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