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GLOSSARY OF BUILDING TERMS
Batt - Insulation in the form of a blanket,
rather than loose filling.
Bearing Wall - A wall that
supports a floor or roof of a building.
Brick Veneer - Brick used
as the outer surface of a framed wall.
Cantilever - A projecting beam or joist,
not supported at one end, used to support an extension of
a structure.
Chase - A groove in a masonry wall or through
a floor to accommodate pipes or ducts.
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.
Double Hung Windows
- Windows with an upper and lower sash, each supported by
cords and
weights.
Eaves - The extension of roof beyond house
walls.
Fascia - A flat horizontal member of a cornice
placed in a vertical position.
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.
Gable - The triangular part of a wall under
the inverted "v" of the roof line.
Gambrel Roof - A rood with
two pitches, designed to provide more space on upper
floors. The roof is steeper on its lower slope and flatter
toward the ridge.
Green Lumber - Lumber which has been inadequately
dried and which tends to warp or
"bleed" resin.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pitch - The angle or slope of a roof.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sill Plate - The lowest member of the house
framing resting on top of the foundation wall. Also called
the mudsill.
Slab - Concrete floor placed directly on
earth or a gravel base and usually about four inches thick.
Soffit - The visible underside of structural
members such as staircases, cornices, beams, a roof overhang
or eave.
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
finished flooring.
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.
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.
Vent Pipe - A pipe which allows gas to escape
from plumbing systems.
Wall Sheathing - Sheets
of plywood, gypsum board or other material nailed to the outside
face of studs as a base for exterior siding.
Weep Hole - A small hole in a wall which
permits water to
Banner photo by The Taunton Press |
