Thin wood strips installed over the butt seam of cabinet skins.

Common word for concrete floors, driveways, basements, and sidewalks.

A non-bearing wall built on a concrete floor. It is constructed so that the bottom two horizontal plates can compress or pull apart if the concrete floor moves up or down. Normally built on basements and garage slabs.

Round metal ring which fits around the heat flue pipe after the pipe passes out of the roof.

2-foot lengths, fire clay or terra-cotta pipe (round or square) and usually madein all ordinary flue sizes. Used for the inner lining of chimneys with the brick or masonry work done around the outside. Flue linings in chimneys runs from one foot below the flue connection to the top of the chimney.

End rafters of the gable overhang supported by roof sheathing and lookouts.

A common form of heating with natural gas, propane, oil or electricity as a fuel. Air is heated in the furnace and distributed through a set of metal ducts to various areas of the house.

The supporting portion of a structure below the first floor construction, or below grade, including the footings.

High-quality below-grade moisture protection. Used for below-grade exterior concrete and masonry wall damp-proofing to seal out moisture and prevent corrosion. Normally looks like black tar.

The carpenter contractor that installs the lumber and erects the frame, flooring system, interior walls, backing, trusses, rafters, decking, installs all beams, stairs, soffits and all work related to the wood structure of the home. The framer builds the home according to the blueprints and must comply with local building codes and regulations.

In house construction a horizontal member connecting the top of the siding with the soffit of the cornice.

The depth of frost penetration in soil and/or the depth at which the earth will freeze and swell. This depth varies in different parts of the country.

A device often found in older homes designed to prevent overloads in electrical lines. This protects against fire. See also 'circuit breakers'.

Covered with a protective coating of zinc.

The trench or area in the yard where the gas line service is located, or the work of installing the gas service to a home.

A contractor who enters into a contract with the owner of a project for the construction of the project and who takes full responsibility for its completion, although the contractor may enter into subcontracts with others for the performance of specific parts or phases of the project.

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.

A valve that lets you adjust the flow of water to any rate between fully on and fully off. Also see gate valve.

A structural beam composed of wood laminations or lams. The lams are pressure bonded with adhesives to attain a typical thickness of 1 inch. (It looks like 5 or more 2 X 4's are glued together).

A foundation wall that is poured @ level with or just below the grade of theearth. An example is the area where the 8' or 16' overhead garage door "block out" is located, or a lower (walk out basement) foundation wall is poured.

The direction, size, arrangement, appearance, or quality of the fibers in wood.

Refers to electricity's habit of seeking the shortest route to earth. Neutral wires carry it there in all circuits. An additional grounding wire or the sheathing of the metal-clad cable or conduit protects against shock if the neutral leg is interrupted.

The plumbing drain and waste lines that are installed beneath the basement floor. Cast iron was once used, but black plastic pipe (ABS) is now widely used.

A wet mixture of cement, sand and water that flows into masonry or ceramic crevices to seal the cracks between the different pieces. Mortar made of such consistency (by adding water) that it will flow into the joints and cavities of the masonry work and fill them solid.

A shallow channel or conduit of metal or wood set below and along the (fascia) eaves of a house to catch and carry off rainwater from the roof.