This document provides definitions and descriptions of various construction terms and materials. It includes definitions of air barriers, vents, roofing components, excavation equipment, foundations systems, masonry units, doors, windows, electrical systems, framing, insulation, plumbing fixtures, roofing materials, and more. Each term is concisely defined or described.

1. Air Barrier Paper An external membrane applied to sheathing which acts as a weather barrier and helps to prevent water from entering the house

2. Soffit Vent An opening under the eave of a roof, used to allow air to flow into the attic or the space below the roof sheathing.

3. Ridge Vent A long, open assembly that allows air to circulate in and out of a gable roof at the ridge.

4. Gable Vent A screened, louvered opening in a gable, used for exhausting excess heat and humidity from an attic.

5. Roof Turbine Exhausts moist, hot air from your attic and pulls in cooler air from the outside.

6. Backhoe An excavator whose shovel bucket is attached to a hinged boom and is drawn backward to move the earth. It helps you to dig holes on the jobsite. 18” bucket width

7. Batter Boards A temporary frame built just outside the corner of an excavation to carry marks that lie on the surface planes of the basement that will be built in the excavation.

8. Brick Arch 1 Segmented arch

9. Brick Arch 2 Gothic arch

10. Arch With a Keystone Roman Arch with a keystone

11. Centering Temporary formwork for an arch, dome, or vault.

12. Brick Bond 1 Flemish Bond- stretcher, header, stretcher, header

13. Brick Bond 2 Running bond- continuous row of stretchers with every other row is offset ½ brick

14. Rowlocks

15. Headers

16. Soldiers

17. Stretcher Rowlocks

18. Sailor

19. Shiners

20. Brick Size 1 Utility- 3 ½” W x 3 ½” H x 11 ½” L

21. Brick Size 2 King – 3” x 2 5/8” x 9 5/8”

22. Bulldozer A bulldozer is a crawler (caterpillar tracked tractor), equipped with a substantial metal plate (known as a blade), used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work.

23. Brick Cladding

24. EIFS Cladding

25. Stone Cladding Random Rubble

26. Wood Board Cladding

27. Wood Shakes Cladding Wood Shake- small shingle split from a block of wood that gives it a rough texture and uneven depths Wood Shingle- sawn shingle, more smoother and uniform; also larger in size

28. Code Picture 1 Code requirements- minimum opening of 5.7 square feet(5 feet if sill is less than 44” off FFE). Opening width 20” minimum , and opening height 24” minimum Our Measurements- 7.04 sq feet and 20 “ above FFE

29. Control Joint An intentional, linear discontinuity in a structure or component, designed to form a plane of weakness where cracking can occur in response to various forces so as to minimize or eliminate cracking elsewhere in the structure.

30. Code Picture 2 Code requirements- Riser height 7 ¾” maximum , tread depth 10”nosing to nosing Our measurements- 7 1/2 “ riser and 1’ tread

31. Isolation Joint A pavement joint that allows relative movement in three directions and avoids formation of cracks elsewhere in the concrete and through which all or part of the bonded reinforcement is interrupted.

32. CMU Pic 1 A hardened block of concrete usually laid like regular masonry brick. The hollow core allows the blocks to be filled with concrete which adds to the strength. CMU is more economical than cast concrete, and when properly laid one course is equal to 3 courses of standard bricks. A typical CMU unit measures 8” x 8” x 16”

33. CMU Pic 2 4” CMU

34. CMU Pic 3 10” CMU

35. Split Face Block

36. Ribbed Block

37. Flush Door

38. Panel Door Top Rail Style Lock Rail Panel Bottom Rail

39. Transom A small window directly above a door.

40. Sidelight A tall, narrow window along-side a door.

41. Power Pole with a Transformer Steps down electricity from a few thousand volts to 110v/220v service which is useable for the house transformer

42. Service Head Brings the electricity into the actual meter and isolates that particular residence through an in-line fuse which prevents the house wiring from interfering with other structures on the grid Service Head

43. Meter Measures how much electricity is being used Meter

44. Service Panel The point where electricity enters the home and is distributed throughout to the home through individual circuits or to other panels Service Panel

45. Duplex Receptacle Where power is accessed from the home

46. Anchor Bolt 1.

47. Sill Plate 2.

48. Floor Joist 3.

49. Subflooring 4.

50. Sole Plate 5.

51. Stud 6.

52. Top Plate 7.

53. Unfinished Stringer 8.

54. Ceiling Joist 9.

55. Rafter 10.

56. Roof Decking 11.

57. Sheathing 12.

58. Front End Loader Used for transporting piles of dirt or other materials at a jobsite. Unlike a bulldozer it can scoop dirt off the ground and move it rather than just push it around.

59. Gypsum Board An interior finish that consists of a gypsum core between two faces of paper

60. Compressor/Evaporator Compresses the refrigerant gas which gives off heat, thus cooling the air as it flows across the cooler coils of the air handling unit ~one advantage of the heat pump system is that it’s the most efficient way to heat and cool a home

61. Air Handling Unit Forces the air through the system with the use of a blower fan. Also has a heating unit which warms air as it goes through it before distributing it throughout the house ~one disadvantage of a heat pump system is that it is noisy and one must account for this in the placement of the compressor unit

62. Insulation The purpose of insulation is to regulate the flow of heat and sound in a building In the summer the insulation keeps cold air in and hot air out In the winter it keeps hot air in and cold air out

63. Batt/Blanket Insulation Strips or rolls of fiberglass insulation used to insulate walls and cielings

64. Loose Fill Insulation Loose fiberglass or paper insulation blown into place

65. Foamed Insulation A mixture of chemicals that react and expand. It is spray applied and is the best form of insulation to completely seal off penetrations

66. Rigid Insulation Rigid insulation is insulation that is in the form of sheets used for exterior sheathing of walls as well as insulation

67. Lintel A beam that carries the load of a wall over an opening such as a window or door

68. Mortar Joint 1 Concave Joint; tooled joint; 3/8” thick; it is used on a brick clad building; Type N mortar

69. Mortar Joint 2 Extruded; neither tooled nor troweled; 3/8” thick; used on a brick clad house; Type N

70. Oriented Strand Board A nonveneered panel made of strands of wood glued and compressed together in several layers. Each layer is oriented a different way to increase strength

71. Lavatory Uses 1 ½ inch diameter piping for drainage

72. Water Closet Uses a 3 inch diameter pipe to drain

73. Tub and Studs

74. Plumbing Vent Allows the air to enter the plumbing system eliminating a vacuum allowing water to drain from the pipes

75. Kitchen Sink Under-mount sink

76. Plywood Made by gluing thin veneers of wood together rotating each layer 90 degrees. This provides greater strength and minimizes moisture movement Veneer- a thin layer or facing

77. Radiant Barrier Radiant barriers are typically installed on top of rafters or under them to reflect radiant heat from the house

78. Rebar #4 (1/2” diameter)- the purpose of the deformations is to help it bond to the concrete better and not slip out

79. Gutter A channel that collects rainwater at the eave of a roof and moves it to the downspout Gutter

80. Downspout A vertical pipe that directs the water from the gutter to a lower level discharge point Downspout

81. Splash Block A precast concrete or plastic block used to dissipate the water at ground level so the ground around it doesn’t erode

82. Roof Underlayment Underlayment- layer of waterproof material such as building felt between roof sheathing and roofing

83. Clay Tile Roof

84. Shingle Roof Slate Shingle Roof Shingle- A small unit of water resistant material nailed in overlapping fashion with many other such units to render a wall or sloping roof water tight.

85. Metal Roof Typical Materials Used: Galvanized or Aluminzed Steel

86. Gable Roof

87. Gambrel Roof

88. Hip Roof

89. Mansard Roof

90. Ridge The level intersection of two roof planes in a gable roof

91. Valley A trough formed by the intersection of two roof slopes

92. Eave The horizontal edge at the low side of a sloping roof

93. Rake The sloping edge of a steep roof

94. Soffit The undersurface of a horizontal element of a building, especially the underside of a stair or roof overhang

95. Fascia The exposed vertical shape of an eave Roof With Fascia

96. Roof without Fascia House with exposed rafter tails

97. Stone Random Ashlar Random Rubble Random Rubble Coursed Ashlar Coursed Rubble

98. Vapor Retarder Vapor Retarder- a layer of material intended to obstruct the passage of water vapor through a building assembly. It is placed on the warm in winter side

99. Waterproofing An impervious membrane applied to the outside of a foundation to keep water out of the foundation. This is a photo of liquid applied

100. Weep Hole Small opening whose purpose is to permit drainage of water that accumulates inside a building componet or assembly Weep Hole

101. Welded Wire Fabric 6” X 6” Grid

102. Window 1 Single Hung Window Only the bottom sash opens

103. Window 2 Casement Window The Window opens out from a side hinge

104. Window 3 Jalousie Small panels of glass are cranked open