Week 3 Residential Architecture

Question 1

What does Residential architecture refer to? (4 things)

Answer 1

Detached single family homes
Detached two family homes
townhouses
Typically, not more than 3 stories in height

Question 2

Multifamily residential, or apartment buildings, are not included and are considered commercial buildings. True or False?

Answer 2

True

Question 3

What are the primary considerations for construction? (6 things)

Answer 3

1. Location
2. Site
3. Construction Costs
4. Zoning
5. Building Code
6. Building Permit

Question 4

What 5 things relate to location?

Answer 4

1. Geographic Location, Sate, County, City/Town
2. Local Climate and seasonal considerations
3. Community, neighborhoods, subdivisions
4. Cost of property/land
5. Proximity to utilities, water, school districts, hospitals, odors

Question 5

What is site and what is topography?

Answer 5

Site- The property that the house will be built upon. It must be analyzed to assess building placement and constructability.

Topography- Generally the relative flatness or slope of the site. A topographic plan will show contour lines which indicate constant elevation. These lines describe hills, valleys, swales, high and low points.

Question 6

What are 6 other things to consider when site planning?

Answer 6

1. Utilities- Availability of utilities
2. Site Access- Is the Property remote, hard to get to, do roads/driveways need to be built to get to the building site
3. Views- Are there any particular view sheds that the home should take advantage of
4. Solar Orientation- Where does the sun rise and set?
5. Microclimate- Things such as trees and bodies of water can impact site temperature.
6. Predominate Winds

Question 7

Pertaining to construction costs, New construction is almost always more expensive than an existing home. True or false?

Answer 7

True

Question 8

If an existing home needs to be “gutted” in order to renovate, Demolition and new constuction may be less expensive. True or false?

Answer 8

True

Question 9

What are some (8) variables to consider when determining construction costs?

Answer 9

1. Location
2. Type of structure
3. Size of home
4. Availability of labor
5. Material costs
6. Site work
7. Quality of work and finishes
8. Weather

Question 10

The national average to construct a 2,400 S.F (+or-) home is 295,000. This equates to approximately 117/S.F. Of the total cost, approximately half is materials and 1/2 is labor. True or false?

Answer 10

True

Question 11

What do you know about Zoning and the (6) subcategories?

Answer 11

Most local municipalities divide privately-owned areas into different zones according to the specified land use. These zones will often have sub categories:
1. Residential (Dwellings)
2. Agricultural (farming)
3. Commercial (Business, Retail, etc.)
4. Public (Parks, Municipal buildings)
Industrial ( Manufacturing Plants
6. Rural (Vacant Land)

Question 12

Each zoning district permit specific land use as well as site and building constraints such as?

Answer 12

1. Minimum lot area
2. Minimum setbacks from property line (Front yard, side yard, rear yard)
3. Maximum building heights
4. Maximum impervious surface ( maximum area that can be covered with buildings, paving etc. This impacts storm water run off).

Question 13

What is Building code?

Answer 13

These are the minimum construction standards to protect public health, safety and general welfare.

Question 14

Each states is responsible for establishing the building code, however most states have now all adopted some version of the I-codes which are administered by the International Code Council (ICC) True or false?

Answer 14

True

Question 15

The IRC apples to one and two family dwellings. True or false?

Answer 15

True

Question 16

In the U.S., what must all buildings obtain from the local Authority Having Jurisdiction prior to construction?

Answer 16

Building permit.

Question 17

When is the building permit issues?

Answer 17

Upon satisfying all required criteria as establish by the municipality

Question 18

What does Obtaining a building permit involve?

Answer 18

1. Hire a licensed design professional to design the building and all portions thereof, to be in strict compliance with the applicable building code.
2. Architect prepares all necessary signed and stamped Construction Documents (CD’s).
3. Visit the local municipality’s Building Official, prepare a Building Permit Application which requires signed + stamped CDs to be accompanied.
4. Pay Building Permit Application fee
5. Building Permits typically have an expiration, generally 1-year, after which is must be renewed. The rationale for this is to ensure that the building is constructed in a timely manner and is not a visual blight to the neighborhood

6.

Question 19

What does Obtaining a building permit involve?

Answer 19

1. Hire a licensed design professional to design the building and all portions thereof, to be in strict compliance with the applicable building code.
2. Architect prepares all necessary signed and stamped Construction Documents (CD’s).
3. Visit the local municipality’s Building Official, prepare a Building Permit Application which requires signed + stamped CDs to be accompanied.
4. Pay Building Permit Application fee
5. Building Permits typically have an expiration, generally 1-year, after which is must be renewed. The rationale for this is to ensure that the building is constructed in a timely manner and is not a visual blight to the neighborhood
6. Upon satisfactory periodic inspections of the building in progress, the Building Official will deem the building “ Habitable” and issue a CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY”