ground 20 Stationary windows 71 Insulation types , 21 Projected windows 73 Radiant-heating installation 22 Metal sash 75 Termite protection 22 Exterior doors and frames 77 Finish floors over concrete slabs Types of exterior doors 77 on the ground 22 Exterior siding and stucco 79 Floor framing 22 Wood siding 79 Wood joists and subflooring 22 Installation of siding 82 Posts and girders 23 Wood shingles 86 Girder-joist installation 25 Asbestos-cement siding and shin- Types of wood sill construction. 26 gles 87 Floor joists 27 Stucco side-wall finish 87 Bridging 28 Stucco plaster 88 Subfloor 28 Masonry veneer 88 Floor framing at bay-window Framing details for plumbing 88 projections 31 Stack-vent walls 88 Wall framing 31 Bathtub supports 89 Platform construction 32 Cutting of framing 90 Balloon cong^truction 33 Framing details for heating sys- Window and doorJheadérs-.. 35 tems 92 Exterior corner and w'alWntersec- Warm-air systems 93 tion details ^- 36 Hot-water or steam systems 95 End-wall framing 37 Radiant-heating systems 96 Lath nailers, _ 38 Wiring 97 Ceiling and roof framing 40 Wiring systems 99 Flat roofs 40 Box location 99 Pitched roofs - 41 Switches 99 Valleys__ . 42 Outlets 99 Dormers 45 Box installation ^ 100 Overhangs 45 Insulation 100 Lightweight roof trusses 47 Flexible insulation __ 101 in IV CONTENTS Page Page Insulation—Continued Porches and garages 16^ Fill insulation 101 Porches 164 Reflective insulation 101 Garages 167 Rigid insulation 101 Chimneys and fireplaces 171 Miscellaneous insulating ma- Chimneys 171 terials 104 Fireplaces _--- 174 Where to insulate 105 Flue lining 175 Installation of insulation 106 Wood framing 177 Precautions in insulating 106 Drives, walks, and basement Vapor barriers --- 109 floors 177 Ventilation 110 Driveways 177 Area of ventilators 111 Sidewalks 179 Gable roofs 111 Basement fl.oors 179 Hiproofs 111 Painting and finishing 180 Flat roofs 111 Characteristics of woods for Types and location of outlet painting 181 ventilators -— 115 House paints for exterior wood_ 187 Types and location of inlet Natural finishes for exterior ventilators 115 wood 190 Crawl-space ventilation and Interior walls and ceilings 191 soil cover 117 Floors 193 Interior-wall and ceiling finish. _ 117 Plywood and wallboards 194 Plaster finish 118 Protection against decay and Dry-wall finish 123 termites 194 Floor coverings 128 Decay _-_- 196 Wood-strip flooring 128 Subterranean termites 197 Wood-tile flooring 131 Dry-wood termites 197 Base for linoleum, asphalt- Safeguards against decay 198 tile, or rubber-tile floors 132 Safeguards against termites 200 Linoleum 132 Maintenance inspections 201 Asphalt-tile flooring 133 Protection against fire 202 Ceramic tile 133 Elements of fire hazard 202 Rubber tile _-. 134 Construction 203 Interior doors, frames, and trim_ 135 Control of fire hazard 204 Trim parts for doors and Methods of reducing building frames 135 costs 204 Installation of door hardware.^ 141 Design 205 Window-trim installation 142 Choice of materials 205 Base and ceiling moldings 144 Construction ^ 206 Millwork 145 Protection and care of material Kitchen cabinets 145 on the building site _ 207 Closets 146 Protection of framing mate- Cabinets 148 rials 207 Fireplace millwork 149 Window and door frames 207 Stairs 149 Siding and lath 207 Terms 149 Plastering in cold weather 208 Ratio of riser to tread 154 Interior finish 208. Design of stairway 154 Framing of stair well 155 Maintenance and repair „ 209 Stringers or carriages 155 Basement 209 Newels and hand rails 157 Crawl-space area 210 Basement stairs 157 Roof and attic 211 Disappearing stairs 157 Exterior walls 212 Exterior stairs 157 Interior 212 Sheet-metal work 158 Literature cited 214 Flashing 158 Glossary of housing terms 217 Gutters and downspouts 162 Index 227 WOOD-FRAME HOUSE CONSTRUCTION By L. O. Anderson and O, C. Heyer, engineers, Forest Products Laboratory^ INTRODUCTION The purpose of this publication is to present sound principles for wood-frame house construction and suggestions for selecting suitable materials in a manner that will greatly assist in the construction of a good house even by those without previous construction experience. The three primary essentials for the building of a satisfactory house are (1) an efficient plan, (2) suitable materials, and (3) sound con- struction. The house may be large or small, elaborate or unpreten- tious, modern or traditional, yet without all three of these essentials it may be neither permanent nor satisfactory. While designing and planning are beyond the scope of this publication, the information on materials and building practices is intended to guide builders and prospective homeowners in erecting a good house. It can be used as a training aid for apprentices or as a standard by which to judge the quality of the construction of a house. This publication is devoted exclusively to wood-frame construc- tion, and sets forth what are considered to be acceptable practices in assembling and arranging the parts of a well-designed house. While details of construction may vary in different localities, the funda- mental principles are the same. This publication deals essentially with established methods of construction, and it does not attempt to show new types that are constantly appearing in various parts of the country. Construction details for houses are given in a series of drawings. These drawings, with accompanying text, show the methods used in assembling the various parts. Additional information on painting, fire protection, and decay prevention is given near the end of this Handbook. All construction requirements as well as species and grades of lumber specified conform as nearly as practicable to Federal Housing Administration minimum property requirements. LOCATION AND EXCAVATION Condition at Site Before excavation is started the builder should determine the sub- soil conditions by checking with others who have built in the same area or by test borings. A rock ledge may be encountered, necessi- tating expensive removal. Where fill of any kind has been used the ^Maintained at Madison 5, Wis., in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin. 2 AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 73 foundation should extend through the fill to undisturbed soil. Some types of soil may become semiplastic when wet and squeeze out from under the footings, causing irregular settlement of the foundations. The water table or natural ground water line may be close to the sur- face, particularly in areas near lakes. The water table level may be the factor which determines the depth of a basement or the location of sewer pipes. Placement of the House After the site is cleared, the location of the outer walls of the house is marked out. In general, a survey is made of the plot of land and the surveyor will mark the corners of the lot. The corners of the house also should be marked by the surveyor. Before the exact location of the house is determined, check the local codes for minimum setback and side yard requirements ; the location of the house is usually determined by these codes. In some cases the setback may be established by existing houses on adjacent property. The next step is to establish lines and grades as aids in keeping the work true and level. Figure 1 shows a convenient arrangement of batter boards for lines of the house.