The Glossary

The central upright piece in a roof truss.

A low wall resulting from one-and-one-half-story construction.

A steel column used as a support for girders and beams.

A beam made of superimposed layers of similar materials by uniting them with glue and pressure.

A platform between flights of stairs or at the termination of a flight of stairs.

Slightly wedge-shaped boards used as horizontal siding in a lapped pattern over the exterior sheathing. Varies in butt thickness from to inch and in widths up to 12".

A building material of wood, metal, gypsum, or insulating board that is fastened to the frame of a building to act as a plaster base.

A framework of crossed wood or metal strips.

A vertical pipe or downspout that carries rainwater from the gutter to the ground or storm sewer.

A contract for the use of land for a period of years with a designated payment of a monthly or annual rental.

A strip of lumber nailed along the bottom of the side of a girder on which the joists rest.

A written indication of the location and boundaries of a parcel of land. Reference is generally made to a recorded plat of survey.

A legal right or claim that one party has against a property as a security for a payment obligation.

A horizontal structural member that supports the load over an opening such as a door or window.

A load that is not derived from the actual structure, but from furniture, snow, people, or other weight placed upon surfaces.

The amount of power or watts on a circuit or distribution panel.

Includes all exterior walls and any interior wall that is aligned above a support beam or girder. Normally, any wall that has a double horizontal top plate.

A short wooden framing member used to support an overhanging portion of a roof. It extends from the wall to the underside surfacing of the overhang.

A measured amount of property (land) having fixed boundaries.

The line forming the legal boundary of a piece of property.

An opening with a series of horizontal slats so arranged as to permit ventilation but to exclude rain, sunlight, or vision. See ATTIC VENTILATORS.

The principle water pipe from which other pipes branch.

The shelf above a fireplace, also used in referring or the decorative trim around a fireplace opening.

Both hard and soft maple are generally light tan and used in construction where hardness is a major factor. Used for expensive cabinetwork, flooring, doors, and trim. Often used for interior railings, posts, and furniture.

Stone, brick, concrete, hollow-tile, concrete-block, gypsum-block, or other similar building units or materials or a combination of the same, bonded together with mortar to form a wall, pier, buttress or similar mass.

A flexible adhesive for adhering building materials.

The right given to a contractor or material supplier over a property for material supplied or work performed and not yet paid.

Strips of corrugated metal used to tie a brick veneer wall to a framework.

Lumber that is shaped to a given pattern or molded form. It includes dressing, matching, and machining. Examples include casing, base, panel door parts, and stair rails.

A joint made with the ends or edges of two pieces of lumber cut at a 45-degree angle and fitted together.

Construction in which the size of all the building materials is based on a common unit of measure.

A material such as specially treated paper that retards the passage of vapor or moisture into walls, and prevents condensation with the walls.

A slab foundation that is part of the footings.

A mixture of cement, sand and water, used by the mason as a bonding agent for bricks and stone.

A document used to hold property as security for a debt.

A vertical bar or divider in the frame between windows, doors, or other openings.

A real estate brokerage service organized by local brokers to share real estate listed for sale.

A small member, which divides the glass or openings of sash or doors.

The wire in an electrical system (usually white) that carries current when there is unbalance load.

A post supporting the handrail at the top or bottom of a stairway.