| A |
| Acoustical Tile | Special tile for walls and ceilings made of mineral, wood, vegetable fibers, cork, or metal. Its purpose is to control sound volume, while providing cover. |
| Air Duct | Pipes that carry warm air and cold air to rooms and back to furnace or air conditioning system. |
| Ampere | The rate of flow of electricity through electric wires. |
| Apron | A paved area, such as the juncture of a driveway with the street or with a garage entrance. |
| B |
| Backfill | The gravel or earth replaced in the space around a building wall after foundations are in place. |
| Balusters | Upright supports of a balustrade rail. |
| Balustrade | A row of balusters topped by a rail, edging a balcony or a staircase. |
| Baseboard | A board along the floor against walls and partitions to hid gaps. |
| Batt | Insulation in the form of a blanket, rather than loose filling. |
| Batten | Small thin strips covering joints between wider boards on exterior building surfaces. |
| Beam | One of the principal horizontal wood or steel members of a building. |
| Bearing Wall | A wall that supports a floor or roof of a building. |
| Bib or Bibcock | A water faucet to which a hose may be attached, also called a hose bib or sill cock. |
| Bleeding | Seeping of resin or gum from lumber. This term is also used in referring to the process of drawing air from water pipes. |
| Brace | A piece of wood or other material used to form a triangle and stiffen some part of a structure. |
| Braced Framing | Construction technique using posts and cross-bracing for greater rigidity. |
| Brick Veneer | Brick used as the outer surface of a framed wall. |
| Bridging | Small wood or metal pieces placed diagonally between floor joists. |
| Building Paper | Heavy paper used in walls or roofs to dampproof. |
| Built-Up Roof | A roofing material applied in sealed, waterproof layers, where there is only a slight slope to the roof. |
| Butt Joint | Joining point of two pieces of wood or molding. |
| Bx Cable | Electricity cable wrapped in rubber with a flexible steel outer covering. |
| C |
| Cantilever | A projecting beam or joist, not supported at one end, used to support an extension of a structure. |
| Carriage | The member which supports the steps or treads of a stair. |
| Casement | A window sash that opens on hinges at the vertical edge. |
| Casing | Door and window framing. |
| Cavity Wall | A hollow wall formed by firmly linked masonry walls, providing an insulating air space between. |
| Chimney Cap | Concrete capping around the top of chimney bricks and around the floors to protect the masonry from the elements. |
| Chair Rail | Wooden molding on a wall around a room at the level of a chair back. |
| Chamfered Edge | Molding with pared-off corners. |
| Chase | A groove in a masonry wall or through a floor to accommodate pipes or ducts. |
| Chimney Breast | The horizontal projection-usually inside a building-of a chimney from the wall in which it is built. |
| Circuit Breaker | A safety device which opens (breaks) an electric circuit automatically when it becomes overloaded. |
| Cistern | A tank to catch and store rain water. |
| Clapboard | A long thin board, thicker on one edge, overlapped and nailed on for exterior siding. |
| Collar Beam | A horizontal beam fastened above the lower ends of rafters to add rigidity. |
| Coping | Tile or brick used to cap or cover the top of a masonry wall. |
| Corbel | A horizontal projection from a wall, forming a ledge or supporting a structure above it. |
| Corner Bead | A strip of wood or metal for protecting the external corners of plastered walls. |
| Cornice | Horizontal projection at the top of a wall or under the overhanging part of the roof. |
| Course | A horizontal row of bricks, cinder blocks or other masonry materials. |
| Cove Lighting | Concealed light sources behind a cornice or horizontal recess which direct the light upon a reflecting ceiling. |
| 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. Also, a shallow space in the attic, immediately under the roof. |
| Cripples | Cut-off framing members above and below windows. |
| D |
| Door Buck | The rough frame of a door. |
| Dormer | The projecting frame of a recess in a sloping roof. |
| Double Glazing | An insulating window pane formed of two thicknesses of glass with a sealed air space between them. |
| Double Hung Windows | Windows with an upperand lower sash, each supported by cords and weights. |
| Downspout Leader | Downspout A spout or pipe to carry rain water down from a roof or gutters. |
| Cripples | A pipe for conducting rainwater from the roof to a cistern or to the ground by way of a downspout. |
| Downspout Strap | A piece of metal which secures the downspout to the eaves or wall of a building. |
| Drip | The projecting part of a cornice which sheds rain water. |
| Dry Wall | A wall surface of plasterboard or material other than plaster. |
| E |
| Eaves | The extension of roof beyond house walls. |
| Efflorescence | White powder that forms on the surface of brick. |
| Effluent | Treated sewage from a septic tank or sewage treatment plant. |
| F |
| Fascia | A flat horizontal member of a cornice placed in a vertical position. |
| Fill-Type Insulation | Loose insulating material which is applied by hand or blown into wall spaces mechanically. |
| Flashing | Noncorrosive metal used around angles or junctions in roofs and exterior walls to prevent leaks. |
| Floor Joists | Framing pieces which rest on outer foundation walls and interior beams or girders. |
| Flue | A passageway in a chimney for conveying smoke, gases or fumes to the outside air. |
| Footing | Concrete base on which a foundation sits. |
| Foundation | Lower parts of walls on which the structure is built. Foundation walls of masonry or concrete are mainly below ground level. |
| Framing | The rough lumber of a house-joists, studs, rafters, and beams. |
| Furring | Thin wood, or metal applied to a wall to level the surface for lathing, boarding, or plastering, to create an insulating air space, and to damp proof the wall. |
| Fuse | A short plug in an electric panel box which opens (breaks) an electrical circuit when it becomes overloaded. |
| G |
| Gable | The triangular part of a wall under the inverted “v” of the roof line. |
| Gambrel Roof | A roof with two pitches, designed to provide more space on upper floors. The roof is steeper on its lower slope and flatter toward the ridge. |
| Girder | A main member in a framed floor supporting the joists which carry the flooring boards. It carries the weight of a floor or partition. |
| Glazing | Fitting glass into windows or doors. |
| Grade Line | The point at which the ground rests against the foundation wall. |
| Green Lumber | Lumber which has been inadequately dried and which tends to warp or “bleed” resin. |
| Grounds | Pieces of wood embedded in plaster of walls to which skirtings are attached. Also wood pieces used to stop the plaster work around doors and windows. |
| Gusset | A brace or bracket used to strengthen a structure. |
| Gutter | A channel at the eaves for conveying away rain water. |
| H |
| Hardwood | The close-grained wood from broad-leaved trees such as oak or maple. |
| Headers | Double wood pieces supporting joists in a floor or double wood members placed on edge over windows and doors to transfer the roof and floor weight to the studs. |
| Heel | The end of a rafter that rests on the wall plate. |
| Hip Roof | A roof that slants upward on three or four sides. |
| Hip | The external angle formed by the juncture of two slopes of a roof. |
| J |
| Jalousies | Windows with movable, horizontal glass slats angled to admit-ventilation and keep out rain. This term is also used for outside shutters of wood constructed in this way. |
| Jamb | An upright surface that lines an opening for a door or window. |
| Joist | A small rectangular sectional member arranged parallel from wall to wall in a building, or resting on beams or girders. They support a floor or the laths or furring strips of a ceiling. |
| K |
| Kiln-Dried | Artificial drying of lumber, superior to most lumber that is air dried. |
| King-Post | The middle post of a truss. Large, heavy screws, used where great strength is required, as in heavy framing or when attaching ironwork to wood. |
| L |
| Lag-Screws or Coach-Screws | Large, heavy screws, used where great strength is required, as in heavy framing or when attaching ironwork to wood. |
| Lally Column | A steel tube sometimes filled with concrete, used to support girders or other floor beams. |
| Lath | One of a number of thin narrow strips of wood nailed to rafters, ceiling joists, wall studs, etc. to make a groundwork or key for slates, tiles, or plastering. |
| Leaching Bed | Tiles in the trenches carrying treated wastes from septic tanks. |
| Ledger | A piece of wood which is attached to a beam to support joists. |
| Lintel | The top piece over a door or window which supports walls above the opening. |
| Load-Bearing Wall | A strong wall capable of supporting weight. |
| Louver | An opening with horizontal slats to permit passage of air, but excluding rain, sunlight and view. |
| M |
| Masonry | Walls built by a mason, using brick, stone, tile or similar materials. |
| Molding | A strip of decorative material having a plane or curved narrow surface prepared for ornamental application. These strips are often used to hide gaps at wall junctures. |
| Moisture Barrier | Treated paper or metal that retards or bars water vapor, used to keep moisture from passing into walls or floors. |
| Mullion | Slender framing which divides the lights or panes of windows. |
| N |
| Newel | The upright post or the upright formed by the inner or smaller ends of steps about which steps of a circular staircase wind. In a straight flight staircase, the principal post at the foot or the secondary post at a landing. |
| Nosing | The rounded edge of a stair tread. |
| P |
| Parging | A rough coat of mortar applied over a masonry wall as protection or finish; may also serve as a base for an asphaltic waterproofing compound below grade. |
| Pilaster | A projection or the foundation wall used to support a floor girder or stiffen the wall. |
| Pitch | The angle of slope of a roof. |
| Plasterboard (See Dry Wall) | Gypsum board, used instead of plaster. |
| Plates | Pieces of wood placed on wall surfaces as fastening devices. The bottom member of the wall is the sole plate and the top member is the rafter plate. |
| Plenum | A chamber which can serve as a distribution area for heating or cooling systems, generally between a false ceiling and the actual ceiling. |
| Pointing | Treatment of joints in masonry by filling with mortar to improve appearance or protect against weather. |
| Post-And-Beam Construction | Wall construction in which beams are supported by heavy posts rather than many smaller studs. |
| Prefabrication | Construction of components such as walls, trusses, or doors, before delivery to the building site. |
| R |
| Rabbet | A groove cut in a board to receive another board. |
| Radiant Heat | Coils of electricity, hot water or steam pipes embedded in floors, ceilings, or walls to heat rooms. |
| Rafter | One of a series of structural roof members spanning from an exterior wall to a center ridge beam or ridge board. |
| Reinforced Concrete | Concrete strengthened with wire or metal bars. |
| Ridge Pole | A thick longitudinal plank to which the ridge rafters of a roof are attached. |
| Riser | The upright piece of a stair step, from tread to tread. |
| Roof Sheathing | Sheets, usually of plywood, which are nailed to the top edges of trusses or rafters to tie the roof together and support the roofing material. |
| S |
| Sandwich Panel | A panel with plastic, paper, or other material enclosed between two layers of a different material. |
| Sash | The movable part of a window-the frame in which panes of glass are set in a window or door. |
| Scotia | A concave molding. |
| Scuttle Hole | A small opening either to the attic, to the crawl space or to the plumbing pipes. |
| Seepage Pit | A sewage disposal system composed of a septic tank and a connected cesspool. |
| Septic Tank | A sewage settling tank in which part of the sewage is converted into gas and sludge before the remaining waste is discharged by gravity into a leaching bed underground. |
| Shakes | Handcut wood shingles. |
| Sheathing (See Wall Sheathing) | The first covering of boards or material on the outside wall or roof prior to installing the finished siding or roof covering. |
| Shim | Thin tapered piece of wood used for leveling or tightening a stair or other building element. |
| Shingles | Pieces of wood, asbestos or other material used as an overlapping outer covering on walls or roofs. |
| Shiplap | Boards with rabbeted edges overlapping. |
| Shiplap | Siding Boards of special design nailed horizontally to vertical studs with or without intervening sheathing to form the exposed surface of outside walls of frame buildings. |
| Sill Plate | The lowest member of the house framing resting on top of the foundation wall. Also called the mud sill. |
| Skirtings | Narrow boards around the margin of a floor; baseboards. |
| Slab | Concrete floor placed directly on earth or a gravel base and usually about four inches thick. |
| Sleeper | Strip of wood laid over concrete floor to which the finished wood floor is nailed or glued. |
| Soffit | The visible underwide of structural members such as staircases, cornices, beams, a roof overhang or eave. |
| Softwood | Easily worked wood or wood from a conebearing tree. |
| Soil Stack | Vertical plumbing pipe for waste water. |
| Stringer | A long, horizontal member which connects uprights in a frame or supports a floor or the like. One of the enclosed sides of a stair supporting the treads and risers. |
| Studs | In wall framing, the vertical members to which horizontal pieces are nailed. Studs are spaced either 16 inches or 24 inches apart. |
| Subfloor | Usually, plywood sheets that are nailed directly to the floor joists and that receive the finish flooring. |
| Sump | A pit in the basement in which water collects to be pumped out with a sump pump. |
| Swale | A wide shallow depression in the ground to form a channel for storm water drainage. |
| T |
| Tie | A wood member which binds a pair of principal rafters at the bottom. |
| Tile Field | Open-joint drain tiles laid to distribute septic tank effluent over an absorption area or to provide subsoil drainage in wet areas. |
| Toenail | Driving nails at an angle into corners or other joints. |
| Tongue-And-Groove | Carpentry joint in which the jutting edge of one board fits into the grooved end of a similar board. |
| Trap | A bend in a water pipe to hold water so gases will not escape from the plumbing system into the house. |
| Tread | The horizontal part of a stair step. |
| Truss | A combination of structural members usually arranged in triangular units to form a rigid framework for spanning between load-bearing walls. |
| V |
| Valley | The depression at the meeting point of two roof slopes. |
| Vapor Barrier | Material such as paper, metal or paint which is used to prevent vapor from passing from rooms into the outside walls. |
| Venetian Window | A window with one large fixed central pane and smaller panes at each side. |
| Vent Pipe | A pipe which allows gas to escape from plumbing systems. |
| Verge | The edge of tiles, slates or shingles, projecting over the gable of a roof. |
| W |
| Wainscoting | The lower three or four feet of an interior wall when lined with paneling, tile or other material different from the rest of the wall. |
| Wall Sheathing | Sheets of plywood, gypsum board, or other material nailed to the outside face of studs as a base for exterior siding. |
| Weather Stripping | Metal, wood, plastic or other material installed around door and window openings to prevent air infiltration. |
| Weep Hole | A small hole in a wall which permits water to drain off. |
