Construction of a House Cont'd

Rough Plumbing-
Rough plumbing involves installing all of the water lines, sewer lines and bathtubs. Tubs are normally installed early. One-piece shower-and-tub units are big and often cannot be maneuvered into place later in the construction cycle. They also frequently "change size" -- that is, the size drawn on the plans and the size delivered often differ significantly. A full tub is heavy. Therefore, the tub is installed and filled so that the frame can settle quickly. This step prevents cracked walls and tile the first time someone uses the tub. Typically, rough plumbing involves installing all sewer lines and vents as well as all water supply lines for each fixture. The tub is put in place and filled. In the crawl space, the supply lines all branch off from common pipes running the length of the house. The sewer lines all join together and then exit out the back of the house, ready for connection to the septic tank.

Rough Electrical-
The article How Power Distribution Grids Work goes into extensive detail on how power gets from the power plant to your house. The purpose of the electrical system in a house is to distribute the power safely to all of the different rooms and appliances. The electrician for this house first placed all of the boxes for electrical outlets, lights and switches. Then he ran wires from the fuse box to each box and between boxes. Wires were first run through to the boxes. A lot of drilling is necessary, both down into the crawl space and up into the ceiling, as well as through studs to run wires between boxes. Wires are then pulled through the boxes, clipped and capped.

Insulation-
The purpose of insulation is to lower the heating and cooling costs for the house by limiting heat transfer through the walls and the ceiling. The insulation process starts by installing foam channels in the eaves. These channels guarantee that air will be able to flow from the soffit vents to the ridge vents. Without these channels, insulation tends to expand into the eaves and block the soffit vents. This house uses standard fiberglass insulation throughout. Notice that over the insulation is a thin plastic vapor barrier. The idea behind the vapor barrier is to keep moisture that develops inside the house inside. Without the barrier, here is what happens inside the wall in winter: Warm, moist air moves through the drywall and into the insulated wall cavity; at some point inside the cavity it becomes cold enough for the moisture to condense, soaking the insulation. The vapor barrier prevents this process. In older homes, the siding and sheathing were so loose that air easily migrated out before the moisture condensed, but that is no longer the case so the barrier is essential.