Home Performance Flashcards
What is the Big Three?
Heat, Air, Moisture
What is Home Performance?
The systematic approach to improving the comfort, health, safety, energy-efficiency, and durability of a house.
Home performance also includes
occupant health and safety, indoor air quality and occupant comfort, and durability of materials.
Building Science is
phyisics, chemistry, and thermodynamics
Components of a House
Building
Mechanicals
Environment
Occupants
Building of a House
Roof, Doors, Windows, Foundation, etc
Environment of a house
Mangining indoor environment as exterior one is changing such as adjusting temp,
Mechanicals of a home
lighting and appliances, electrical and plumbing
Occupants of a home
People living in the home
Attic
indoor space beneath the roof at top of house, used for storage or mechanical equipment
Knee Walls
installed to increase ampunt of livable space, making some of the attic conditioned, knee wall creates two side attics
Vaulted Ceiling
high sloping ceiling - oneor two straight slopes, not the same pitch as roof. It can be arched.
Cathedral Ceiling
high sloping ceiling, two sloping sides rise to top of house and meet in center, center point is higher than walls, same slope or pitch as roof.
Foundation
slab on grade
basement
crawlspace
Standar ceiling
8’ high and flat
Slab on Grade
first floor, concrete, several inches, least expensive, more common in warm climates
Crawlspace
inexpensive, more expensive than slab on, some excavation, warm and humid environments, raising off ground to prevent moisture from getting into home. Can provide extra spacing for ductwork and pipes.
Basement
Most expensive, significant excavation, adds extra floor, common in cold climates. May also have crawl spaces.
Rafter
sloped framing member that supports roof
Joist
horizontal framing member that supports ceiling or floor
Stud
Vertical framing member that supports an interior or exterior wall. Typicall 2 × 4 or 2 x 6
Bay
size of cavity (amount of space between members)
