Copy of `Rook Home Inspections LLC - Glossary of domestic engineering`
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Rook Home Inspections LLC - Glossary of domestic engineering
Category: Architecture and Buildings > Home inspection
Date & country: 16/01/2008, UK
Words: 1346
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Return In heating and cooling systems, a vent that returns cold air to be warmed. In a hot air furnace system, it is located near an inside wall.
Ribbon (or Girt) Normally a 1'x4' board let into the studs horizontally to support ceiling or second-floor joists.
Ridge The horizontal line at the junction of the top edges of two sloping roof surfaces.
Ridge Board The board placed on edge at the ridge of the roof into which the upper ends of the rafters are fastened.
Ridge Cut The end cut on a rafter that fits to the ridgeboard.
Ridgeboards Horizontal support at the ridge of a roof to which opposing rafters are attached.
Rigid Metal Conduit This conduit resembles plumbing pipe, protecting wires from damage.
Rise In stairs, the vertical height of a step or flight of stairs.
Riser Each of the vertical boards closing the spaces between the treads of stairways.
Road Base An aggregate mixture of sand and stone.
Rock 1, 2, 3 When referring to drywall, this means to install drywall to the walls and ceilings (with nails and screws), and before taping is performed.
Roll Roofing Roofing material, composed of fiber and satin rated with asphalt, that is supplied in 36-inch wide rolls with 108 square feet of material. Weights are generally 45 to 90 pounds per roll.
Roll, Rolling To install the floor joists or trusses in their correct place. (To 'roll the floor' means to install the floor joists).
Romex A non-metallic sheathed cable consisting of two or more insulated conductors having an outer sheath of moisture resistant, non-metallic material. The conductor insulation is rubber, neoprene, thermoplastic or a moisture resistant flame retardant fibrous material. There are two types: NM and NMC - described earlier.
Roof Deck See deck.
Roof Sheathing The boards or sheet material fastened to the roof rafters on which the shingle or other roof covering is laid.
Roof System General term referring to the waterproof covering, roof insulation, vapor barrier, if used and roof deck as an entity.
Roofing Tape An asphalt-saturated tape used with asphalt cements for flashing and patching asphalt roofing.
Root Cellar Food storage area with a dirt floor.
Rough In hardware, metal fastenings on cabinets which are usually concealed, like staples.
Rough Flooring Materials used to form an unfinished floor. Floor sheathing.
Rough Opening The opening in a wall into which a door or window is to be installed.
Rough Plumbing All plumbing that should be done before the finish trades (sheetrock, painting, etc), including all waste lines and supply water lines that are in the walls or framing of the building. See also: Plumbing, Sub Rough, and Finish Plumbing.
RPM Revolutions per Minute.
Rubber Emulsion Paint Paint, the vehicle of which consists of rubber or synthetic rubber dispersed in fine droplets in water.
Rubber-Tired Roller A roller with rubber tires commonly used for compacting trimmed subgrade or aggregate base or clay type soils.
Run (Roofing) The horizontal distance between the eaves and the ridge of the roof, being half the span for a symmetrical gable roof. Also, the net width of a step or the horizontal distance covered by a flight of stairs.
Sack Mix The amount of Portland cement in a cubic yard of concrete mix. Generally, 5 or 6 sack is required in a foundation wall.
Saddle Two sloping surfaces meeting in a horizontal ridge, used between the back side of a chimney, or other vertical surface, and a sloping roof.
Sales Contract A contract between a buyer and seller which should explain: (1) What the purchase includes, (2) What guarantees there are, (3) When the buyer can move in, (4) What the closing costs are, and (5) What recourse the parties have if the contract is not fulfilled or if the buyer cannot get a mortgage commitment at the agreed upon time.
Sand Float Finish Lime mixed with sand, resulting in a textured finish.
Sanitary Sewer A sewer system designed for the collection of waste water from the bathroom, kitchen and laundry drains, and is usually not designed to handle storm water.
Sanitary T Used on the waste side of plumbing to keep effluent flowing the correct direction.
Sapwood The outer zone of wood, next to the bark. In the living tree it contains some living cells (the heartwood contains none), as well as dead and dying cells. In most species, it is lighter colored than the heartwood. In all species, it is lacking in decay resistance.
Sash A single light frame containing one or more lights of glass.
Sash Balance A device, usually operated by a spring or tensioned weatherstripping designed to counterbalance double-hung window sash.
Saturant Asphalt used to impregnate a felt-base material.
Saturated Felt A felt which is impregnated with tar or asphalt.
SBS-Modified Asphalt that has been combined with SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene) polymers to increase its elasticity.
Scale The relationship between actual measurements on a page of plans or blue prints and the actual measurements of the building represented by the plans or blue prints.
Schedule (Window, Door, Mirror) A table on the blueprints that list the sizes, quantities and locations of the windows, doors and mirrors.
Scrap Out The removal of all drywall material and debris after the home is 'hung out' (installed) with drywall.
Scratch Coat The first coat of plaster, which is scratched to form a bond for the second coat.
Screed or Screeding The wood or metal straightedge used to strike off or level newly placed concrete when doing cement work. Screeds can be the leveling device used or the form work used to level or establish the level of the concrete. Screeds can be hand used or mechanical.
Scribing Fitting woodwork to an irregular surface. In moldings, cutting the end of one piece to fit the molded face of the other at an interior angle to replace a miter joint.
Scrim A woven or mat-type fabric that is used as a membrane sandwich between other material to provide reinforcement and stretch resistance.
Scupper An outlet in the wall of a building or a parapet wall for drainage of water from a flat roof.
Scutch A bricklayer`s cutting tool used for dressing and trimming brick to a special shape. It resembles a small pick.
Sealant An elastomeric material with adhesive qualities applied between components of a similar or dissimilar nature to provide an effective barrier against the passage of the elements.
Sealer A finishing material, either clear or pigmented, that is usually applied directly over uncoated wood for the purpose of sealing the surface.
Seasoning Removing moisture from green wood in order to improve its serviceability.
Seat The fixed part of a valve. The stem assembly will move up and down against the seat to open and close the valve.
Self Rimming A style of bathroom lavatory or kitchen sink with a finished lip or rim that installs on top of a counter without requiring a metal sink rim.
Self-Healing A term used to describe to a material which melts with the heat from the sun's rays, and seals over cracks that were earlier formed from other causes. Some waterproof membranes are self-healing.
Self-Leveling A term used to describe a viscous material that is applied by pouring. In its uncured state, it spreads out evenly.
Selvage The unsurfaced strip along a sheet of roll roofing which forms the under portion at the lap in the application of the roof covering.
Semigloss (Paint or Enamel) A paint or enamel made with a slight insufficiency of nonvolatile vehicle so that its coating, when dry, has some luster but is not very glossy.
Separation In concrete application, when concrete is dropped directly with a flat chute causing the concrete to separate, usually occurring at a 1:2 slope.
Service Conductor In electrical contracting, the supply conductors that extend from the street main or from the transformer to the service equipment.
Service Drop In electrical contracting, the overhead service conductors from the last pole or other aerial support to and including the splices, if any, connecting to the service entrance conductors at the building.
Setback Thermostat A thermostat with a clock which can be programmed to various temperatures at different times of the day/week. Usually used as the heating or cooling system thermostat.
Setting Blocks Generally rectangular cured extrusions of neoprene, EPDM, silicone, rubber or other suitable material on which the glass product bottom edge is placed to effectively support the weight of the glass.
Settlement Shifts in a structure, usually caused by freeze-thaw cycles underground.
Sewage Ejector A pump used to 'lift' waste water to a gravity sanitary sewer line. Usually used in basements and other locations which are situated bellow the level of the side sewer.
Sewer Lateral The portion of the sanitary sewer which connects the interior waste water lines to the main sewer lines. The side sewer is usually buried in several feet of soil and runs from the house to the sewer line. It is usually 'owned' by the sewer utility, must be maintained by the owner and may only be serviced by utility approved contractors. Sometimes …
Sewer Stub The junction at the municipal sewer system where the home's sewer line is connected.
Sewer Tap The physical connection point where the home's sewer line connects to the main municipal sewer line.
Shading Slight differences in shingle color that may occur as a result of normal manufacturing operations.
Shading Coefficient The ratio of the solar heat gain through a specific glass product to the solar heat gain through a lite of 1/8' (3mm) clear glass.
Shake A thick handsplit shingle, resawed to form two shakes; usually edge-grained.
Sheathing The structural covering, usually wood boards, plywood, gypsum or wood fiber, used over studs or rafters of framed buildings as the first layer of outer wall covering nailed to the studs or rafters.
Sheathing Paper A building material, generally paper or felt, used in wall and roof construction as a protection against the passage of air and sometimes moisture.
Shed Roof A roof having only one slope or pitch, with only one set of rafters which fall from a higher to a lower wall.
Sheet Metal Duct Work The heating system. Usually round or rectangular metal pipes and sheet metal (for return Aar) and installed for distributing warm (or cold) air from the furnace to rooms in the home.
Sheet Metal Work All components of a house employing sheet metal, such as flashing, gutters, and downspouts.
Sheetrock Panels made primarily from gypsum installed over the framing to form the interior walls and ceilings. Sheetrock is often called gypsum board.
Shelf-Life Used in the glazing and sealant business to refer to the length of time a product may be stored before beginning to lose its effectiveness. Manufacturers usually state the shelf life and the necessary storage conditions on the package.
Shellac A transparent coating made by dissolving lac, a resinous secretion of the lac bug (a scale insect that thrives in tropical countries, especially India), in alcohol.
Shingles Roof covering of asphalt, wood, tile, slate, or other material cut to stock lengths, widths, and thicknesses, which are laid in a series of overlapping rows as a roof covering on pitched roofs.
Shiplap Lumber Lumber that is edge-dressed to make a close rabbeted or lapped joint.
Shore "A" Hardness Measure of firmness of a compound by means of a Durometer Hardness Gauge. A hardness range of 20-25 is about the firmness of an art gum eraser. A hardness of about 90 is about the firmness of a rubber heel.
Shoring A temporary support erected in a trench or other excavation to support the walls from caving in.
Short Circuit A situation that occurs when hot and neutral wires come in contact with each other. Fuses and circuit breakers protect against fire that could result from a short.
Shutoff Valve The valve that allows water supply to be cut off to one fixture without affecting the water supply to the entire house or building. Common for use with clawfoot tubs, sinks, and toilets.
Shutter Usually lightweight louvered or flush wood or nonwood frames in the form of doors located at each side of a window. Some are made to close over the window for protection; others are fastened to the wall as a decorative device.
Side Sewer The portion of the sanitary sewer which connects the interior waste water lines to the main sewer lines. The side sewer is usually buried in several feet of soil and runs from the house to the sewer line. It is usually 'owned' by the sewer utility, must be maintained by the owner and may only be serviced by utility approved contractors. Sometimes …
Siding The finish covering of the outside wall of a frame building, whether made of horizontal weatherboards, vertical boards with battens, shingles, or other material.
Sight Line The line along the perimeter of glazing infills corresponding to the top edge of stationary and removable stops. The line to which sealants contacting the glazing infill are sometimes finished off.
Silicone Sealant A sealant having as its chemical compound a backbone consisting of alternating silicon-oxygen atoms.
Sill The lowest member of the frame of a structure, resting on the foundation and supporting the floor joists or the uprights of the wall. The member forming the lower side of an opening, as in a door sill, window sill, etc.
Sill Cock An exterior water faucet (hose bib).
Sill Plate The framing member anchored to the foundation wall upon which studs and other framing members will be attached. It is the bottom plate of exterior walls.
Sill Seal Fiberglass or foam insulation installed between the foundation wall and sill (wood) plate. Designed to seal any cracks or gaps.
Sill Sealer A material placed between the top of the foundation wall and the sill plate. Usually a foam strip, the sill sealer helps make a better fit and eliminate water problems.
Sill Step The first step coming directly off a building at the door openings.
Single Coverage Asphalt roofing that provides one layer of roofing material over the deck.
Single Family Dwelling (SFD) A house built for the purpose of a single family as opposed to multi families such as a duplex or apartment complex.
Single Ply A descriptive term signifying a roof membrane composed of only one layer of material such as EPDM, Hypalon or PVC.
Single Tee The name given to a type of precast concrete deck which has one stiffening rib integrally cast into slab.
Skip Sheathing The normal base for shake, shingle and some tile roofs. 1'x4' or similar sized boards are nailed at 90 degree angles to the rafters leaving a space of about 4' between each row and allowing for better ventilation.
