Terms and Definitions at Donald Gardner Architects

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Terms and Definitions at House Plans by Donald A Gardner Architects. Below is a list of frequently used terms, to assist in your house plan search and selection.

House Plan Terms & Definitions

Welcome to the Donald A. Gardner Architects Terms and Definitions page. Below is a list of frequently used terms, to assist in your house plan search and selection. Please select a category or choose "View All" to see all definitions in alphabetical order. You may also visit our Popular Questions section. If you need additional information not provided here, please Contact Us.

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Basement (Foundation)	A basement has a slab bottom, and it uses steel or engineered wood members for floor framing. These members are stronger and span farther, eliminating the need for a lot of columns. This in turn opens up the basement and makes it functional.	Top
Crawl Space	A crawl space foundation means an elevated first floor system that is usually high enough off of the ground to crawl beneath. Piers are made up of 8” x 16” blocks, and the foundation wall is made up of brick and 8” blocks. The foundation wall contains foundation vents, which allow air to circulate throughout the foundation so that moisture does not build up.	Top
Foundation	Technically, the foundation is the part of a building that meets the ground, where all loads are transferred to the ground.	Top
Slab	For a slab foundation, the site is leveled off, and a trench is dug around the perimeter of the home site. Gravel is then spread across the site, and concrete is poured approximately four inches thick over wire mesh and a moisture barrier. In areas of load bearing walls, trenches need to be dug to allow for additional thickness at this location. Slab foundations have no piers or floor joists, and the concrete slab is the floor system.	Top

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