Text 3. Preparing a wood-frame house construction

Reading Practice

CEDAR HOUSE SIDING

The siding of the house is the first thing everyone sees from the outside. It gives a general idea of the house's condition, style and structure. If you want your house to have a cozy feeling, then cedar house siding is (recommending/recommended).

Why use cedar? Cedar has (developing/developed) a reputation as one of the most popular commercial woods available for its many uses. It is a good thermal regulator, so people who live in houses with cedar house siding are more likely to use less on (heating/heated) and air conditioning; as a result, they are able to pay lower electricity bills. Cedar keeps buildings cool during summer and warm during winter. Cedar is less fire-resistant than most woods; it does not help much in the spread of fire and is not (knowing/known) to produce smoke in large amounts. For carpenters, cedar wood is easy to work with: it is easy to be (sawing/sawn) and (cutting/cut) smoothly, nails in cedar last for about one-third longer than those of other wood, and is easily (joining/joined) together by adhesives.

The benefits of cedar house siding. These properties make cedar house siding useful to homes; it is both strong – (being/been) 80% of the strength of oak – and durable. The durability of cedar wood is (attributing/attributed) to natural preservatives in its composition and therefore can resist decay. Native Americans prefer cedar wood for their houses since it has a long (lasting/lasted) effect; some artifacts (making/made) out of cedar wood survive for centuries in great condition. It is very resistant to fungi and bacteria; so pest control is the least of your worries. A (well-treating/well-treated) wood has a good resistance against the adverse effects of weather. In the decorative arena, cedar wood gives more of a traditional look to the building or a house.

Read through text 3 (Preparing a Wood-Frame House Construction) and then choose the best sentence given below to fill in each of the blanks.

E.g.: 2- b

Wood-frame house construction continues to predominate in many countries. ___1___ In fact, a wood-frame house repre­sents an environmentally responsible choice. Wood is a renewable resource which, if properly managed and utilized, can enhance our quality of life, sustain our natural environment, and contribute to the economy.

Due to a wide variety of homes in terms of style and size, and the differ­ences in building techniques, ___ 2___ Many factors apply, such as whether a single house or a whole subdivision is being built, as well as other factors such as weather, site conditions and the avail­ability of labour and materials.

___3___ It is assumed that a typical two- or three-bedroom house is being built by an average builder employing sub-trades. The steady decline in construc­tion time is due largely to the introduction of sheet and panel goods, such as drywall and plywood, factory-built components such as roof trusses, windows and cabinets, and plastic piping for sani­tary plumbing. Specialized power tools and equipment also helped reduce manual labour. ___4___ If it is a very large or highly detailed building, 20 or more weeks may be needed. On the other hand, completing a small, simple dwelling may only require eight to ten weeks.

There are a number of stages in constructing a house which must be properly planned, co-ordinated and executed by the builder. ___5___ The amount of time needed to develop a complete set of plans, estimate the cost of the dwelling, arrange for financing and obtain a building permit and all other required approvals, will vary consid­erably. Providing access to the building site and arrang­ing for temporary power may also take place during this stage.

It is important for do-it-yourself and less experienced builders to obtain advice on local conditions and practices. ___6___.

Sentences to be inserted

a) The first stage is also referred to as the pre-construction stage.

d) it is difficult to say exactly what is a typical house construction process.

c) The description of the typical house construction process is based on the wood-frame house construction techniques.

d) In fact, a wood-frame house repre­sents an environmentally responsible choice.

e) It is also important to add in several weeks time to allow for unavoidable delays.

f) Thus, normally, about 16 weeks is required from start to finish.

Read text 4 divided into parts. Find answers to the questions which come before each of the coming passages.

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