When talking about construction two things must be considered, materials used and house location. In the past, the main factor in house construction was the type of materials to be used and this was dictated by house location. Which materials were readily available to the area? Which materials were suitable to the climate? What was the cost of the materials?

Heavy timber was abundant in the wilderness, so logs were economical. In the more populated areas brick-making kilns and mills for producing lighter lumber were available and relatively economical so that was the material of choice. Naturally, where the house was constructed was where it stayed.

In today’s world, the location of the house construction is important for a different reason. The house, or parts of the house, may not necessarily be built on the final location. Sure, the whole house can still be built on site, but modern construction techniques present other options. It may be more economical to transport materials great distances versus the use of local materials. Entire sections of the house can be built in an off-site factory, or materials can be built in a factory and assembled at the building site to create a complete house. The entire house can even be built off-site in a factory then transported to the building site.  The truth remains: Certain materials and methods of construction work better in a factory while others work better at the building site.

For the purposes of this article we will discuss the most common types of construction used here in New York City, and Long Island.

Conventional Home Construction
Conventional or light frame construction refers to homes that are built with wooden studs, and other standard materials on the building site. This method (stick built) has been around for hundreds of years, but is continually refined as new methods, materials, and technologies emerge. The majority of new homes built today are constructed using the light framing methods of construction. The advantage of this building method is that it is time tested so there is a large knowledge base available. There are many contractors to choose from since most contractors use this method to build houses.

It is a very flexible way to build. A house can be built in virtually any style, size, or layout. There is a mind-numbing array of building plans available from scores of magazines. Light framing construction uses vertical wooden members (studs) sized 2” by 4,” 2” by 6,” or 2” by 8”. These are usually placed 16” apart. This serves as the structure to support the exterior sheathing, interior finish, and also serves as the insulation cavity. The combination of the sheathing and framing resist lateral (side to side) loads and help in the prevention of cracking.

Panelized Construction:
Panelized homes are site-built houses in which some parts of the house are partially assembled, pre-cut, or measured in a factory before delivery to the job site. There is a wide variation in the percentage of the house that is “finished” before it arrives at the job site. Typically the exterior and interior walls are assembled in sections. The window and door openings are framed in the panels. The exterior wall sheathing is often attached to the exterior walls at the factory. Panel plans identify each of the panels and their location and are included with the kit to help the contractor build the house. Floor joists may also be pre-cut with floor joist layout plans included in the package. The roof structure can either be manufactured roof trusses or pre-cut sections depending on the house style. Roof joists will be precut and fascia are usually not pre-cut or installed in the factory. Plumbing, electrical, heating, air conditioning, insulation and drywall are all items that are typically installed on-site. When a panelized house is ready for a framing inspection, the inspector can view all components of the house on site the same way as a stick-built house.

Post and Beam Homes
Post and beam construction uses large, widely spaced structural members to provide the vertical support for the house. Intermediate framing is needed to support the sheathing, interior finishes, and to provide space for insulation, diagonal bracing or any other supports. Diagonal bracing member attached from the post (vertical members) to the beam (horizontal members), are used for lateral (side to side) steadiness. Modern post and beam construction uses traditional timber, but engineered woods such as glulam and parallel strand lumber (PSL) are also used for beams, columns, girders, pulins, decking, and roof sheathing. Engineered woods are made by laminating several layers of wood together, or by combining wood panel products with other wood. These engineered woods are often stronger and less expensive to install than traditional boards, planks and timbers alone. Using these large members and leaving them exposed can create a visually different and attractive appearance both inside and outside of the house while still providing a degree of fire safety allowed by building codes.

Conventional framing methods share the load among a greater amount of members than post and beam construction. The load on structural post and beams tend to be considerable. For this reason, proper engineering analysis of members and connections is critical. Most contemporary post and beam construction use metal fasteners. The modern materials used for members and connections result in a relatively strong, fast, and economical construction.

Timber framing is a particular type of post and beam construction. Timber framing usually uses hardwoods or softwoods as opposed to the newer engineered woods. The frame will be constructed with interlocking members, friction fitting, or wooden pegs. Mortise and tendon, dovetails, or scarfs secured with hardwood pegs are joints (joinery) that predate the use of metal fasteners. Joints of this type require precise on-site preparation.