This month's quote:
"An open mind leaves a chance for someone to drop a worthwhile thought in it."
Two for One Sale Days - We'd like to announce the availability of our "2 for 1 sale" that we occasionally display on our site's front page. These sales are such a great discount that we can only offer them for one day. If you have a buddy that needs to get exam study materials (even if it's for another state and trade), this is a great way for the two of you to pool your resources together and get one heck of a deal on exam prep materials for both your needs.
Also, if your state requires you to take a Business and Law exam, you can add the entire study package (software, tutorials, practice tests and instructional videos) for no additional cost. So remember to check our site frequently for these great one day opportunities.
New links to external service providers - our visitors will start to see links in Google ad blocks to other sites on many of our pages that will help them in their job search. You will find links to nationwide and local job data bases and construction companies (plumbing, electrical, HVAC) either offering services or looking for qualified contractors. We recommend that you use these links to contact the companies to find work.
Editor's Note
This month will start a series of do's and don'ts of exterior home designs. Have you ever driven by a home and wondered "What were they thinking?" More and more people today are "designing" their own homes or sketching out their own design on paper to show the contractor what they want a remodel to look like. This month, we're going to start by explaining basic principles of design and then apply those principles on front entry.
Please enjoy, and, thanks for reading The Grassroots Newsletter.
Home Design Principles
Primary mass is the largest portion of the home. Secondary mass is the additional geometrical shapes added to create the overall look of the home Voids (windows, doors and open spaces) create negative space allowing for breaks within the mass. All of these must be arranged to create balance and rhythm across the elevation.
Balance is the visual relationship among the parts of a home on either side of an imaginary centerline drawn through the home. Balance can be either symmetrical (the shapes on one side of the centerline match the shapes on the other side) or asymmetrical (the shapes do not match exactly, but if the shapes have equal visual weight, they will be visually balanced).
Scale is the size of something compared to a reference standard. It can also mean how we perceive the size of something in relation to another thing.
Proportion relates to both size and balance and visually refers to the proper relationships of one part to another part or to the whole. Building materials and home styles change, but proportions are timeless.
Rhythm organizes forms and leads the viewer's eyes. Think of a series of arches, a row of dormers or repetitive roof lines to understand how rhythm establishes predictability in design.
Psychological theories have verified our minds will simplify the visual environment in order to understand it. We must understand the principles of proximity (objects close together should complement one another), continuity (where the eyes move along a path in a given direction) and similarity(objects that share common textures or colors) to understand that incorrect arrangements create visual clutter.
Entries
A recessed entrance creates an outdoor foyer that serves as a transition between the outdoors and interior spaces. Flush entrances line up with the exterior wall of house, using trim work, surrounds and sidelights to bring attention to the entry. Projected entrances extends forward to "greet" visitors. Projections can be a simple overhang or a completely covered area.
The old adages "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" and "Bigger is not always better" are true for the entry on a home. When the secondary mass towers over the door, narrow walkways lead to the door, using the wrong materials, fanlight windows used instead of using it as a transom, etc., all create a "disappearing" door.
Large entry areas are used to draw attention to a structure. Think of churches and government buildings where the large entry area make the building more prominent. An entry that is exaggerated or out of scale with the rest of a house, ill-placed columns or collections of windows only magnifies the void, and in turn, magnifies the problem visually.
Many homeowners today feel that placing interesting object in front of, around, and on top of an entry door achieves emphasis and focus. The problem with this is, is does just that, only if focuses on an entry that is unappealing to look at. Too many or incompatible materials, wrong sizes or shapes or styles of columns, for instance, creates design confusion.
A top heavy facade draws the eye to the massive element instead of to the front door. An opening that is too small and even incorrect shutter sizes adds to the flawed design, causing a visually chaotic entry. The same can be said of an overly massive door. A massive door will definitely stand out, but only for the reason of its incompatibility with the rest of the elevation. An entry door should never be taller than the roof eve. For a massive door, the roof plane would need to be changed to accommodate such a door.
Garage doors facing the street
To prevent a garage door that faces the street from overwhelming the exterior elevation, repeat window patterns used on the house, repeat the panels used in the front door and paint the doors the same color as the rest of the trim on the home, Break up a 3 or 4 car garage door span with columns between the doors constructed of the same materials used on the home, place lanterns between the doors to create a sense of welcome, add decorative hardware to serve as accents and break up the monotony of large doors, use wood trim painted a different color to break up the surface of the door and provide visual breaks, and when using wood doors, repeat patterns found on other parts of the elevation.
Doors that lead nowhere
When a house has multiple doors on the front elevation, it is imperative to distinguish the entry door from the others. This can be accomplished by using a larger or more distinctive door that is a different type, size or color for the entry door,
Points to remember to create a more harmonious elevation
Entry doors should never be confused with other doors on the front elevation; Materials used in the entry need to complement those used in the primary mass of the home; The entrance approach should be inviting; Correct use of landscaping directs visitors to the front door; Transoms used above doors should never be larger than the door itself; Sidelights should never be wider than half the width of the door.
Entries should be focal points. Each entry can be unique to draw attention as long as they are balanced.
Sample Test Questions
1. A water pattern is determined by the _____ in an irrigation system.
A. Sprinkler head
B. Trajectory
C. Radius
D. All of these
Correct answer: A
2. Rectilinear patterns are defined by the _____.
A. Radius of the water thrown
B. Arc of the water pattern
C. Area they cover
D. All of these
Correct answer: C
3. A 25-degree trajectory is the standard trajectory.
A. True
B. False
Correct answer: A
4. Circular patterns are defined by _____.
A. Trajectory of water thrown from sprinkler head
B. Arc of the water pattern
C. Radius of the water thrown
D. All of these
Correct answer: D
5. A 2" pop-up fixed spray head is used for _____.
A. Short grasses, like Bermuda, and retrofit in old systems
B. Watering beneath the canopy of tall shrubs
C. Longer grasses, like St. Augustine, and low ground cover
D. Ground cover, flowers and shrub beds
Correct answer: A
6. According to the manufacturer, a full circle Series spray nozzle will produce 1 gpm.
A. True
B. False
Correct answer: B
7. Rotary heads normally have to run up to _____ times longer than spray heads to deliver the same amount of water.
A. 5
B. 10
C. 2
D. 15
Correct answer: A
8. _____ refers to the number of inches of water that is placed over a certain area per hour.
A. EVT
B. Precipitation rate
C. TVE
D. Plant water demand
Correct answer: B
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You may also fax your questions to (888) 567-9565 . We'll do the research for you and respond with instructions to help you understand. There is no charge for this service.
Read by intelligent construction professionals.
If you have an informative article that you would like to share, please e-mail your article to maggiemay1@ContractorExam.com. If we use your article, you will get great exposure and a link to your site.
Have a great month!
Maggie, Editor
www.contractorexam.com
