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Home Owners Building Terms
Home Owners Building Terms
Home Owners Building Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Bifold door |
Doors that are hinged in the middle for opening in a smaller area than standard swing doors. Often used for closet doors. |
| Binder |
A receipt for a deposit to secure the right to purchase a home at an agreed terms by a buyer and seller. |
| Bipass doors |
Doors that slide by each other and commonly used as closet doors. |
| Blankets |
Fiber-glass or rock-wool insulation that comes in long rolls 15 or 23 inches wide. |
| Block out |
To install a box or barrier within a foundation wall to prevent the concrete from entering an area. For example, foundation walls are sometimes "blocked" in order for mechanical pipes to pass through the wall, to install a crawl space door, and to depress the concrete at a garage door location. |
| Blocked (door blocking) |
Wood shims used between the door frame and the vertical structural wall framing members. |
| Blocked (rafters) |
Short "2 by 4's" used to keep rafters from twisting, and installed at the ends and at mid-span. |
| Blocking |
Small wood pieces to brace framing members or to provide a nailing base for gypsum board or paneling. |
| Blow insulation |
Fiber insulation in loose form and used to insulate attics and existing walls where framing members are not exposed. |
| Blue print(s) |
A type of copying method often used for architectural drawings. Usually used to describe the drawing of a structure which is prepared by an architect or designer for the purpose of design and planning, estimating, securing permits and actual construction. |
| Blue stake |
Another phrase for Utility Notification. This is when a utility company (telephone, gas, electric, cable TV, sewer and water, etc) comes to the job site and locates and spray paints the ground and/or installs little flags to show where their service is located underground. |
| Board foot |
A unit of measure for lumber equal to 1 inch thick by 12 inches wide by 12 inches long. Examples: 1" x 12" x 16' = 16 board feet, 2" x 12" x 16' = 32 board feet |
| Bond or bonding |
An amount of money (usually $5,000-$10,000) which must be on deposit with a governmental agency in order to secure a contractor's license. The bond may be used to pay for the unpaid bills or disputed work of the contractor. Not to be confused with a 'performance bond'. Such bonds are rarely used in residential construction, they are an insurance policy which guarantees proper completion of a project. |
| Boom |
A truck used to hoist heavy material up and into place. To put trusses on a home or to set a heavy beam into place. |
| Bottom chord |
The lower or bottom horizontal member of a truss. |
| Bottom plate |
The 2 X 4's or 6's" that lay on the subfloor upon which the vertical studs are installed. Also called the 'sole plate'. |
| Brace |
An inclined piece of framing lumber applied to wall or floor to strengthen the structure. Often used on walls as temporary bracing until framing has been completed. |
| 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. |
| Brick ledge |
Part of the foundation wall where brick (veneer) will rest. |
| Brick lintel |
The metal angle iron that brick rests on, especially above a window, door, or other opening. |
| Brick mold |
Trim used around an exterior door jamb that siding butts to. |
| Brick tie |
A small, corrugated metal strip @ 1" X 6"- 8" long nailed to wall sheeting or studs. They are inserted into the grout mortar joint of the veneer brick, and holds the veneer wall to the sheeted wall behind it. |
| Brick veneer |
A vertical facing of brick laid against and fastened to sheathing of a framed wall or tile wall construction. |
| Bridging |
Small wood or metal members that are inserted in a diagonal position between the floor joists or rafters at mid-span for the purpose of bracing the joists/rafters and spreading the load. |
| Buck |
Often used in reference to rough frame opening members. Door bucks used in reference to metal door frame. See Window Bucks. |
| Builder's Risk Insurance |
Insurance coverage on a construction project during construction, including extended coverage that may be added for the contract for the customer's protections. |
| Building codes |
Community ordinances governing the manner in which a home may be constructed or modified. |
| Building insurance |
Insurance covering the structure of the building. |
| Building paper |
A general term for papers, felts, and similar sheet materials used in buildings without reference to their properties or uses. Generally comes in long rolls. |
| Built-up roof |
A roofing composed of three to five layers of asphalt felt laminated with coal tar, pitch, or asphalt. The top is finished with crushed slag or gravel. Generally used on flat or low-pitched roofs. |
| Bull nose (drywall) |
Rounded drywall corners. |
| Bundle |
A package of shingles. Normally, there are 3 bundles per square and 27 shingles per bundle. |
| Butt edge |
The lower edge of the shingle tabs. |
| Butt hinge |
The most common type. One leaf attaches to the door's edge, the other to its jamb. |
| Butt joint |
The junction where the ends of two timbers meet, and also where sheets of drywall meet on the 4 foot edge. To place materials end-to-end or end-to-edge without overlapping. |
| Buy down |
A subsidy (usually paid by a builder or developer) to reduce monthly payments on a mortgage. |
| By fold door |
Doors that are hinged in the middle for opening in a smaller area than standard swing doors. Often used for closet doors. |
| By pass doors |
Doors that slide by each other and commonly used as closet doors. |
| Caisson |
A 10" or 12" diameter hole drilled into the earth and embedded into bedrock 3 - 4 feet. The structural support for a type of foundation wall, porch, patio, monopost, or other structure. Two or more "sticks" of reinforcing bars (rebar) are inserted into and run the full length of the hole and concrete is poured into the caisson hole. |
| Cantilever |
An overhang. Where one floor extends beyond and over a foundation wall. For example at a fireplace location or bay window cantilever. Normally, not extending over 2 feet. |
| Cantilevered void |
Foundation void material used in unusually expansive soils conditions. This void is "trapezoid" shaped and has vertical sides of 6" and 4" respectively. |
| Cap |
The upper member of a column, pilaster, door cornice, molding, or fireplace. |
| Cap flashing |
The portion of the flashing attached to a vertical surface to prevent water from migrating behind the base flashing. |
| Capital |
The principal part of a loan, i.e. the original amount borrowed. |
| Capital and interest |
A repayment loan and the most conventional form of home loan. The borrower pays an amount each month to cover the amount borrowed (or capital or principal) plus the interest charged on capital. |
| Capped rate |
The mortgage interest rate will not exceed a specified value during a certain period of time, but it will fluctuate up and down below that level. |
| Casement |
Frames of wood or metal enclosing part (or all) of a window sash. May be opened by means of hinges affixed to the vertical edges. |
| Casement Window |
A window with hinges on one of the vertical sides and swings open like a normal door. |
| Casing |
Wood trim molding installed around a door or window opening. |
| Caulk |
To make watertight or airtight by filling or sealing with a liguid-fied substance that will turn hard or flexible. |
