currently, i'm sitting in the basement of hunt library with anna. i'm randomly rotating between checking my email, writing emails, preparing work samples and a cover letter for an internship application, and plain ol' futzing around on the interwebs. she, however, is being the ever so responsible fourth-year and actually working on her studio project. being that her project actually has the chance of being built, her studio has decided to be extra stringent on construction details and the like. with me being an m&a ta, i have suddenly become her personal m&a-specific wikipedia. in the last hour and a half, i have been bombarded with so many construction questions about things that 1) i didn't think had soaked into my head at all when we first learned it in second year and 2) came flowing back strangely fluidly with barely an extra thought to them at all.
for example, i remember that:
...exception #1: spacing studs 16"o/c means it's 16" from center-to-center of each stud, except when it's not. from the ends, it's 16" from the outside.
...exception #2: 2x4s are always 2x4, except when they're not. 2x4 is nominal, but much easier to label and read than 1 3/4x3 3/4. so in construction, 16"o/c doesn't actually call for a 14" gap between studs as you would think.
...exception #3: vapor barriers are not to be penetrated or compromised in anyway, except when they are/have to be. turns out, you need a way to attach said vapor barrier/wrap to the rest of the structure, correct? what are you going to do; superglue it? don't worry. holes made by staples are small enough that the compromise is negligible.
...construction rule: how do you structure an exterior wall? SPAIGR. not even a good acronym, but turns out, it's pretty memorable.
i'm impressed.
well played, steve lee. well played.
now how about changing the second year syllabus back so that the wee little ones actually learn this stuff?...
...just saying...
