Project Zone: Structure

Physical structure and exterior design go hand in hand at the beginning of the plan design phase. At this stage you have the pleasure of making the decisions about the details of your family’s new home.

The next page in this section, Exterior Design, provides details about the look of your new home’s exterior.

Below are a few of the decisions you will eventually make about the physical structure of your new custom-built house:

Foundation Types

• Basement
  • Full
  • Partial basement with crawl space
  • Walk out site conditions (if applicable)
• Crawl space
• Slab

Foundation Specifications

• Footings
• Poured concrete walls
• Block walls
• Sump pits
• Perimeter drains
• Plumbing drainage underslab (if applicable)
• Steel or wood beams
• Sump pits / pumps
• Perimeter drain
• Window and door units
• Any baths and/or wet bar rough in needed in basement
• Floors in basement and/or garage

Floors

• I-Joists (designed with light commercial-load requirements)
• Sub-flooring (glued and screwed)
• Pre-treatment/sanding prior to interior trim installation

Walls

• First floor wall height
• Second floor wall height (2-story homes)
• Specialty ceiling requirements, as applicable
• Wood sheathing on exterior walls
• Fire blocking / draft stops as needed / required
• House wrap (unless ZIP System^® requested)
• All wall plates are glued and nailed

Ceiling Joists

• Beams
• Supports and posting
• Joist hangers

Roofing

• Roofing Material
  • Synthetic felt
  • Shingles
  • Step and roll flashing
  • Ridge vent for proper attic ventilation
  • Ice and water shield for superior leak/ice damming protection
    • All valleys
    • All gutter lines with rubber membrane wrapped onto gutter board (3 inches)
    • All wall-to-roof applications
    • All framed chimneys
  • Counter flashing / brick flashing
• Ridges, hips and valleys
• Decking (7/16″ OSB or 5/8″ plywood)

Exterior Trim and Siding

• Exterior trim and soffit system (wood composite material)
• Front porch ceiling trim
• Siding (many styles)
  • Cement composite
  • Wood (cedar)
• House wrap all walls (unless ZIP System^® requested)
• Material Specs
  • Stucco – true masonry (not Dryvit^®)
  • Brick
  • Stone (natural or cultured)
• Specialty Items (quantity / location)
  • Brackets
  • Shutters
  • Window planter boxes
  • Ornamental railings

Screen Porch (if applicable)

• Ceiling / Soffit
• Removable Screen Panels with aluminum frames
• Screen door (quantity and location)

Deck (if applicable)

• Attachment to the house
• Floor system
• Material treatment / wood species or composite material
• Decking boards / railings

Garage (all garages insulated)

• Side entry
• Front entry
• Courtyard entry
• Detached
• Overhead door material
• Overhead door style
• Overhead door size
• Overhead door openers with transmitters
• Insulation
  • R-13 fiberglass batt walls
  • R-38 attic blown insulation (no living space above)
  • R-47 net and blown dense-pack (living space above)

Home Insulation Options

• Fiberglass batt walls (R-15 batt w/2×4 wall)
• Net and blown fiberglass walls (R-15)
• Wall thickness determines R value of exterior walls (R-15 min.)
• Cellulose walls
• Soundproofing (walls / floor systems)
• Attic blown fiberglass R values
  • R-50 (our min. standard)
  • R-60
• Urethane foam (walls and attic system)

Other Project Zones