Abstract: A house, (or other building) built using structural insulated panels (comprising a frame around a slab of polystyrene). Tempered glass covers the panels that are used in the roof and outside walls, and is also used for inside walls and partitions. Windows and skylights are holes in the polystyrene, but are covered by the same glass. Light emitting diodes or starlights are set between the glass covering and the polystyrene. The windows cannot be opened, but fresh air may be introduced by heat recovery ventilators or extra glass outside doors. Structural insulated panels used in forming floors are covered by oriented strand board.

Abstract: A method of forming a watertight plank section including sawing green planks and securing a plurality of these planks in such a way that when dried, the planks shrink together in a fashion that forms a watertight seal.

Abstract: A method of joining, siding to studs, flooring to floor joists and, roof planking to rafters without the use of visible fasteners, such as nails and screws. The framing members, studs, etc., have rounded corners at their joining edge and rounded grooves close to this edge forming a rounded oval shaped knob for the length of the framing member. The cladding members (siding, etc), have oval shaped cross grooves, being the same shape and size of the knobs of the framing members, cut across them at the same spacing as the framing members. These grooves are undercut on each side so that when they are attached to the framing the undercut parts of the cross groove fit into the grooves along each edge of the framing member. Attachment is made by bending back the cladding at the cross grooves to open up the opening of the cross groove enough that it can be snapped over the knob of the framing member or the cladding can be forced over the knob edges by tapping it with a hard rubber mallet.

Abstract: Where a structural frame has elongated spaced parallel framing members therein, longitudinally extending edges of which are substantially coplanar with one another on one side of the frame, boards of wood facing material are superimposed on the edges of the framing members, and interlocked with one another, as well as with the framing members, at male/female joints formed therebetween along parallels to the right angular coordinates of the frame in the plane of the edges. The joints take the form of tongue and groove joints, and in the case of those between the boards and the framing members, the joints are also dovetailed. Certain improvements in sheet metal clad wood facing materials are also shown, as is a process for making boards of sheet metal clad wood facing material from planks of wood which are only partially dried when they are put to use in the process.

Abstract: Wood trusses used in building construction which have reinforced chord members. The reinforcing is made of sheet metal steel strips which have nail-like teeth punched from their surface, which are pressed into the wood chord members along their entire length. The steel strips overrun the length of the truss slightly and the ends are used as a tie down means. The continuous steel strips may also be used as connector plates to attach the chords to the truss webbing. The steel strips also serve to hold the trusses in a pre-cambered position.

Abstract: The roof section comprises a quadrilateral substrate and a roof covering on the top thereof. The covering comprises shingle-like roof plates, the bodies of which have a tapering cross section in one cross sectional plane thereof. The plates are arranged in at least two elongated parallel, relatively transversely offset but overlapping relatively top and bottom series. Each series has a plurality of the plates, and the plates are arranged in each series so that the bodies of the plates are staggered in overlapping relationship to one another lengthwise of the series. Also, the tapering cross sections of the plates are disposed lengthwise of the series.

Abstract: Wall sections for prefabricated buildings are constructed so that they have one stud and one short bottom plate whose length is equal to the design stud spacing at 90.degree. forming an "L". The sections are covered inside and outside with inside and outside finish. Each section is insulated with fiberglass insulation in batt form. The above description is meant to indicate ordinary building construction. The new sections would be similar except that the stud and plate would be split in two in the plane of and between their covering coats with one part being fixed to the outside finish and the other part being fixed to the inside finish. The fiberglass insulation would not be cut and would be left adhered to the inside surface. For shipping purposes and to cut bulk, one section half would be spun around 180.degree.

Abstract: Each construction member comprises a pair of mutually opposing, normally strip-like bodies of wood or other fastener impalable material, which are abutted face-to-face with one another on a common axis and adapted to define an axially extending slot at the interface therebetween. It also comprises an elongated strip of metal-like reinforcing material which is interposed in the slot and equipped with integral tooth-like fasteners on the longitudinally extending edges thereof which are oppositely disposed to one another from edge-to-edge of the strip and impaled in the bodies of fastener impalable material adjacent opposite sides of the slot. To this extent, pairs of the members may be modular.

Abstract: Common tongue and groove roof decking planks are covered with sheetmetal to make the planks themselves weatherproof. The sheetmetal is formed so that the individual planks can be interlocked together with a weatherproof joint which also hides from view and the weather the nails used to spike the roof planking down to the roof framing.

Abstract: A door is fabricated from wooden boards arranged edge to edge in a layer and secured together by metal strips having fasteners in the form of integral nail-like projections. The strips extend horizontally of the door to one vertical edge thereof, and include integral hinge means for mounting the door. The door may have two layers of boards with the strips sandwiched between the two layers and fastened to both of them.