Introduction Shelter is a basic human need and houses are considered an essential part of modern society. There are numerous types of houses constructed to provide shelter to humans. Wood-frame houses are the most common types of houses in Canadian suburbs. Millions of home owners use this building system to construct their residential houses. Roaf and Manuel observe that Canadian wood-frame construction is a mean of using a renewable locally available resource to build durable houses (415). Wood-frame construction provides some of the world’s most affordable housing using the abundant forest resources for housing material (1). This paper will set out to elaborate on the process of building a residential house in Canada. It will talk about the pre-construction process and explain the construction process in order to highlight the techniques and materials utilized to produce a typical wood framed designed house with a basement. The Pre-construction Process The pre-construction phrase occurs once the decision that a residential house will be constructed has been made. The pre-construction phase is critical to the success of the entire construction effort. The first step in the pre-construction phrase is to acquire the piece of land where the house will be set up. Once the land has been identified, it is crucial to assess the land. During the land assessment stage, it is important to understand zoning. Zoning dictates the manner in which the land can be utilized by the owner. By visiting the zoning department, one can obtain important information on the restrictions that might affect the type of house proposed. Lind et al. declare that it is integral to ensure that the property acquired is zoned for the intended use before carrying on to the construction stage (11). Once it is determined that the proposed residential house can be built at the site, a survey of the land is carried out. Land survey helps to ensure that the ground is suitable for a house. Anderson documents that before ascertaining if the grounds are suitable for construction, the subsoil conditions must be determined by carrying out various tests or investigating other houses built near the construction site (1). Through test borings, the subsoil conditions can be determined and if rock ledges are encountered the feasibility of building on the land is accessed. In addition to this, land assessment is integral to the construction process since it might influence other factors such as house design and building orientation. The building orientation will contribute to the energy efficiency of the residential house. Lind et al. state that the windows should be located in such a manner that they capture solar gains during winter and enhance house cooling during the summer months (9). Once the land has been surveyed, the next pre-construction process of determining a budget can be curried out. The budgeting phrase entails deciding on the amount of money that one is willing to spend on the construction process. Budget plays a crucial role in the construction of residential houses since it often determines what can be done (Anderson 1). With an unlimited budget, it would be possible to build almost any type of house. However, most people do not operate on limitless budgets and the budget determines the size and type of house that can be built. The bud