Low cost integrated dwelling structure and method of making same

A low cost integrated dwelling erected on a terrain sloping at a predetermined angle to the horizontal and comprising:

• peripheral piers spaced apart selected span distances and cooperating to define a rectangular periphery of the footprint of the dwelling, the foot print having opposite sides and ends, with at least one pier at each of four corners and a central end pier located centrally on each end and at least one middle pier centrally located in the footprint;
• upwardly opening U-shaped brackets mounted on the respective piers;
• vertical periphery poles erected on the respective brackets of the respective peripheral piers to provide at least one pole at each corner and a central end pole at each end on the respective central end piers and cooperating to define respective spans between adjacent poles and a middle pole on the bracket of the middle pier, the corner poles terminating in top ends disposed at one level and the central end poles terminating in respective top ends disposed at a second higher level;
• side and end wall panels, each constructed of peripheral frames and sheeting with one panel interposed between adjacent poles and terminating in lower ends elevated from the terrain and cooperating to form a floor area;
• a floor panel assembly level with the lower ends of the side and end panels and formed by peripheral frames and sheeting and collectively shaped and constructed to be interposed in the floor area to form a floor and formed with peripheral border frames abutting the frames of the adjacent floor and end panels;
• a peak joist spanning between the upper ends of the central end poles;
• roof panels constructed of sheeting and peripheral frames and so configured and sized as to collectively span between the peak joist and the upper ends of the peripheral poles on the respective sides;
• and
• fasteners fastening the frames on the opposite sides of each side and end wall panel to the adjacent pole, and the frames at the outer peripheries of the floor assembly with the frames of the respective adjacent side and end wall panels, the frames at the upper sides of the roof panels to the peak joist and frames at the lower sides of the roof panels to the upper extremities of the side panels to structurally join the respective side and end wall panels to the poles and floor and side and end wall panels and roof panels and peak joist and side poles to form a shell of the respective panels and poles cooperating to withstand sheer loads applied the exterior of the shell.

A method of constructing a low cost dwelling at an erection site and including;

• selecting a footprint of the dwelling;
• selecting a dwelling design to provide a predetermined volume with a predetermined peripheral exterior and interior footprint defined by side and end runs;
• selecting a suspension skeleton for the dwelling made up of primary and secondary poles having top and bottom ends and to be spaced apart selected horizontal spans from one another about the periphery of the footprint;
• constructing primary and secondary wall panels of sheeting bounded by peripheral panel frames to cooperate in forming individual widths corresponding with the respective horizontal spans;
• constructing pairs of piers at the erection site spaced apart about the sides and end runs at horizontal locations spaced from one another corresponding with the respective spans;
• inserting tensioning fasteners to fasten the respective primary wall panels loosely between the selected pairs of the poles;
• positioning the bottomed ends of the respective poles on corresponding pairs of the piers along the periphery and raising the upper ends of the selected pairs of poles to position them and the respective panels hung there from in an erect position extending along portions of the periphery of the foot print fastening first edges of selected ones of the secondary wall panels to selected ones of secondary poles to form secondary wall assemblies;
• erecting the secondary wall assemblies and fastening the free edges of the secondary wall panels to selected primary poles to cooperate with the primary panels to form the interior footprint.
• constructing a floor panel assembly of sheeting and a peripheral frame in the configuration of the interior footprint;
• positioning the floor panel assembly in the interior footprint with abutting the bottoms of the wall panels;
• and
• squaring up the poles and wall panels and tightening the tensioning fasteners.

A method of constructing a low cost integrated dwelling including:

• assembling wall and floor panels of sheet and peripheral framework at one location in jigs;
• drilling selected patterns of bolt bores at selective locations in the framework along the opposite sides of the wall panels;
• selecting a plurality of suspension poles to suspend there between respective wall panels;
• drilling respective patterns of bolt bores in the poles at locations corresponding with selected patterns;
• selecting an erection site;
• installing piers at selected locations at the dwelling site remote from the one location;
• transporting the panels and poles from the one location to the erection site;
• bolting a selected pair of the poles to a wall panel using the bores as to form an initial panel assembly;
• erecting the initial panel assembly with the selected pair of poles supported on a pair of the piers;
• sequentially fastening at least one selected pole to a corresponding edge of a secondary wall panel to form respective secondary panel assemblies and erecting the secondary panel assemblies with at least one selected pole supported respective corresponding piers at the free edges of the secondary wall panels abutting the side of respective adjacent poles;
• bolting free edges of the secondary panels to adjacent poles with the panels in alignment with the poles and sandwiched therebetween to form a peripheral wall construction;
• installing the floor panels at the bottom of the walls;
• and
• fastening such floor panels to the bottom of the walls.

A low cost dwelling comprising:

• a plurality of vertical support poles spaced horizontally apart about the periphery of a dwelling footprint to form therebetween the respective panel spans;
• a plurality of rectangular wall panels constructed of sheeting and framework and interposed in alignment between adjacent poles, each formed with opposite vertical sides and so configured and arranged as to be received in the respective spans;
• and
• fasteners fastening the wall panels to the respective poles.