F.A.Q |
Glossary of Construction Terms | Warranty
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Glossary of Construction Terms
Aerator- A small, removable extension at the tip of a sink
faucet that mixes streaming water with air to reduce splashing
and conserve water.
Air hammer- A banging noise in plumbing
pipes caused by air infiltration.
Airway- The space between
roof insulation and roof boards which allows movement in
the air.
Alkali- A soluble mineral salt or mixture of salts
capable of neutralizing acids.
Anchor Bolts- Bolts that secure
a wooden sill plate to a concrete or masonry floor or wall.
Asphalt- A residue from evaporated petroleum, insoluble in water but
soluble in gasoline. Melts when heated.
Attic Ventilators- Screened openings provided to ventilate an attic space.
Ball
Cock- A device in a flush toilet consisting of a valve connected
by a lever to a floating ball.
The
valve
closes
when the ball is raised and opens when it is
lowered.
Baseboard- A decorative and protective wood molding
positioned where the wall meets the floor.
Base
Molding- Molding used to trim the upper edge of the interior
baseboards.
Beam- A structural element transversely supporting
a load.
Bearing Wall- A wall that supports
any vertical load in addition to its own weight.
Brace- An
inclined piece of framing lumber applied to wall or floor
to stiffen the
structure. Often
used on
walls
as temporary bracing until framing
has been completed.
Brick Veneer- A facing of brick laid
against and fastened to sheathing
of a frame wall.
Casing- Molding of various widths
and thickness used to trim door
and window
openings at
the jambs.
Caulk- A building joint
sealant used where two dissimilar materials are joined. In
time, caulk hardens and cracks and
should
be renewed prior to painting.
Circuit Breaker- A switching
device, located in the main electrical panel, that opens
and closes electrical circuits
and automatically
shuts off electricity to a circuit should it become overloaded.
Once the electrical load is reduced, the breaker switch
can be turned back on to resume normal service.
Concrete Dusting- A fine dust that accumulates on finished concrete surfaces.
Condenser- An exterior unit that is part of the air conditioning system
which expels heat into the outside air.
Conduit, Electrical- A pipe in which insulated electrical wire is installed.
Corner
Bead- An angled metal edging used to protect and form an
edge where drywall panels meet at outside
edges.
Damper- A device in a fireplace that controls
the air draft allowed into the fire.
Delamination- The separation
of the top piles of laminate from the base material.
Dethatching- The loosing and removal of matted grasses and leaves from
existing lawns, which
allows the
grass to breathe
and therefore promotes healthy growth.
Downspout- A pipe, usually of metal, for carrying water from roof gutters.
Drywall- Interior covering material, such as gypsum board or plywood,
which is applied
in
large sheets.
Eaves- The margin or lower
part of a roof projection over a wall.
Efflorescence- A white
powdery substance that can form on new block, brick,
or stucco finishes.
It
is composed
of water-soluble
salts that are present in masonry
materials and that rise to
the surface via water evaporation.
Face
Frame- The front of kitchen and bathroom cabinets, to which
the
hinged
doors are
attached.
Face Nailing- Nailing
through a finished, exposed surface so that
the flat
top of the nail head
is still visible
at the
surface.
Fascia- The exterior
horizontal trim around rafters. Also positioned
right
behind gutters
and over
gable trim boards.
Filler Board- Cabinet grade wood used to fill gaps that
occur
between cabinet
and
wall openings.
Fillers- A
wood putty used in preparation for painting
to fill
holes and
cracks in wood.
Flashing- Sheet metal or other material used in
roof and wall
construction
to protect a building
from rainwater penetrating the
house structure.
Flue- A vertical duct, constructed of sheet
metal of clay, that
channels smoke
from
a fireplace out of
the home.
Footing- A masonry
section, usually
concrete, in
a rectangular form
wider than the
bottom of the
foundation wall or
pier it supports.
Foundation- The supporting portion of a structure
below the first
floor construction,
or below
grade, including
the footings.
Frame
Construction- A type of construction
in which
the structural
parts are
wood or depend
upon a
wood frame
for support.
Gable- The Portion of the roof above
the eave
line
of a double-sloped
roof.
Gabled
Louvers- A vent with
louvers located
at the peak
of gable
ends.
Graphite
Lubricant- A finely
powdered
graphite
used
as lubricant.
Ground
Fault
Circuit Interrupter
(GFCI)- A specialized
electrical
device
that
will
interrupt electrical
power
where a
weak
electrical loss
of ground
occurs.
Normally
located
in areas
where
water
may be present.
Grout- A white
or
colored
plaster-like
mortar
compound
used
to
fill spaces
between
ceramic
tiles.
Header- A
heavy concrete
or
steel
beam
that
spans
open
spaces
in
walls,
over
doors
and
windows,
and
provides
support
to
structural
members
above
it.
Hip
Roof- A
roof that
rises by
inclined planes
from all
four sides
of a
building.
Honeycomb- In concrete,
an open
sell like
surface texture
that occurs
while pouring
the concrete.
Hose
Bib- An
exterior faucet
connection for
lawn and
garden hoses.
Insulation- Any material
high in
resistance to
heat transmission
that, when
placed on
walls, ceilings,
or floors
of a
structure, will
reduce the
rate of
heat flow.
Jamb- The side
and headlining
of a
doorway, window,
or other
opening.
Joint
Compound- A
plaster-like compound
used with
drywall tape,
to join
sheets of
drywall into
a smooth,
continuous panel.
Joists- The horizontal
support members
used in
constructing a
floor.
Keeper
Plate- The
metal plate
that keeps
a door
lock latched
securely in
place.
Lockset- A door
lock.
Louver- An opening
with a
series
of
horizontal
slates
so arranged
as to
permit ventilation
but to
exclude
sunlight,
rain, or
vision.
Masonry- Stone,
brick,
concrete,
hollow-tile,
concrete
block,
gypsum
block
or other
similar
building
materials
or
a combination
of the
same
bonded
together
with
mortar
to
form a
wall,
pier,
buttress,
or
similar
mass.
Mastic- A
construction
adhesive
that
is thick
and
waterproof.
Used
on
roofs.
Moldings- Shaped
strips
of
ornamental
wood
used
around
doors
and
windows.
Also
used
for
base
molding,
tile
molding,
as
chair
rails,
and
for
exterior
area
molding.
Nail
Pops- Nails
that
come
loose
from
a
stud
and
push
joint
compound
up.
Caused
by
normal
wood
shrinkage
and
home
settlement.
Pointing- The
filling
and
finishing
of
broken
mortar
and
stone
cement
masonry
joints.
Ponding- The
collection
of
water
on
driveways,
walkways,
or
lawns.
Ponding
for
excessive
periods
of
time
is
indicative
of
grading
problems.
Rafter- One
of
a
series
of
structural
members
of
a
roof
designed
to
support
roof
loads.
The
rafters
of
a
flat
roof
are
sometimes
called
roof
joists.
Resilient
Flooring- Vinyl
flooring
used
in
areas
such
as
kitchens,
halls,
bathrooms,
and
laundry
rooms.
It
is
capable
of
withstanding
shock
without
permanent
deformation.
Ridge
Vent- An
open
vent
system
located
along
roof
peaks,
which
in
conjunction
with
soffit
vents,
creates
ventilation
through
the
passage
of
natural
air.
Roof
Sheathing- Boards
or
sheet
material
fasted
to
roof
rafters
on
which
the
shingles
or
other
roof
covering
is
laid. Scaling- In
concrete,
the
breaking
away
of
the
top
surface
of
the
concrete,
caused
by
a
freeze
or
thaw
cycle.
In
painting,
the
flaking
or
peeling
away
of
paint.
Shingles- Roof
covering
of
asphalt,
tile,
slate
or
other
material
cut
to
stock
lengths,
widths
and
thickness. Sill- The
lowest
member
of
the
frame
of
a
structure,
resting
on
the
foundation
and
supporting
the
floor
joists
or
the
uprights
of
the
wall.
Forms
the
lower
side
of
an
opening,
as
a
door
sill
or
window
sill.
Sill
Plates- A
support
laid
on
the
top
of
the
foundation
wall
that
serves
as
a
base
for
the
wall
framing. Silicone- A
synthetic
lubricating
compound
with
high
resistance
to
temperature
change
and
water.
When
added
to
caulking,
it
extends
elasticity
properties
and
increases
the
life
of
the
caulking.
Soffit- Usually
the
underside
of
an
overhang
cornice
or
roof. Soffit
Vent- A
vent
located
under
the
ceiling
of
a
roof
overhang.
Spackle- Joint
compound. Spalling- Flaking
or
chipping
of
stone
or
other
masonry
material.
Similar
to
scaling,
but
the
chips
and
flakes
are
larger.
Stud- One
of
the
series
of
slender
wood
structural
members
placed
as
supporting
elements
in
walls
and
partitions. Sub-flooring- A
wood
sheet
flooring
directly
over
the
joist
that
supports
the
underlayment
or
floor
covering.
Swale- The
soil
contour
on
a
building
lot
deliberately
shaped
to
channel
rainwater
away
from
the
home. Tack
Strips- A
wood
strip
with
exposed
tack
points
that
is
attached
to
the
sub-flooring
and
hold
stretched
wall-to-wall
carpeting
in
place.
Tread- The
horizontal
board
in
a
stairway
on
which
the
foot
is
placed. Trim- The
finish
materials
in
a
building,
such
as
moldings,
applied
around
openings
or
at
the
floor
or
ceilings
of
rooms.
Trusses- Engineered
wood
structural
members
used
to
construct
floors
and
roofs. Turnaround- An
additional
section
of
driveway
where
cars
can
be
turned
around.
Underlayment- A
flooring
layer
over
the
base
sub-flooring,
over
which
tile
or
resilient
floor
covering
is
laid. Valley- The
internal
angle
formed
by
the
junction
of
two
sloping
sides
of
the
roof.
Vacuum
Breaker- Also
called
a
back-flow
preventer,
this
device
is
placed
on
exterior
faucets
to
allow
water
to
only
flow
out
of
the
home. Valve
Seat- An
interior
part
of
the
faucet
valve
assembly
where
the
valve
sits.
Wall
Ties- The
metal
pieces
that
tie
masonry
veneer
to
the
frame
of
the
home,
or
when
pouring
concrete,
the
metal
pieces
that
hold
the
concrete
foundation
wall
forms
in
place
until
the
concrete
cures. Washers- Round,
rigid
rubber
or
plastic
discs
used
a
s
a
sealing
device
in
water
faucet
valves.
Weather
Stripping- A
weather-insulating
strip
of
material
placed
around
doors
and
windows
to
reduce
water
entry
into
the
home.
Also
reduces
air
infiltration
into
the
home
or
the
escape
of
conditioned
air
out
of
the
home. Washouts- An
area
where
water
has
produces
water
erosion.
Window
Balance- A
counter
balance
device
in
window
housings
that
assists
with
the
opening
and
closing
of
a
window,
and
the
keeps
the
window
in
position.
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