Copy of `Federation of Master Builders - Building jargon`

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Federation of Master Builders - Building jargon Category: Architecture and Buildings Date & country: 03/12/2007, UK Words: 94

Arris
Sharp external angle - usually 90 degrees

Baluster
Alternative term for Banister

Barge Board
Wide board fitted on edge of tiles following the slope of the roof

Bead
Small convex moulding

Bib Tap
Tap fed by horizontal supply - as in a garden tap

Blown or Live
Plaster that has lost its bond with the wall

Bond
Arrangement of bricks to ensure stability of brickwork

Buttress or Pier
Thickening of wall to form a vertical projection to strengthen it

Cavity Wall
Usual construction for external walls comprising an inner and outer leaf with a space between for insulation

Cleat
cable fixing for phone wire, etc

Coping
Protective finish to the top of a wall

Corbelling
Successive projecting courses of brickwork

Cove or Cornice
Moulding around room at junction of wall and ceiling

Dado Rail
Horizontal moulding part way up a wall

Deal
Term for piece of square-sawn softwood

Distemper
Wall paint made from water, pigment and glue (traditional)

Drip
Moulding or groove in overhanging member to prevent water creeping back

Eaves
Overhang of roof beyond wall below

Efflorescence
Unsightly powdery white salts brought to surface of brickwork

Flashing
Metal sheet used to deflect water at junction between roof and wall

Flat Arch
An arch that is almost completely horizontal

Flaunching
Cement mortar filler round the top of a chimney stack

Flue
Tube conveying smoke or fumes from fireplaces or appliances

Flush Door
Door with completely flat faces

Footlifter
Wedge used to lift boards for nailing to wall

Formation Level
The deep point in an excavation for a drive or path

Frog
Indent on bed face of a brick

Gable or Verge
Upper part of an outer wall at the end of a pitched roof

Gauged Brickwork
Fine brickwork with very thin joints

Glazing Bar
Thin bar shaped to receive pane of glass

Gravity Fed System
Central heating system that circulates water by gravity and water expansion

Header
The end face of a brick

Header Tank
Small open cistern (tank) that feeds water to central heating system

Herringbone
Zigzag pattern of brickwork

Hip
Line of adjoining sections of pitched roof at external angle of building

Hip Tile
Roof tile shaped to cover hip of roof

Hipped Roof
Pitched roof, the ends of which are also sloped

Jamb
The side of an opening in a wall for a door or window

Joist
Support for floor and ceiling

Knotting
Varnish to stabilise knots in wood

Lean-to Roof
Sloping roof supported along its highest part by a taller adjoining wall

Light
Subdivision of a window - fixed or opening. Opening light can be top or side hung

Lintel
Concrete or steel beam over opening to support wall above

Loose-Fill Insulation
loose material for insulating cavity walls and lofts

Mansard Roof
Form of pitched roof designed to provide more space for rooms

Megger
Test meter used by electricians

Mezzanine
Extra floor - possibly inserted between floor and ceiling of very tall room

Mitre
Angled joint (similar to joint in picture frame)

Module
Dimensional co-ordination of components

Muck
Brickie term for mortar

Mullion
Upright post in window

Newel
Vertical post at top and bottom of staircase

Nogging
Short wooden stiffeners inserted between joists

Nosing
Rounded edge of a stair tread projecting beyond the riser

Parapet
Low wall at the edge of a roof

Pebble Dash
Roughcast wall finish with stones bedded in rendered wall

Pilaster
Projecting part of a square column which is attached to wall

Pitch
Slope of roof - expressed as an angle or ratio

Plain tile
Rectangular 'flat' roofing tile

Plaster
Applied wall finish

Plasterboard
Prefabricated sheets of plaster for walls and ceilings

Plinth
Projecting base to external walls

Purlin
Horizontal beam, part way up a rafter to prevent sagging

Rafters
Series of structural timbers rising from eaves to ridge to support pitched roof covering

Rail
Horizontal member in door or fence

Relieving Arch
An arch constructed above a lintel or beam to take weight of wall above

Render
External sand-cement coating for walls

Reveal
Vertical side of door or window opening

Ridge
Top of a pitched roof

Ring Main
Power circuit for sockets

Rise
Vertical distance between two adjacent stair treads

Riser
Upright part of a stair OR vertical water pipe from the mains

Roof Truss
Prefabricated structural timer framework to support roof

RSJ
Rolled steel joist

Sarking Felt
Waterproof felt under roof tile battens

Sash
Framework for glass - in particular double-hung sliding sash window

Screed
Layer of fine concrete used to provide smooth surface prior to floor finish

Second Fix
Items fitted following plastering - including joiner, cupboards and plumbing/electrical fittings

Sill
Bottom horizontal member of a door or window frame

Skim
Finishing coat of plaster

Skirting
Horizontal board at junction between floor and wall

Soffit
Visible underside of a projecting surface

Span
Horizontal distance covered by a beam or lintel etc

Spoil
Material dug out during excavation

Stack
Vertical pipe carrying waste from sinks and toilets

Stocks
Hand or machine-made bricks made in a mould

Stretcher
The side face of a brick

String
Sloping board carrying the treads and risers of a staircase

Tarmac
Bitumen macadam coating aggregate for drive/path surfaces

Timber Frame
Type of house construction usually finished with brickwork outer skin

Tread
Horizontal part of a stair

TRV
Thermostatic radiator valve

Voussoir
Wedge-shaped brick used in arch construction

Wainscot
Wooden lining to the walls of a room (traditional)