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Home Owners Building Terms
Home Owners Building Terms
Home Owners Building Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| I-beam |
A steel beam with a cross section resembling the letter 'I'. It is used for long spans as basement beams or over wide wall openings, such as a double garage door, when wall and roof loads bear down on the opening. |
| I-joist |
Manufactured structural building component resembling the letter "I". Used as floor joists and rafters. I-joists include two key parts: flanges and webs. The flange of the I joist may be made of laminated veneer lumber or dimensional lumber, usually formed into a 1 inch width. The web or center of the I-joist is commonly made of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). Large holes can be cut in the web to accommodate duct work and plumbing waste lines. I-joists are available in lengths up to 60 feet long. |
| Incandescent lamp |
A lamp employing an electrically charged metal filament that glows at white heat. A typical light bulb. |
| Index |
The interest rate or adjustment standard that determines the changes in monthly payments for an adjustable rate loan. |
| Infiltration |
The passage of air from indoors to outdoors and vice versa. Term is usually associated with drafts from cracks, seams or holes in buildings. |
| Inside corner |
The point at which two walls form an internal angle, as in the corner of a room. |
| Insulating glass |
Window or door in which two panes of glass are used with a sealed air space between. Also known as Double glass. |
| Insulation |
Any material high in resistance to heat transmission that, when placed in the walls, ceiling, or floors of a structure, and will reduce the rate of heat flow. |
| Insulation board, rigid |
A structural building board made of coarse wood or cane fiber. It can be obtained in various size sheets and densities. |
| Interest |
The cost paid to a lender for borrowed money. |
| Interior finish |
Material used to cover the interior framed areas of walls and ceilings. |
| Irrigation |
Lawn sprinkler system. |
