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HOME REPAIR GLOSSARY
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A
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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
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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 damp proof.
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
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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
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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 upper and 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
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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
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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
► Non
corrosive 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
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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 piece
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
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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
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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
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Kiln-Dried
►Artificial
drying of lumber, superior to most lumber that is air dried.
King-Post
►The
center post of a truss. Large, heavy screws, used where great strength is
required, as in heavy framing or when attaching ironwork to wood.
L
TOP
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 agroundwork 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
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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
TOP
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
TOP
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
TOP
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
TOP
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
TOP
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
TOP
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 TOP
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.
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