Introduction to Construction, About Habitat for Humanity
Source: My personal notes from Habitat for Humanity training
Introduction to Habitat for Humanity
Section titled “Introduction to Habitat for Humanity”Dec 2009 training by Arundel Gibson Vice President People Habitat for Humanity Toronto
Process to a Home
Section titled “Process to a Home”3 homeowner criteria
- In Need of housing
- Financial situation
- Willing to partner with H4H
- Land and permit costs reduced by government
- Lands could be donated by government, builders, or other business
- 100% of donations go to building since ReStores pay for administration costs. ReStore can come to pick up materials from people for donation.
- Building coordinated by volunteers with aid of trades, construction supervisors, architects, etc.
Home Requirements
Section titled “Home Requirements”- Land, fundraising (e.g. $120,000), dedicated volunteers
Training
Section titled “Training”- Volunteers take Intro to H4H and Intro to Construction
- WHMIS
- Framing
- Drywall
- Tool safety
- Stripping foundations
Impact of Our Work
Section titled “Impact of Our Work”Building A Better City Highlights
- 81% of respondents report no longer feeling crowded in their home, compared to 25% prior
- Respondents reported a 50% increase in their feeling of safety when walking around their neighbourhoods.
- 97% of Habitat homeowners feel proud to tell others where they live, compared to only 44% prior
- 72% of survey respondents report an increase in neighbourly ties and an overwhelming 135% increase in inviting people over to their homes.
- 92% of respondents say that they will remain in their Habitat homes for a very long time or can’t imagine ever moving.
- 76% of homeowners report an improvement in their children’s grades; 88% report greater confidence; and 81% report an improvement in their social lives.
- Of the 155 school-aged children surveyed, 98.7% are still in school.
Source: Habitat for Humanity Toronto 2012 Report originally retrieved from http://www.torontohabitat.ca/2012report
Habitat for Humanity HU200 Introduction to Construction
Section titled “Habitat for Humanity HU200 Introduction to Construction”Habitat University 200 level class Introduction to Construction on Sunday, January 31st 2009, 12:30 PM – 4:30 PM at the ReStore Etobicoke
Agenda
Section titled “Agenda”Structural Insulated Panels, Tools, Home Overview, and Drywall
Requirements and Recommendations for Construction
Section titled “Requirements and Recommendations for Construction”- Boots with green triangle
- Hard Hat
- Tools: hammer, speed square, safety gloves, pencil
- To cut, score with exacto knife, knee/punch wall from behind, then score from behind to remove piece
- For large cuts or small drawn cuts, use a small saw (do not use large saw)
Knotting Extension cords
Section titled “Knotting Extension cords”- Do not knot normal electrical power cords. Only knot joints between extension cords to prevent cords from unplugging themselves during use. See picture below.
Source: Knot Your Power Cords Like a Carpenter to Avoid Unwanted Unplugging | Lifehacker
Drywall cont’d
Section titled “Drywall cont’d”- Walls and homes settle over one year or due to vibrations. This settling may cause wall cracking or frame screw marks to appear
- Wall/ceiling is drywall and is constructed top to bottom 1. ceiling, 2. top wall, 3. bottom wall
Miter saw use
Section titled “Miter saw use”- Take off all gloves.
- Measure wood, measure to center of attaching piece.
- Use speed square for marking
- Eye ball cut first, check block
- Plug in with knot in cord if extension
- Check cut again and press with trigger to speed up saw to full throttle before the wood is cut.
- Bring saw into the wood at full speed.
Circular Saw
Section titled “Circular Saw”- Use chalking (string with chalk like a tape measure) for measurement.
- Pinch tape to make a line
Level (tool)
Section titled “Level (tool)”- Check straight surfaces.
- “Make it plum” = make it straight
Procedures
Section titled “Procedures”- Cut drywall (gypsum board which contains water in form of hydrate) inserts to nail (drill) into wooden area against firewall.
- Small inserts can be just below the ceiling area.
Drywall Placement
Section titled “Drywall Placement”Source: Drywall - Wikipedia
As an alternative to a week-long plaster application, an entire house can be drywalled in one or two days by two experienced drywallers, and drywall is easy enough to use that it can be installed by many amateur home carpenters. In large-scale commercial construction, the work of installing and finishing drywall is often split between the drywall mechanics, or hangers, who install the wallboard, and the tapers and mudmen, or float crew, who finish the joints and cover the nailheads with drywall compound.[citation needed]
Drywall is cut to size, using a large T-square, by scoring the paper on the front side (usually white) with a utility knife, breaking the sheet along the cut, scoring the paper backing, and finally breaking the sheet in the opposite direction. Small features such as holes for outlets and light switches are usually cut using a keyhole saw or a small high-speed bit in a rotary tool. Drywall is then fixed to the wall structure with nails, glue, or more commonly in recent years, the now-ubiquitous drywall screws.
After the sheets are secured to the wall studs or ceiling joists, the seams between drywall sheets are concealed using joint tape and several layers of joint compound (sometimes called mud). This compound is also applied to any screw holes or defects. The compound is allowed to air dry then typically sanded smooth before painting. Alternatively, for a better finish, the entire wall may be given a skim coat, a thin layer (about 1 mm or 1/16 inch) of finishing compound, to minimize the visual differences between the paper and mudded areas after painting.