About This Quiz
As the saying goes, home is where the heart is. But just how does one go about building a home in the first place? Find out some fun facts about this detailed process by taking the quiz.A foundation needs about four weeks to fully cure, depending on the weather.
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Contractors coordinate the building process of a home, making sure it's built on time and on budget, but they'll usually hire subcontractors who specialize in areas like plumbing and roofing to complete certain aspects of a home.
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While technically all three are studs, the one that applies to home construction is the third one. Studs give a house's walls strength, and anyone who's ever tried to hang up something heavy knows how important studs are -- they provide a more secure anchor than the drywall in between.
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Plywood, and the similar product OSB (orientated strand board), is used in flooring, walls and roofs. It's important because it's very rigid, less prone to warping or shrinking and relatively low in cost.
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Trusses are prefabricated triangular wooden roof supports that come in a variety of configurations, such as M truss, scissors truss and gable truss. They're preferred by builders because they're very strong, they transmit weight to the main load-bearing outer walls and they can be installed quickly. Trusses are also customizable and less expensive than any alternatives.
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While the construction workers may have had a long day, they'll have to go to their own homes to take a bath. Filling a bathtub right after it's put into place helps make sure it doesn't cause any damages (like cracking tiles or walls) the first time it's used by the new homeowner.
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Those bends, commonly called P-traps, block sewer gases from coming up through the plumbing. They usually have U-, J- or S-shaped portions which work by holding a pool of water and that doesn't let the gases pass.
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The soffit is the part of the house where the roof overhangs the walls. It's parallel to the roof and perforated so air can flow into the attic and ventilate it.
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Insulation keeps a house warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer by helping to prevent heat transferring in and out of the house.
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A punch list details any problems that remain to be fixed. When a house reaches the brink of completion, items on the final punch list -- which may include a faulty electrical outlet, for example -- are addressed by their respective subcontractors. After that, the house is ready for its new owners.
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