The structure of your homes includes all of the systems that transfer load to the ground, enclose the environment and hold out Mother Nature.  Generally, the structure of your home includes the foundation, the framing or walls, the exterior and interior cladding, the attic structure and the roof.  Types and building materials vary, however, these components all perform specific purposes. 

Foundation:  The purpose of the foundation of any home is transfer the weight or load of the home to the ground below it.  The foundation also functions as the base upon which the structure will be built.  Types of foundations vary based on soil type, the water table depth and the frost level.  The most common types of foundations are basement, slab and pier & beam.  The factor that most determines what type of foundation you have is the depth of the frost line.  As soil freezes and thaws from winter to spring, it will heave.  This is highly disruptive to any home built directly on the ground.  For this reason, foundations are built down to a depth 6 inches below the frost line typical in the area of construction.  As you may expect basements are more prevalent in the north and slabs are common in the south. 

• Basement Foundations:  A basement is an area created by the process of excavation down to a point below the frost line.  If a builder is faced with a 31 inch frost line, he will build a 37 inch pit to build the foundation.  Since these pits are nearly deep enough to create a full height room, tradition has developed towards doing just that.  Basements afford the homeowner extra space and easy access utility areas.  Half basements or “walk out basements” are also common in areas where the terrain is sloped. 

• Slab Foundations:  In warmer and wetter regions foundations do not need to be set very deep to pass the frost line.  In fact along the Gulf Coast the frost line is 0 inches.  In these areas concrete slabs can be pored directly at ground level.  A builder will “set forms” to create the shape of the home’s foot print, dig supporting piers, rough in any required electrical and plumbing, install the slabs reinforcing steel and pour concrete.  This, in brief, is how a monolithic slab foundation if created. 

• Pier and Beam Foundations.  Pier and beam foundations are created by setting or driving a series of pillars, also called piers which are driven into the ground and which extend above the grade to help create a platform on which a home may be constructed.  At a minimum the piers will extend high enough to place the first wood platform no less than 18 inches above the ground.  Pier and beam foundations can be built in any area as long as the piers are driven down below the frost line or to a point of support. 

Framing.  Once a foundation is created walls and sub-floor must be constructed to raise the structure, hold out the environment and support upper areas and roofing.  Framing tends to be either built on site from loose lumber (“stick built”) of assembled from pre-engineered truss sections (“balloon framed”)

• Walls are commonly built out of wood dimensional lumber, prefabricated wood panels, metal framing or solid masonry.  Walls vary in thickness and construction process based on whether or not they are load barring or simple partition walls.  Walls are used to hide support systems such as plumbing and electrical as well as insulation and siding.  Interior walls are generally not insulated and are covered with sheet rock

• Floors and ceilings are built out of wood dimensional framing or prefabricated truss sections.  As with walls, construction process varies with size and load.  Wood lumber floors and ceilings are also effected by the span strength of the specific breed of wood used. 

• Roof framing is generally constructed of wood or metal truss sections or stick built with wood on site.  The primary purpose of the roof frame is to support roofing.  Obviously the process used to frame the roof will vary with material selected, however, slope, size and environmental conditions such as rainfall or snowfall also impact the process. 

Roofing.  The variety and installation process for roofing is one of the most varied of any construction process.  Roofing can be made of wood, fiberglass, slate, metal, clay, concrete or rubber.  Installation process varies.  Life expectancy depends on slope, exposure to sunlight, shade and quality.