General Building Specifications
(These are general specifications that will be tailored to fit your needs)
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Item
Specification
Concrete strength - footings
3000 lbs.
Concrete strength - walls
3000 lbs.
Concrete strength garage & basement floors
3500 lbs.
Footing, width, depth, keyway, etc.
24" x 10" with keyway
Column bases
24" x 24" x 10"
Fireplace & chimney base
Zero clearance
Compacted fill specifications & detail
Garage, porch, basement floor - compacted sand or gravel
Damp proofing and/or waterproofing details
Waterproofed (5-year warranty)
Basement bulkhead or walkout door
Bilco or Gordon door
Sill plates, naturally durable or pressure-treated
2" x 6" pressure-treated in house; 2" x 4" pressure-treated in garage, 1 plate
Sill Sealer
Top of foundation wall
Column, material, size & spacing, etc.
4" steel lally on 24" x 24" formed pad; 9-foot maximum span
Anchor bolts & spacing
1/2" bolts, 6' on center, 1' from corners
Steel rebar
None unless unstable soil is found
Concrete wall
House wall - 10" x 94" ; porch & garage walls 8" by minimum of 42"
Exterior stair footings or supports
Precast or 42 deep concrete with footing
Basement windows and/or ventilation
Sliders - 12" x 30"
Floor joists, 1st floor - material
Hem-fir or Doug-fir; #2 or better
Floor joists, 1st floor - size & spacing
2 x 10, 16 on center
Carrying beam or girder-type beam & size
3 - 1 1/2 x 9 1/2 microlam per manufacturer
Bridging, solid & other
1 x 3 firring strips - center of span
Double joist locations, partitions under bathtubs & refrigerators, etc.
Under walls, side of stairs
Crawl space
None
Stud size & spacing
2 x 6, 16 on center
Building paper or other
Building wrap
Siding material, type, & style, etc.
Vinyl
Header sizes for all openers (exterior)
2 - 2 x 10
Header sizes for all openers (interior)
2 - 2 x 10 if bearing
Structural lumber species
Hem-Fir, Doug-Fir, pine plywood or Advantage Board
Floor joist 2nd floor - species
Hem-Fir, Doug-Fir, pine plywood
Floor joist 2nd floor
2 x 10, 16 on center
Ceiling insulation
R-30 blown fiberglass, 4 mil poly vapor barrier; R-30 in tray ceiling
Stair detail basement
Maximum rise - 8 1/4 tread, 2 x 10 treads, 2 x 8 stringers
Garage house door
Spring hinge, self-closing
Beam pockets
6 wide, 8 1/2 deep concrete shims
Concrete piers
24 x 24 X 10, 3000 lb concrete
Sheathing
1/2 pine plywood
Insulation type
Wall R-19 fiberglass with vapor barrier
Interior wall
1/2 sheetrock
Flashing
Aluminum step at garage roof at house, rolled at deck, doors & porch roof
Stair detail
Box stairs; 13 risers 8 1/4 treads, 9 1/2; width 36
Fireplace
Brick or zero clearance
Bridging & firestops
1 x 3 bridging; firestops over first floor bearing wall & basement beam
Ceiling joists species
2 x 8 or 2 x 6 Hem-fir, Doug-fir, #2 or better
Roof rafters
Hem-fir or Doug-fir
Roof rafters size
2 x 8 #2 or better
Ridge vent
When needed
Other vent
24 x 36 aluminum gable vent; vinyl or aluminum soffit vent
Roof sheathing
1/2 Pine plywood
Roof pitch
5/12 to 10/12
5/8 fire code sheetrock
Garage house wall to ridge of garage
Engineered trusses
None
Soffit air intakes
Slotted aluminum or vinyl soffit
Roof shingles
30-year fiberglass architectural over felt paper; Weatherwatch at eaves and in valleys
Second floor ceiling
1/2 sheetrock
Collar ties
2 x 4, 48 on center
Windows
Double-hung tilt take-out; egress in bedrooms