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Every system we will put a name to.

Shells, frames, masonry, roofs, openings, foundations, and the details that decide how a house fails. One page each. 39 notes are filed today, most of them outlines. “Outline” means the template is standing and the sources are not. Nothing here is a recommendation for your lot.

Categories

39 of 39 notes.

Shell systems

  • SCIPStructural concrete insulated panelsDraftedA foam core with welded steel mesh on both faces, sprayed with shotcrete on site. Walls, roof, and floors can be the same system. Crews and shotcrete workmanship decide whether it is the right shell.
  • ICFInsulated concrete formsDraftedReinforced concrete poured inside a stay-in-place foam form. Mass, continuity, and continuous insulation in one wall. It costs more than frame up front, and crew familiarity varies by region.
  • ICCFInsulated composite concrete formsOutlineStay-in-place forms that are not all-foam, filled with concrete. The form material varies by manufacturer. This note does not prefer a product line.
  • SIPStructural insulated panelsOutlineA foam core bonded between structural facings, often wood. Fast to crane into place. Wind, wetting, and insects are the questions a finished note has to answer with sources, not adjectives.
  • PrecastPrecast concrete wall panelsOutlineConcrete panels cast off site and joined in the field. Joints, lifting hardware, and the connection to the foundation decide the wall. The concrete itself is not the whole argument.
  • ShotcreteShotcrete structural wallsOutlineConcrete sprayed onto reinforcement in place, rather than cast in a form or onto a panel. Used as its own wall and as the faces of a SCIP shell. Nozzle skill is part of the system.

Frame systems

  • FORTIFIED frameFORTIFIED framed constructionOutlineWood or light-frame construction built and verified to an IBHS FORTIFIED designation: Roof, Silver, or Gold. A standard for a conventional house, not a product we sell. Insurer recognition varies by state and carrier.
  • Advanced framingAdvanced framingOutlineLayout that uses less lumber at corners, openings, and intersecting walls so insulation can be more continuous. It is a framing practice, not a resilience rating.
  • Mass timberMass timberOutlineThick engineered wood, such as CLT or glulam, used as structure. Fire design is a char calculation and a code path. Moisture during construction is a known risk to plan for, not a footnote.
  • Steel frameCold-formed steel frameOutlineLight-gauge steel studs and joists in place of wood framing. Termites do not eat it. Thermal bridging and corrosion detailing are the trade-offs a note has to specify.

Masonry

  • CMU + foamCMU with continuous exterior foamOutlineConcrete block with a continuous insulation layer, usually outside the block, so the masonry is not a thermal bridge. Openings and the attachment of the foam still have to be detailed.
  • Reinforced masonryReinforced masonryOutlineBlock or brick with steel and grout where the engineer calls for it. Unreinforced masonry is a different wall. The note has to say which one is being discussed.
  • AACAutoclaved aerated concreteOutlineA lightweight concrete masonry unit cured in an autoclave. It is not the same as CMU, and a finished note has to cite the unit, the thin-set or mortar, and the exterior finish as one assembly.
  • Brick veneerBrick veneer over a drained cavityOutlineA non-structural brick wythe with an air space, weep path, and ties back to the real structure. The brick is cladding. Water that gets past it needs a way out.

Roof assemblies

  • FORTIFIED RoofFORTIFIED RoofOutlineThe roof-only IBHS designation: a sealed deck, locked edges, and a rated covering, inspected to the standard. It can sit on more than one kind of house. It is not, by itself, a whole-house designation.
  • Sealed roof deckSealed roof deckOutlineA deck closed against water that gets under the shingles or panels. Tape, a membrane, or a closed soffit-to-ridge path are different details. The note has to name which one.
  • Hip roofHip roof geometryOutlineA roof that slopes on all sides, without a tall gable end facing the wind. Shape is not a substitute for connections, but it changes the wind load the connections have to take.
  • Metal roofMetal roofingOutlineSteel or aluminum panels or shingles, fastened to a deck or battens. The panel is not the assembly. Clip spacing, underlayment, and the edge detail are the assembly.
  • Class A roofClass A roof coveringOutlineA covering tested to the highest of the common external fire classes. Class A describes the covering’s response to fire from outside. It does not describe the deck, the vents, or the eaves.
  • Secondary water barrierSecondary water barrierOutlineA layer under the roof covering that still sheds water if the covering is damaged. It is a component of several wind standards. Name the product type and the standard before treating it as met.

Openings

  • Impact glazingImpact-rated glazingDraftedLaminated glass in a reinforced frame, tested for missile impact and cyclic pressure. Code requires opening protection in wind-borne debris regions. The insurance credit is for every opening protected.
  • Impact shuttersImpact shuttersOutlinePanels or rolling shutters installed over openings before a storm. They only work if they are on the house, rated for the opening, and someone is there to deploy the ones that do not stay closed.
  • Flood ventsFlood ventsOutlineOpenings that let floodwater into an enclosure so hydrostatic pressure is relieved. Used in wet floodproofing below the required floor. A vent without the area the code requires is a hole, not a strategy.
  • Ember-resistant ventsEmber-resistant ventsOutlineAttic and crawlspace vents detailed to resist wind-blown embers. Relevant where wildfire, not storm surge, is the opening problem. Cite the listing or the code section before calling a vent compliant.

Foundations

  • PilesPile foundationOutlineThe house sits on piles, with the lowest floor above the flood requirement and the water free to pass underneath. Pile type, embedment, and the bracing are an engineer’s design, not a wall-system choice.
  • Elevated floorElevated first floorOutlineLiving space raised above the design flood elevation, on piles, piers, or a stem wall with openings. What is allowed below that floor is as important as the height.
  • Slab on gradeSlab on gradeOutlineA concrete slab cast at or near the ground. Simple on a dry, flat lot. A poor fit where the flood elevation is above the slab, and a termite path if the slab-to-wall joint is casual.
  • Grade beamGrade beamOutlineA reinforced concrete beam tying piles or piers together at or below grade. It is a foundation element, often paired with an elevated floor. It is not a wall system.

Moisture and mold

  • RainscreenRainscreen claddingOutlineCladding held off a drainage plane so water that gets past the face can dry. The gap, the flashing, and the plane behind it are the system. The siding brand is not.
  • Continuous insulationContinuous exterior insulationOutlineInsulation run across the outside of the structure, unbroken by studs or block webs. Thickness, attachment, and the dew point of the assembly belong in the note before any R-value is quoted.
  • Mineral woolMineral wool insulationOutlineStone or slag fiber used in cavities or as a continuous layer. It does not burn the way foam does. It still has to be detailed for bulk water, and a cavity fill does not fix a missing drainage plane.
  • Closed-cell foamClosed-cell foam in cavitiesOutlineSpray foam that also acts as an air barrier. Useful in some roofs and band joists, and a moisture problem in others if it traps water against a sheathing that cannot dry. Climate zone decides. Do not treat it as a default.

Fire and wildland

  • SoffitsNoncombustible soffitsOutlineThe underside of an eave built so embers and flame have a harder path into the attic. A wildfire detail. It does nothing for storm surge, and it is not implied by a Class A roof.
  • Defensible spaceDefensible spaceOutlineThe managed zone around a house: fuel, spacing, and what is stored against the wall. It is site work, not a wall assembly, and it is often what decides a wildfire outcome when the wall was already adequate.

Insects

  • Termite barriersPhysical termite barriersOutlineMesh, particle barriers, or a slab joint detailed so termites cannot travel unseen from soil to wood. A physical barrier is not a bait contract. Say which one the note means.
  • Borate framingBorate-treated framingOutlineWood treated with a borate for insects and decay. It is for wood that stays dry. It is not a substitute for keeping the structure away from soil and bulk water.

Flood

  • Wet floodproofingWet floodproofingOutlineLetting floodwater in and out of an enclosure below the living floor, with flood-damage-resistant materials and openings sized to the code. The strategy accepts water. It does not keep the lower level dry.
  • Dry floodproofingDry floodproofingOutlineKeeping water out of a structure with walls, seals, and often a way to resist hydrostatic load. Limited by code, by depth, and by how long the seal has to hold. Not a residential default.

Refuge

  • Safe roomStorm and safe roomsOutlineA room sized and built to a refuge standard, often ICC 500 for wind and debris, sometimes discussed for wildfire shelter. It protects occupants for a defined event. It is not a way to make the rest of the house stronger.

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