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Superglossary - Construction Category: Architecture and Buildings > Construction Date & country: 16/12/2013, USA Words: 722

Open Hole Inspection
When an engineer (or municipal inspector) inspects the open excavation and examines the earth to det

Oriented Strand Board Or OSB
A manufactured 4' X 8' wood panel made out of 1' - 2' wood chips and glue. Often used as a substitut

Outrigger
An extension of a rafter beyond the wall line. Usually a smaller member nailed to a larger rafter to

Outside Corner
The point at which two walls form an external angle, one you usually can walk around.

Overhang
Outward projecting eave-soffit area of a roof

Pad Out, Pack Out
To shim out or add strips of wood to a wall or ceiling in order that the finished ceiling/wall will

Padding
A material installed under carpet to add foot comfort, isolate sound, and to prolong carpet life.

Paint
A combination of pigments with suitable thinners or oils to provide decorative and protective coatin

Pallets
Wooden platforms used for storing and shipping material. Forklifts and hand trucks are used to move

Panel
A thin flat piece of wood, plywood, or similar material, framed by stiles and rails as in a door (or

Paper, Building
A general term for papers, felts, and similar sheet materials used in buildings without reference to

Parapet
A wall placed at the edge of a roof to prevent people from falling off.

Particle Board
Plywood substitute made of course sawdust that is mixed with resin and pressed into sheets. Used for

Parting Stop Or Strip
A small wood piece used in the side and head jambs of double hung windows to separate the upper sash

Partition
A wall that subdivides spaces within any story of a building or room.

Paver, Paving
Materials

Payment Schedule
A pre-agreed upon schedule of payments to a contractor usually based upon the amount of work complet

Pedestal
A metal box installed at various locations along utility easements that contain electrical, telephon

Penalty clause
A provision in a contract that provides for a reduction in the amount otherwise payable under a cont

Penny
As applied to nails, it originally indicated the price per hundred. The term now series as a measure

Percolation Test Or Perc. Test
Tests that a soil engineer performs on earth to determine the feasibility of installing a leech fiel

Performance Bond
An amount of money (usually 10% of the total price of a job) that a contractor must put on deposit

Perimeter Drain
3' or 4' perforated plastic pipe that goes around the perimeter (either inside or outside) of a foun

Permeability
A measure of the ease with which water penetrates a material.

Permit
A governmental municipal authorization to perform a building process as in

Pier
A column of masonry, usually rectangular in horizontal cross section, used to support other structur

Pigment
A powdered solid used in paint or enamel to give it a color.

Pigtails, Electrical
The electric cord that the electrician provides and installs on an appliance such as a garbage dispo

Pilot Hole
A small-diameter, pre-drilled hole that guides a nail or screw.

Pilot Light
A small, continuous flame (in a hot water heater, boiler, or furnace) that ignites gas or oil burner

Pitch
The incline slope of a roof or the ratio of the total rise to the total width of a house, i.e., a 6-

PITI
Principal, interest, taxes and insurance (the four major components of monthly housing payments).

Plan View
Drawing of a structure with the view from overhead, looking down.

Plate
Normally a 2 X 4 or 2 X 6 that lays horizontally within a framed structure, such as

Plenum
The main hot-air supply duct leading from a furnace.

Plot Plan
An overhead view plan that shows the location of the home on the lot. Includes all easements, proper

Plough, Plow
To cut a lengthwise groove in a board or plank. An exterior handrail normally has a ploughed groove

Plumb
Exactly vertical and perpendicular.

Plumb Bob
A lead weight attached to a string. It is the tool used in determining plumb.

Plumbing Boots
Metal saddles used to strengthen a bearing wall/vertical stud(s) where a plumbing drain line has bee

Plumbing Ground
The plumbing drain and waste lines that are installed beneath a basement floor.

Plumbing Jacks
Sleeves that fit around drain and waste vent pipes at, and are nailed to, the roof sheeting.

Plumbing Rough
Work performed by the plumbing contractor after the Rough Heat is installed. This work includes inst

Plumbing Stack
A plumbing vent pipe that penetrates the roof.

Plumbing Trim
Work performed by the plumbing contractor to get the home ready for a final plumbing inspection. Inc

Plumbing Waste Line
Plastic pipe used to collect and drain sewage waste.

Ply
A term to denote the number of layers of roofing felt, veneer in plywood, or layers in built-up mate

Plywood
A panel (normally 4' X 8') of wood made of three or more layers of veneer, compressed and joined wit

Point Load
A point where a bearing/structural weight is concentrated and transferred to the foundation.

Portland Cement
Cement made by heating clay and crushed limestone into a brick and then grinding to a pulverized pow

Post
A vertical framing member usually designed to carry a beam. Often a 4' x 4', a 6' x 6', or a metal p

Post-And-Beam
A basic building method that uses just a few hefty posts and beams to support an entire structure. C

Power Vent
A vent that includes a fan to speed up air flow. Often installed on roofs.

Premium
Amount payable on a loan.

Preservative
Any pesticide substance that, for a reasonable length of time, will prevent the action of wood-dest

Pressure Relief Valve (PRV)
A device mounted on a hot water heater or boiler which is designed to release any high steam pressur

Pressure-Treated Wood
Lumber that has been saturated with a preservative.

Primer
The first, base coat of paint when a paint job consists of two or more coats. A first coating formul

Principal
The original amount of the loan, the capital.

Property Survey
A survey to determine the boundaries of your property. The cost depends on the complexity of the sur

Pump Mix
Special concrete that will be used in a concrete pump. Generally, the mix has smaller rock aggregate

Punch List
A list of discrepancies that need to be corrected by the contractor.

Punch Out
To inspect and make a discrepancy list.

Putty
A type of dough used in sealing glass in the sash, filling small holes and crevices in wood, and for

PVC or CPVC
Poly Vinyl Chloride-A type of white or light gray plastic pipe sometimes used for water supply lines

Quarry Tile
A man-made or machine-made clay tile used to finish a floor or wall. Generally 6' X 6' X 1/4' thic

Quarter Round
A small trim molding that has the cross section of a quarter circle.

Rabbet
A rectangular longitudinal groove cut in the corner edge of a board or plank.

Radiant Heating
A method of heating, usually consisting of a forced hot water system with pipes placed in the floor,

Radiation
Energy transmitted from a heat source to the air around it. Radiators actually depend more on convec

Radon
A naturally-occurring, heavier than air, radioactive gas common in many parts of the country. Radon

Radon System
A ventilation system beneath the floor of a basement and/or structural wood floor and designed to fa

Rafter
Lumber used to support the roof sheeting and roof loads. Generally, 2 X 10's and 2 X 12's are used.

Rafter, Hip
A rafter that forms the intersection of an external roof angle.

Rafter, Valley
A rafter that forms the intersection of an internal roof angle. The valley rafter is normally made o

Rail
Cross members of panel doors or of a sash. Also, a wall or open balustrade placed at the edge of a s

Railroad Tie
Black, tar and preservative impregnated, 6' X 8' and 6'-8' long wooden timber that was used to hold

Rake
Slope or slanted.

Rake Fascia
The vertical face of the sloping end of a roof eave.

Rake Siding
The practice of installing lap siding diagonally

Ranch
A single story, one level home.

Ready Mixed Concrete
Concrete mixed at a plant or in trucks en route to a job and delivered ready for placement.

Rebar
Reinforcing bar-Ribbed steel bars installed in foundation concrete walls, footers, and poured in pla

Receptacle
An electrical outlet. A typical household will have many 120 volt receptacles for plugging in lams

Recording fee
A charge for recording the transfer of a property, paid to a city, county, or other appropriate bran

Redline, Red Lined Prints
Blueprints that reflect changes and that are marked with red pencil.

Reducer
A fitting with different size openings at either end and used to go from a larger to a smaller pipe.

Reflective Insulation
Sheet material with one or both faces covered with aluminum foil.

Refrigerant
A substance that remains a gas at low temperatures and pressure and can be used to transfer heat. Fr

Register
A grill placed over a heating duct or cold air return.

Reglaze
To replace a broken window.

Relief Valve
A device designed to open if it detects excess temperature or pressure.

Remote
Remote electrical, gas, or water meter digital readouts that are installed near the front of the hom

Retaining Wall
A structure that holds back a slope and prevents erosion.

Retentions
Amounts withheld from progress billings until final and satisfactory project completion.

Ribbon (Girt)
Normally a 1 X 4 board let into the studs horizontally to support the 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 the ridge of the roof onto which the upper ends of other rafters are fastened.

Ridge Shingles
Shingles used to cover the ridge board.

Rim Joist
A joist that runs around the perimeter of the floor joists and home.