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Building Terms
There are 57 entries in this glossary.All
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| A/C |
Air Conditioning |
| Aggregate |
A mixture of sand and stone and a major component of concrete.
|
| Anchor Bolts |
Bolts that secure the sill plate to the concrete floor or wall. |
| Backer Board |
Water-resistant board used underneath a thinset installation.
Also known as cementitious backer unit.
|
| Backsplash |
A back splash prevents spilled liquids food and other materials from falling behind the cabinets. A back splash is often used as an upperward extension to the back of the countertop. Howerver the area on the wall above the back of the countertop is also often reffered to as a back splash. Another area can be be above the stove. These areas are usually decorated with tile and or other materials that are usually easy to clean and maintain.
|
| Base / Baseboard |
A trim board placed against the wall around the room touching the floor. |
| Beam |
A structural support member transversely supporting a load. A structural member carrying building loads (weight) from one support to another. Also known as a girder. |
| Bottom Plate |
The 2\" X 4\"s or 2\" X 6\"s that lay on the subfloor upon which the vertical studs are installed. Also called the sole plate. |
| Breaker Panel |
The electrical box that distributes electric power entering the home to each branch circuit (each plug and switch) and composed of circuit breakers. |
| Building Line |
The outline of a building.
|
| Butt Joint |
A butt joint is a joint where the edges of two pieces of the same material are placed against each other.
|
| Cantilever |
An overhang. Where a structure extends out away from the main building and past the foundation wall. An example, a fireplace location, bay window, or breakfast nook. |
| Caulk |
To make watertight or airtight by filling or sealing with a liguid-fied substance that will turn hard or flexible.
|
| Cement |
Cement is a powdery type substance made from a mixture of earths
materials such as limestone and shale, which is sintered (cause to
become solid mass by heating without melting), ground, and mixed with
small amounts of calcium sulphate and calcium carbonate.
Cement is activated by water and when mixed with gravel and sand, forms concrete. |
| Ceramic Tile |
A man-made or machine-made clay tile used to finish a floor or wall. Generally used in bathtub and shower enclosures and on counter tops. |
| Concrete |
A strong hard building material composed of sand and gravel and cement and water
|
| Crawl Space |
A shallow, unfinished space beneath the first floor of a house which has no basement, used for visual inspection and access to
pipes and ducts.
|
| Deck |
A deck is a flat surface capable of supporting weight, similar to a floor, but typically constructed outdoors, often elevated from the ground, and usually connected to a building. |
| Door |
A door is a panel or barrier, usually hinged, sliding,or electronic, that is used to cover an opening in a wall or partition giving onto a building or space. A door can be opened to give access and closed more or less securely. |
| Drip Cap |
A molding or metal flashing placed on the exterior topside
of a door or window frame to cause water to drip beyond the outside of the
frame.
|
| Drywall |
A drywall panel is made of a paper liner wrapped around an inner core made primarily from gypsum plaster. |
| Eaves |
The part of the roof which extends beyond the exterior side wall. The
projecting lower edge of a roof where the gutters are located.
|
| Framing |
Framing is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal joists or sloping rafters covered by various sheathing materials. |
| Galvanized |
Covered with a protective coating of zinc.
|
| Girder |
A structural support member transversely supporting a load. A structural member carrying building loads (weight) from one support to another. Also known as a beam. |
| Gutter |
A narrow channel which collects rainwater from the roof of a building and diverts it away from the structure. |
| Handyman |
A handyman is a term referring to a person competent in a variety of trade skills, inventive/ingenious repair, and maintenance work. |
| Hardwood |
Hardwood flooring is made from a solid piece of wood material. These woods could be oak, pine, spruce or bamboo. Hardwood flooring usually is 3/4\\" thick and comes unfinished and finished (polyurethane). |
| Masonry |
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone such as marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, and tile. |
| Neutral Wire |
Usually color-coded white, this carries electricity
from an outlet back to the service panel. Also see hot wire and ground.
|
| Newel Post |
The large starting post to which the end of a stair guard
railing or balustrade is fastened.
|
| Overhang |
Outward projecting eave-soffit area of a roof; the part
of the roof that hangs out or over the outside wall. See also Cornice.
|
| P Trap |
Curved, \"U\" section of drain pipe that holds a water
seal to prevent sewer gasses from entering the home through a fixtures water
drain.
|
| Paint |
A combination of pigments with suitable thinners or oils to
provide decorative and protective coatings. Can be oil based or latex water
based.
|
| Paver |
Masonry material that is laid down to make
a firm, even surface.
|
| Penny |
A term applied to nails. Originally indicated the price per
hundred. The term now series as a measure of nail length and is abbreviated
by the letter \"d\". Normally, 16d (16 \"penny\") nails are used for framing
|
| Permit |
A governmental municipal authorization to perform a building
process.
|
| Pilot Hole |
A small-diameter, pre-drilled hole that guides a nail
or screw.
|
| Pitch |
The incline slope of a roof or the ratio of the total rise
to the total width of a house, i.e., a 6-foot rise and 24-foot width is a
one-fourth pitch roof. Roof slope is expressed in the inches of rise, per
foot of horizontal run.
|
| Quarter Round |
A small trim molding that has the cross section of
a quarter circle.
|
| R-Value |
A materials r-value is the measure of its resistance to heat flow. The higher the r-value the better the material. When purchasing insulation for house it should be based on r-value, not thickness or weight. |
| Rake |
Slope of a slanted object.
|
| Ranch |
A single story, one level home.
|
| Reglaze |
To replace a broken window.
|
| Remodeling |
Remodeling is the process of restoring or improving a structure. Also remodeling can be done to an area in the home like a bathroom or kitchen. |
| Roofing |
A roof is the uppermost, covering, part of a building. The purpose of the roof is to protect both the building itself and its living or material contents from the effects of weather. |
| Rough Plumbing |
Work performed by the plumbing contractor after the
Rough Heat is installed. This work includes installing all plastic ABS drain
and waste lines, copper water lines, bath tubs, shower pans, and gas piping
to furnaces and fireplaces. Lead solder should not be used on copper piping.
|
| Siding |
Siding is the outer covering or cladding of a house meant to shed water and protect from the effects of weather. Siding may be made of wood, metal, vinyl, masonry, or composite materials. |
| Soil Stack |
A plumbing vent pipe that penetrates the roof.
|
| Sole Plate |
The \"2 X 4\"s or 2\" X 6\"s that lay on the subfloor upon which the vertical studs are installed. Also called the bottom plate. |
