BT1 - Final Exam [Chapter 1 - Chapter 5]
Competitive bidding is typically formalized with a cost-plus contract. TRUE or FALSE
False
Contractors generally must be licensed and insured, but not bonded. TRUE or FALSE
False
First cost and life-cycle cost are the same thing. TRUE or FALSE
False
Blower-door testing can find specific locations where insulation is missing and air is leaking. TRUE or FALSE
False It measures airtightness of a structure.
The two prime measures of a passive house are:
Highly insulated envelope and nearly air-tight envelope
Growth characteristics in wood are:
Knot and decay
The meaning of the acronym LEED is:
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Greywater systems:
May be used to supply water for toilets, might be used for irrigation with caution, is generated from rainwater, is generated from laundry and bathing
"______" is likely to be the least expensive per square foot?
Mobile home
Why do contractors need to be licensed?
A contractor's license indicates competence in the area of specialty of the contractor.
How are stock plans different from plans for a custom-designed house?
A custom plan is tailor-made for a particular site and client, whereas stock plans are used repeatedly for different sites and clients. When stock plans are used on a sloping site, the foundation must often be custom designed.
What is the difference between a general contractor and a subcontractor?
A general contractor is responsible for the coordination of entire projects including the work of subcontractors who perform specialized tasks such as plumbing or painting.
What is a gray-water system? How can its water be used?
A gray-water system takes rainwater (and other water sources) and reuses such water to save energy. Typically, this water can be used in toilets, laundry, and irrigation systems depending on the water being used.
Name a difference between a site-built and a manufactured house.
A manufactured housing is built to different codes and standards than a site-built housing with the result that site-built houses often do not. Additionally, there is more flexibility possible in the design of site-built houses than manufactured houses.
Provide a definition of a net-zero energy house?
A net-zero energy house is a house that produces as much energy as it uses. An example would be a house with solar panels since solar energy is gathered each day with such panels and such energy is used during the day in the house.
The particular steps a builder can take to implement the principles of green building are:
-Improve the energy efficiency. -Improve the resource efficiency -Lower the toxicity -Reduce the impact on the environment
The actual cross-sectional dimension of a 2x4 is:
1(1/2)" x 3(1/2)"
The actual cross-sectional dimension of a 2x8 is:
1(1/2)" x 7(1/4)"
Lag screws are inserted with:
A wrench
Access standards for buildings relate to:
Access to a building by all members of the population, including the physically handicapped
What is the difference between an architect and a building designer?
An architect is a highly trained professional licensed by the state and qualified to design buildings of any size. A building designer may have very little or a great deal of training, is not licensed (but may be certified), and cannot legally design public buildings or large or multi-unit residential structures.
Sustainable building costs more. TRUE or FALSE
TRUE and FALSE Many of the strategies have higher up-front costs that are often offset by energy and maintenance cost savings.
Adhesives are widely used on the construction job site for:
Attaching subflooring and wall panels to framing members
Why do contractors need to be bonded?
Bonding protects the owner against nonperformance or fraud by the contractor.
Why do builders need to be insured?
Contractor's insurance protects the owner's property against damage by the contractor.
The type of wood shrinkage that is the greatest is:
Tangential
What design considerations support energy efficiency?
Building Orientation, Natural Ventilation, Daylighting schemes, Overhangs, and High-performance building materials
State the difference between a building code and a zoning ordinance.
Building codes place restrictions on the building itself, such as all stairs requiring railings with them. Zoning ordinances place restrictions on where the building will be built, such as land being used for civic purposes, residential purposes, and so on.
Describe the difference between construction drawings and construction documents.
Construction drawings (usually on large sheets of paper) are the visual depiction of the work to be done on a construction project. Construction documents include the construction drawings, specifications, and contracts and are the complete description of the work.
MasterFormat contains information about:
Construction materials
"_____" generally requires the most capital financing.
Developr/builder
Name one advantage to the owner of direct hiring as opposed to contract bidding.
Direct hiring of a contractor has the advantage to the owner of knowing that s/he will pay exactly for the work done by the contractor and not pay a fee based on a bid inflated to account for unforeseen circumstances.
The largest percentage of single family plans (70-80%) submitted for a building permit are prepared by:
Drafting services
An advantage of a multiunit development from the point of view of the developer.
Efficient design and construction processes all under one roof and one lot.
"______" considers all the energy needed for production, use and disposal of a product.
Embodied energy
The primary principle behind the forest certification systems is:
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative
A building code contains off-street parking requirements. TRUE or FALSE
False
All licensed architects are required to place the letters AIA after their name to signify their status as a licensed professional. TRUE or FALSE
False
Box nails and common nails are interchangeable in construction practice. TRUE or FALSE
False
A disadvantage of a multiunit development from the point of view of the developer.
Multiunit structures larger than a duplex include a more complex and planning and permitting process and more stringent code requirements such as emergency access and egree, fire rated walls and floor assemblies.
Why are nails the fasteners of choice in wood construction?
Nails are the fastener of choice because they are inexpensive, they do not require advance drilling of holes, and they are quickly driven by hammer or nailgun.
"_____" are logical sources of design ideas for speculative builders:
National buyer preference surveys, successful local residential developments, and local realtors
Recylcing supports resource efficiency through:
New products requiring less energy and resources to produce if recycled content is included.
The abbreviation of "PUD" is:
Planned Unity Development.
Name one common species of decay and insect-resistant heartwood?
Redwood, Cypress, and various Cedars are the resistant species most common in North America.
The five principle phases of the architect's work in a residential project are:
Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Contract Negotiations, and Construction Observation.
Which of the following is not typically described in an architectural section drawing:
Setback from property lines
What type of residential development represents the largest dollar value of economic activity?
Single-family detached housing
What is the relationship between a residential builder company's size and the type of houses they produce?
Small volume companies build large customized house, but the amount they build is small compared to how many a large volume company builds. Large volume companies mass produce smaller houses so that they can quickly make profit off of these affordable, easy-to-make houses. Furthermore, they create more houses than small volume companies
The 1987 UN "Brundtland" report, "Our Common Future," defined "_____".
Sustainability
An all-in-one loan avoids duplication of closing costs. TRUE or FALSE
True
Architects in North America have had a significant role in the design of houses and housing since the 19th century. TRUE or FALSE
True
Green Building and Sustainable Building are essentially identical. TRUE or FALSE
True
Many sustainability strategies have higher up-front costs that are often offset by energy and maintenance cost savings. TRUE or FALSE
True
Sheet metal joist hangers are used to make a strong connection wherever wood joists bear on one another at right angles. TRUE or FALSE
True
Small-volume builders far outnumber large-volume builders but produce fewer houses. TRUE or FALSE
True
Specialization has been a part of residential construction since it started in the Americas. TRUE or FALSE
True
Speculative builders do not have to spend time bidding for general contracts. TRUE or FALSE
True
Summerwood is stronger and stiffer than springwood. TRUE or FALSE
True
The heartwood of a living tree is dead wood. TRUE or FALSE
True
The stock plan industry in North America is a $70 million per year industry that started by giving away plans for free. TRUE or FALSE
True
Name one disadvantage to the owner of direct hiring as opposed to contract bidding?
The principal disadvantage to the owner of direct hiring of a contractor is that the owner must assume the risk of cost overruns due to unforeseen circumstances or inaccurate cost estimates.
A zoning ordinance typically governs:
The types of activities that may take place on a piece of land, how much of the land may be covered by a building, and how far a building must be set back from property lines.
Why is wood laminated?
Wood is laminated to achieve a size, shape, or quality of piece that would otherwise be impossible.
What type of wood products might have a span rating of 32/16?
Wood panel products are span rated; the first number in the rating (32) is the allowable span in inches between centers of rafters when used as roof sheathing, and the second number (16) is the allowable span when used as subflooring.