name	description
Abrasion	Wearing away by friction eg particles losening from surface Abrasion resistance is the ability of a fiber or fabric to withstand surface wear due to rubbing against another surface
Absolute Zero	The coldest temperature. It has never been achieved being a theroretical value although we have come within a few millionths of a degree. That ultimate temp is -273.15 degreeC (-459.7 degreeF). In 1848 Lord Kelvina Scotish physicist proposed a temp scale that avoided negative numbers such as -40 below zero. On Kelvins scale the lowest possible temp was labelled the zero point, hence "absolute zero" One unit on this scale is called a kelvin and is equel to one degree on the Celsius scale. on the kelvin scale water boils at 373 k and water freezes at 273 k.
Absorption	A process by which hydrophilic material absorbs water by immersion by contact or by capillary action The act or process of absorbing or sucking in anything, or of being absorbed and made to disappear; as, the absorption of bodies in a whirlpool, the absorption of a smaller tribe into a larger. (chemistry) a process in which one substance permeates another; a fluid permeates or is dissolved by a liquid or solid [syn: soaking up] 2: (physics) the process in which incident radiated energy is retained without reflection or transmission on passing through a medium; "the absorption of photons by atoms or molecules"
Absorption cooling	The effect of wind or rain cooling on a building
Accelerators	Admixtures that decrease the setting time by increasing the rate of hydration.
ACERMI	Association for certification of insulating materials
Acidity	The acidity of a solution was originally viewed as the molar concentration of H3O+ present in it. This idea was used by the Swedish chemist S. P. L. Sorenson when in 1909 he defined the acidity of a solution expressed in logarithmic notation as pH = -log[H3O+].
Adhesives	Many of the new building materials now coming onto the market have other materials bonded onto them to enhance the performance of the insulant or adhesives available on the market, but many have a solvent as the carrier mediam, this will interactwith many materials such as Exp, EPS, care should be taken when applying these, unless the applictor is an experianced, use waterbased glues where possible.
Aerodynamics	The science dealing with the flow of air and other gases and the motion of objects through them
Ageing	The effect of time on any product or material such as the increase of thermal conductivity with time, which affects many plastic insulants, in particular rigid urethane foam, as the blowing agent escapes from the board. Polyurathens insulants use a foil facings which are impermeable and the actual This symposium proceedings provides the reader with a thorough understanding of the degradation that occurs in the microstructure and mechanical properties of structural and electronic materials resulting from service exposure. Topic areas discussed, include: mechanisms of microstructural degradation resulting from service exposure; effect of microstructural degradation on mechanical behavior; development of life prediction methodology for in-service structural and electronic components; experimental techniques to monitor degradation of microstructures and mechanical properties; and the effect of environment on microstructural degradation and mechanical properties.
Aggregate	Inert solid bodies such as crushed rock, sand, gravel.
Agreement Board	Agreement certificates commenced in France in 1960 approx and have now been adopted by the European Community Standards' Organisation as a scheme of supervised quality control and a scheme of testing performance so as to guarantee the suitability of the product for the intended use. The certificates themselves are rather like independantly produced literature, giving an unbiased assessment of a product for the Specifier. They are also taken as a deemed to satisfy item for the Building regs. There are Agreement boards in most countries in Europe (for example the Irish Agreement Board (IAB) and the British Board of Agreement (BBA), and they are members of the European Union of Agreement Boards UEAtc. There is reciprocity of recognition of certificates throughout Europe, although this is very loose and often means that fee's have to be paid to the local board for transfering certificates
Air Permeance	The property of a material that determines the rate at which a given air presure passes through it under the influence of a unit pressure gradient
Air Resistance	The recipprocal of air permeance
air-conditioning
Apron	A trim board that is installed beneath a window sill or other surface to shed rain water
Aquifer	Aquifers are underground reservoirs. The water that reaches these chambers is usually much cleaner than the water of reservoirs at the earth's surface. Almost no bacteria live in aquifers. Many pollutants are filtered out as the water passes through the soil on its way to the aquifer. Unlike surface reservoirs , there is no silty mud to cloud the water, no pollution from boaters, and no evaporation of the water supply by the sun. To tap the groundwater in an aquifer, wells are dug until they reach the top layer of the aquifer, the water table. The water table is not flat as its name makes it seem. It has peaks and valleys that echo the shape of the land above it. When a lot of water is pumped from an aquifer, or when there is a dry spell, the water table sinks lower.
Arch	A technical devise usedto span an opening with v
Asphalt
ASTM	American Standard Test Methods, Similar system to the British BSI and German Din Standards, used by many UK companies and all Americam and Canadian Companies.
Atmospheric Pressure	Atmospheric pressure is defined as the force per unit area exerted against a surface by the weight of the air above that surface. In the diagram below, the pressure at point "X" increases as the weight of the air above it increases. The same can be said about decreasing pressure, where the pressure at point "X" decreases if the weight of the air above it also decreases.
Backfill	The replacement of excavated earth into a trench around or against a basement /crawl space foundationwall.
Balustrade	The rail, posts and vertical balusters along the edge of a stairway or elevated walkway
Barge board	A decorative board covering the projecting rafter (fly rafter) of the gable end. At the cornice, this member is a fascia boar
Barometric pressure
Bat	Half Brick
Batten	Narrow strips of wood used to cover joints or as decorative vertical members over plywood or wide boards
Beam	A structural member transversely supporting a load. A structural member carrying building loads (weight) from one support to another. Sometimes called a "girder".
Bearing partition	A partition that supports any vertical load in addition to its own weight
Bedrock	A subsurface layer of earth that is suitable to support a structure.
BING	The European Federation of Rigid Urethane Foam Manufacturers' Association of which BRUFMA are Members.
Bitumen	A black or brown viscous lique or a solid consisting essentially of hydrocarbons and their derivatives that is substantially none volatile, softens gradually when heated, and possesses warerproofing and adhesive qualities. It is obtained by refinery proccess for mineral oil and is also found as a natural deposit or as a component of naturally occurring asphalt in which it is associated with mineral matter
Blocking	Small wood pieces to brace framing members or to provide a nailing base for gypsum board or paneling.
Blowing Agents	n RUF manufacture, traditionaly this is a liquid of low boiling point pre-mixed into the polyol blend. When mixing of the Isocyanurate and polyol blend takes place, the exothermic urethane reaction together with heat from the line heaters, heats the mixture and leads to the evaporation of the blowing agent, thus expanding the polymerizing mass into a cellular structure. Advances in this sector are being driven by the environmental lobby. The issues involved are complex and difficult to follow even for the experts. Simply, the existing blowing agent used for many years CFC 11 is now thought to cause depletion of the ozone layer and a race is on to find an alternative. The reason that CFC 11 was used for so long was that it was a very stable material,it had a roon temp boiling point (23 C) and it was chemically very compatible with the polymer and reactant. Changing from CFC 11 to a more enviromentaly friendly blowing agent means not only changing the gas but the whole chemical make-up, and the production method. A new breed of gases have emerged, these are called the Soft CFC's or HCFC's (hydrochlorofluorocarons) these are HCFC 141 HCFC 142 HFC 134a HCFC 152 but even these are considered to be harmful to the environment, and will eventually be phased out of production. One gas that may hold the future of development is HFC 134a, note that the middle C has been removed from the equation. This is the Chlorine element and the one portion that is held responsible for the damage to the ozone layer. removing this is seen as one way of advancing. However the boiling point is quite low (-26 C) and needs help in achieving a gas state at the correct time. Another area of development is the use of water as a blowing agent. Water when mixed with the MDI and Polyol, the two main ingredients to make foam, produces CO2 or carbon Dioxide, this has often been used as an additional blowing agent in past formulas, but is now being considered as the main agent in future developments. It has its problems in that it produces foam that suffers from dimensional stability and inferior adhesion to facings, but it is considered enviomentaly friendly. One area of concern that many in the profession are looking at is the rate at which the foam resists the transmission of heat, and how long the foam would retain this value, as the main element is resisting the flow of heat is the gas, its retention in the foam is paramount. However all gasses migrate out of the foam and are replaced by oxygen, reducing the effective resistance of the foam. This reduction or ageing of the foam was well understood with CFC 11 as the blowing agent, with the change to other agent a great deal of work has to be done to prove the efficiency of the new foams. Metal faced panels suffer the least of all the rigid foam panels, due to the high resistance of the metal facing, however panels with open sides may loose quite a bit of there gas content at the edges and leave the building inadequately insulated in certain areas.
Blue print(s	A type of copying method often used for architectural drawings. Usually used to describe the drawing of a structure which is prepared by an architect or designer for the purpose of design and planning, estimating, securing permits and actual construction.
Board foot	A USA term A unit of measure for lumber equal to 1 inch thick by 12 inches wide by 12 inches long. Examples: 1" x 12" x 16' = 16 board feet, 2" x 12" x 16' = 32 board feet
Bob Tail Truss
Bottom chord	The lower or bottom horizontal member of a truss
Breather Membrane	A building membrane that is used to allow the escape of water vapour, but help prevent driving rain from entering the building usulaly placed on the cold side of insulation such as timber fram construction
BREDEM	Building Research Establihment Domestic Energy Model, computer program that is the basis of most of the milton keynes energy programs
Brick Bond	The creative use of brick bonding, with or without contrasting or complementary brick colours, can have a dramatic effect on the appearance of a building. In recent times stretcher bond has predominated, mainly because of the speed with which it can be laid in cavity wall construction. There are, however, other traditional methods which can be used to enrich large areas of brickwork, although extra cutting is needed.
Brick tie
Brick veneer	A vertical facing of brick laid against and fastened to sheathing of a framed wall or tile wall construction.
British Standards	There are over 10,000 British Standards which may take the form of documents which call for minimum standards of the physical properties of a product, or they may instead be of a more general nature giving direction as to how a particular construction should be carried out (British Standards' Codes of Practice). There are also British Standards which deal with the standard methods by which the physical proprties of a material should be tested.
British Standards' Institute	Although the British Standards are drawn up by those having a speical interest in the subject (manufacturer, users, research organisations, government departments and consumers), they are co-ordinated by the British Standards' Institute acting as secretaries to 3000 committees where the work is done. The standards for rigid urethane foam are, for example, drawn up by the Building Applications' committee at BRUFMA.
British Thermal Unit	The amount of heat needed to warm one pound of water from 39 f to 40 f equal to 1.055 KJ 1BTU/h = 0.293 W
BTU	The amount of heat needed to warm one pound of water from 39 f to 40 f equal to 1.055 KJ 1BTU/h = 0.293 W
Building paper	A general term for papers, felts, and similar sheet materials used in buildings without reference to their properties or uses. Generally comes in long rolls.
Bull nose
Butt edge
Butt hinge	The most common type. One leaf attaches to the door's edge, the other to its jam
Butt join	The junction where the ends of two timbers meet, and also where sheets of drywall meet on the 4 foot edge. To place materials end-to-end or end-to-edge without overlapping
Calcination	Decomposition due to the loss of bound water and carbon dioxide
Callender	A verb meaning to mix accurately. E.g. the mixing of polyol & isocyanurate, or PVC membranes.
Cantilever	An overhang. Where one floor extends beyond and over a foundation wall. For example at a fireplace location or bay window cantilever.
capillary action	Capillary action is a physical effect caused by the interactions of a liquid with the walls of a thin tube. The capillary effect is a function of the ability of the liquid to wet a particular material. The liquid for which this effect is most commonly seen is water, because water is capable of strong surface interactions and because water is ubiquitous. Water climbs up a thin glass tube because of the strong hydrogen-bonding interactions between the water and the oxygens (and terminal hydrogens) at the surface of the glass (SiO2; surface oxygens are typically bonded to hydrogen). The energetic gain from the new intermolecular interactions must be balanced against gravity, which attempts to pull the liquid back down. Therefore, the narrower the tube, the higher the liquid will climb, because a narrow column of liquid weighs less than a thick one.
Casement-	rames of wood or metal enclosing part (or all) of a window sash. May beopened by means of hinges affixed to the vertical edges.
Casement Window	A window with hinges on one of the vertical sides and swings open like a normal door
Catalyst
Caulking	A flexible material used to seal a gap between two surfaces e.g. between pieces of siding or the corners in tub walls. To fill a joint with mastic or asphalt plastic cement to prevent leaks.
cavity
Ceiling joist	One of a series of parallel framing members used to support ceiling loads and supported in turn by larger beams, girders or bearing walls. Also called roof joists.
Cellular glass
Celsius scale	The Celsius temperature scale (°C) was developed by Anders Celsius in 1742. The zero point of the Celsius scale is set to the temperature at which water freezes. The number 100 is set to the temperature at which water boils.
CEN	Comite European de Normilisation (European Commitee for Standardisation); the organisational body which formulates European Standards (EN's) in accordance with the Construction Products' Directive due for implementation in national law by 27th June 1991. Now delayed!. The Single European Act then comes into force on 1st January 1993 which will create the opportunity for the free movement of Goods/Persons/Services and Capital within the 12 country European Market. CEN's will, for building products, classify product types in terms of compressive strength or thermal conductivity etc. but will probably not lay down methods of construction which will be in codes of practice relevant to each EC member country (e.g. BS 6229).
Ceramic tile	A man-made or machine-made clay tile used to finish a floor or wall. Generally used in bathtub and shower enclosures and on counter top
CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons)	A blowing agent for rigid urethane foam. Various grades exist, some (such as R11) are suspected as being damaging to the ozone layer. CFCs are so stable that they remain in the atmosphere for many decades, and are only broken down by intense UV radiation in the stratosphere. They form active chlorine that attacks the earth's ozone layer. The EEC Council of Enviromental Ministers, on the 2nd March 1989, called for a reduction of at least 85% as soon as possible and the elimination of those CFCs listed by the Montreal Protocol by the end of the century. The United Nations' Enviroment Programme, UNEP, has tightened up the protocol and signed by ministerial delegates in June 1990, in London: 20% reduction on 1986 useage by 1.1.93 85% reduction on 1986 useage by 1.1.97 100% phase out by 1.1.2000
Circuit Breaker	A device which looks like a switch and is usually located inside the electrical breaker panel or circuit breaker box. It is designed to (1) shut of the power to portions or all of the house and (2) to limit the amount of power flowing through a circuit (measured in amperes). 110 volt household circuits require a fuse or circuit breaker with a rating of 15 or a maximum of 20 amps. 220 volt circuits may be designed for higher amperage loads e.g. a hot water heater may be designed for a 30 amp load and would therefore need a 30 amp fuse or breaker.
cladding
Class 0	A material having a Class o fire rating to its surface must be either: a) Non combustible to BS 476 Part 4 or See also class 1 b) Combustible but having good fire propogation properties to BS 476 Part 6 and a Class 1 surface spread of flame to BS 476 Part 7. Class 0 surfaces are to be used in accordance with Part B to Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations 1985, i.e. to line circulation spaces (corridors and stairwells) in any buildings, and to line the walls of Residential Institutional buildings such as hospitals, old people's hames etc.
Class 1	A surface tested to BS 476: Part 7, if found to have the highest classification of surface spread of flame, is designated a Class 1 surface. All foil faced, minerit faced, and plasterboard faced insulation boards are Class 1. Class 1 surfaces are to be used in accordance with Part B of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 1985, ie, to line general buildings, but not their circulation spaces. Ie, assembly buildings, offices, shops, industrial buildings, residential buildings (but not residential institutional buildings such as old people's homes or hospitals).
Clinker	The material that emerges from the cement kiln after burning. It is in the form of dark, porous nodules which are ground with a small amount of gypsum to give cement.
Closed Cell	A foam structure wherein each individual cell has a complete cell membrane enclosing the cell and there are no open passageways between the cells. Example of such a foam is Extruded polystyrene.
Closed Cell Content	Expressed as a percentage, this is an easily carried out quality control measure, to ISO 4590, method 2, which gives a good indication of long term thermal conductivity. A minimum of 85% for CFC blown PU foams is favoured. Popular in UK and Ireland, though less so in rest of EC
Code of Practice	Codes of Practice used to be seperate documents from British Standards, and some are still current (eg, CP 144: Part 3), but when revised they will be known as British Standards.
Coeficient of thermal expansion	The expansion or contraction of a material when subjected to varying temperature The coefficient of thermal expansion (linear) is the change in length per unit length of material for a one degree Centigrade change in temperature.
Column	A vertical structural compression member which supports loads.
Compressor	A mechanical device that pressurizes a gas in order to turn it into a liquid, thereby allowing heat to be removed or added. A compressor is the main component of conventional heat pumps and air conditioners. In an air conditioning system, the compressor normally sits outside and has a large fan (to remove heat).
Concrete	An artificial stone-like material used for various structural purposes. It is made by mixing cement and various aggregates, such as sand, pebbles, gravel, shale, etc., with water and allowing the mixture to harden by hydration.
Concrete block	A hollow concrete 'brick' often in size.
Condensate Pump
Condensation	Condensation in buildings is more of a problem now than in previous years, due to the increased energy conservation of modern buildings, however condensation is not an inevitable result of energy efficiency, and may be designed out with careful placing of the insulation and vapour control layers togehter with an understanding of the amount of vapour in any given area of the building. Water may exist as a gas or liquid, in normal conditions any pool of water will tend to evaporate and turn into a gas, called water vapour. Air however can not support an infinet amount of water vapour, there comes a time when the air can nt accept any more water vapour and then the air is said to be saturated, the amount of water vapour any volume of air can hold is defined by the temperaure, The critical temp at which air holding a given amount of water ecomes saturated is known as the dewpoint if the air cools below this point thn water forms.
Conduction	The direct transfer of heat energy through a material.
Conductivity	The rate at which heat is transmitted through a material.
Corbel	The triangular, decorative and supporting member that holds a mantel or horizontal shelf.
Cork	Cork is a natural product obtained from the bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber l) found primarily at the western end of the Mediterranean in Spain, Portugal and North Africa. The bark thickens and develops with age and can be harvested as a regular crop, about every nine years, from huge commercial plantations. The granulated cork is compressed, steam baked and held together by the natural cork gum. It is then imported into the UK in blocks of plan dimesions 500 mm x 1000 mm to be cut into flat boards, or cut-to-falls. It provides a good substrate of good laminar and compressive strength suitable for asphalt roofing and with its low coefficient of thermal expansion will accept a fully bonded built up roofing specification. Although cork is somewhat friable during handling, it is firm under foot traffic and is suitable insulation to use below membranes which are subject to continual foot traffic, due to its resillient properties, i.e. when compressed, cork will tend to recover to its original thickness. An underlay may be required to support the cork over the troughs of a metal deck, depending ont he thickness of the cork over the troughs width. The thermal conductivity of cork is 0.042 W/mK - only about half as good as rigid urethane foam.
Cornice
Corrosion	When ever condensation is formed within the presence of metal then corrossion can set up, such as metal decks and metal fixings. Many manufacturers coat their fixings with various paints and waxs to try and prevent the action taking place. Also the action of water running down the fixing hole of may insulations particularly the Isocianurate doard, picks up the acid catolist and collects at the bottom in ever increasing amounts thereby increasing the corrossion risk
Course	Brick Course
crickets	A term to describe the small to-falls sections atound the perimeter of roofs and roof lights
Cripple
Cross bridging	Diagonal bracing between adjacent floor joists, placed near the center of the joist span to prevent joists from twisting.
Culvert
Curb
Dado	The height on a wall inside a building below which the wall surface should be resistant to accidental damage from knocks, forklifts etc. Above this line boards such as Shelter Lining 0 could be used, and below dado height, Aeroclad would be appropriate or blockwork with Shelterwall to the cavity.
Deck
Degree Day Values	A figuer describing the relative coldness of a site, or area
Delamination	Separation of the plies in a panel due to failure of the adhesive.  Usually caused by excessive moisture.
Dencity	Quotient of mass divided by volume for homogeneous solid
Dencity of air flow	rate Air flow rate divided by area
Dew point	Dew points indicate the amount moisture in the air. The higher the dew points, the higher the moisture content of the air at a given temperature. Dew point temperature is defined as the temperature to which the air would have to cool (at constant pressure and constant water vapor content) in order to reach saturation. A state of saturation exists when the air is holding the maximum amount of water vapor possible at the existing temperature and pressure. When the dew point temperature and air temperature are equal, the air is said to be saturated. Dew point temperature is NEVER GREATER than the air temperature. Therefore, if the air cools, moisture must be removed from the air and this is accomplished through condensation. This process results in the formation of tiny water droplets that can lead to the development of fog, frost, clouds, or even precipitation.
Dew point temp	The temp at which air is saturated with watervapour and below which condensation will form
Diagonal bracing
Door stop
Doorjamb	The surrounding case into which and out of which a door closes and opens. It consists of two upright pieces, called side jambs, and a horizontal head jamb. These 3 jambs have the "door stop" installed on them.
Dormer	An opening in a sloping roof, the framing of which projects out to form a vertical wall suitable for windows or other openings.
Double hung window	A window with two vertically sliding sashes, both of which can move up and down.
Downspout	A pipe, usually of metal, for carrying rainwater down from the roof's horizontal gutters.
DPC
Drip	A member of a cornice or other horizontal exterior finish course that has a projection beyond the other parts for throwing off water.(b) A groove in the underside of a sill or drip cap to cause water to drop off on the outer edge instead of drawing back and running down the face of the building.
Drywall	A manufactured panel made out of gypsum plaster and encased in a thin cardboard. Usually 1/2" thick and 4' x 8' or 4' x 12' in size. The panels are nailed or screwed onto the framing and the joints are taped and covered with a 'joint compound'. 'Green board' type drywall has a greater resistance to moisture than regular (white) plasterboard and is used in bathrooms and other "wet areas".
Ducts	Usually round or rectangular metal pipes installed for distributing warm (or cold) air from the furnace to rooms in the home.  Also a tunnel made of galvanized metal or rigid fiberglass, which carries air from the heater or ventilation opening to the rooms in a building.
Eaves	The horizontal exterior roof overhang.
Elasticity	The ability of a material to return to its original shape after being stretched.
Elbow	A plumbing or electrical fitting that lets you change directions in runs of pipe or conduit.
Energy Efficiency	The art of restricting the loss of heat, energy from a building
Energy Resources	The source of the final energy resource can also be defined as: None renewable • Coal • Petrolium • Natural Gas • Fossil fuels Renewable • Solar energy • Solar heating • Hydroelectricity • Wind electric • Biomas • Methane • Geothermal • Hot dry rock • Tidal Unlimited • Thought to be the reason for Nuclear fuel
English Bond
English Garden Wall Bond	An alternative version of English bond with header courses being inserted at every fourth or sixth course. This is a correspondingly weaker bond.
Estimate
Estimating	The process of calculating the cost of a project. This can be a formal and exact process or a quick and imprecise process.
European Standard
Expanded Clay	Light weight granular material having an internal cellular structure formed by expanding clay mineral by heat
Expanded granular cork	Granulated cork generally expanded by thermal treatments
Expanded perlite	A cellular particulate product made by expanding perlite volcanic rock by heat.
Expanded Polystyrene	Also referred to as "beadboard" or "EPS", expanded polystyrene is an open celled white plastic insulation board in a steam heated mould under pressure in controlled conditions to form a lightweight block of the required properties in accordance with BS 3837: 1986 Expanded Polystyrene Boards; Part 1 Specification for boards manufactured from expandable beads. Roofboards are available in grades HD (high duty) and EHD (extra high duty). Each grade is identified by a coloured strip across the board edge: black for HD grade and green for EHD. They may also be specified as Type N (normal) and Type FRA (flame retardant additive). Boards are available with a pre-felted upper surface and may be of a constant thickness or tapered to provide falls. Pre-felted HD grade board, overlaid with fibreboard or perlite board, is normally used for roofing applications. EPS is also available as composites with wool fibreboard or perlite board laminated to the upper surface. EPS exhibits significant thermal movement and is heat sensitive. The boards cannot tolerate the application temperatures of hot bitumen or asphalt. Indirect laying techniques have to be adopted by applying a coat of hot bitumen to the substrate and allowing it to become cool to a tacky condition before the boards are laid. The overlay boards also absorb thermal movement sufficiently to allow full bonding. When applied on site, the overlay boards should be laid to break joint with the polystyrene. Manufacturers include:
Expantion Joint	An arrangement of a joint to permit movement in order to reieve stress caused by expantion or contraction
Exposed aggregate finish	A method of finishing concrete which washes the cement/sand mixture off the top layer of the aggregate - usually gravel. Often used in driveways, patios and other exterior surfaces.
Extruded Polystyrene	Extruded polystyrene boards have similar thermal movement and heat sensitivity characteristics to expanded polystyrene but have an improved thermal conductivity. The boards are also exceptionally resistant to water absorbtion and are therefore used in the protected membrane (or inverted roof) flat roof system. See inverted roofs. They are also very strong in compression, and tensile. Two methods of production are based on the Dow method and the UCI method which is similar to the dow method but incorporates a partial vacume to assist the extrusion.
F.M. Approval	This is the approval of a product by Factory Mutual International comprising three American insurance consortia. Where F.M. insuring of buildings is involved, then F.M. approval matrials will be strongly urged, however, only a small fraction of buildings are insured by Factory Matual in the UK, and so F.M. approval is important only in the USA, Middle East and Australia. The test, carried out in Massachusetts, is very similar to the Loss Prevention Council, test for F.O.C approval
Facing brick	The brick used and exposed on the outside of a wall. Usually these have a finished texture.
Factory Mutal Approval
Fahrenheit scale	The Fahrenheit scale (°F) was the first widely used temperature scale. It was developed in the early 1700s by G. Daniel Fahrenheit. The zero point of the Fahrenheit scale is attained by mixing equal parts of water, ice, and salt. Fahrenheit set the number 32 at the freezing point of water. He set the boiling point of water to 212 on his scale. See also: Celcius Aboslute Zero Kelvin Scale
Fascia	Horizontal boards attached to rafter/truss ends at the eaves and along gables. Roof drain gutters are attached to the fascia.
Felt-
Female-	Any part, such as a nut or fitting, into which another (male) part can be inserted. Internal threads are female.
Ferrule	Metal tubes used to keep roof gutters "open". Long nails (ferrule spikes) are driven through these tubes and hold the gutters in place along the fascia of the home.
Fibreboard
Fibreglass	Fibrous Insulation Insulation composed of naturally occurring or manufactured fibre
Finger joint	A manufacturing process of interlocking two shorter pieces of wood end to end to create a longer piece of dimensional lumber or molding. Often used in jambs and casings and are normally painted (instead of stained).
Fink Truss Rafter
Fire
Fire brick-	Brick made of refractory ceramic material which will resist high temperatures. Used in a fireplace and boiler.
Fire Offices' Committee
Fire Resistance	A technical definition of this property of a building construction is given in BS 476: Part 8. It is the time taken for fire to burn through a construction and is given in minutes or hours.
Fire stop	A solid, tight closure of a concealed space, placed to prevent the spread of fire and smoke through such a space. In a frame wall, this will usually consist of 2 by 4 cross blocking between studs. Work performed to slow the spread of fire and smoke in the walls and ceiling (behind the drywall). Includes stuffing wire holes in the top and bottom plates with insulation, and installing blocks of wood between the wall studs at the drop soffit line. This is integral to passing a Rough Frame inspection
Fishplate	A wood or plywood piece used to fasten the ends of two members together at a butt joint with nails or bolts. Sometimes used at the junction of opposite rafters near the ridge line. Sometimes called a gang nail plate.
Fixings	mechanical attachment
Flagstone
Flash point	The lowest temperature at which a product ignites and continues to burn for a specific time after a small flame has been applied to its surface under standard conditions
Flashing
Flashing	Sheet metal or other material used in roof and wall construction to protect a building from water seepage.
Flemish Bond	This pattern is made from alternating headers and stretchers on each course.
Flemish Garden Wall Bond	Like English Garden Wall bond, this was originally intended for use in solid walls which were required to be fair faced both sides.The number of stretchers is increased and three stretchers are laid to one header in each course.
Flexible insulation	A material that tends to conform to the shape of the surace which its laid, or is so designed as to alter its manufactured shape to accommodate bends and angles. Foam
Floating	When you smooth off the job and bring water to the surface by using a hand float or bull float.
Flue	Large pipe through which fumes escape from a gas water heater, furnace, or fireplace. Normally these flue pipes are double walled, galvanized sheet metal pipe and sometimes referred to as a "B Vent". Fireplace flue pipes are normally triple walled. In addition, nothing combustible shall be within a safe distance from the out side edge of the flue
Flue damper	An automatic door located in the flue that closes it off when the burner turns off; purpose is to reduce heat loss up the flue from the still-warm furnace or boiler.
Fluorescent lighting	A fluorescent lamp is a gas-filled glass tube with a phosphur coating on the inside.  Gas inside the tube is ionized by electricity which causes the phosphur coating to glow.  Normally with two pins that extend from each end.
Fly rafters	End rafters of the gable overhang
Foam in place	Insulation material spayed or injected in a liqued state, the liquid subsequently setting into a rigid state
Foamed slag aggregate	Furnace slag treated to produce lightwieight aggregate
Foamed slag concrete	Insulating concrete with foamed slag as the aggregate
FOC	These tests are extremely expensive and result in the approval of some insurance companies of the use of lining boards. They are completely different from the tests in the British Standard. F.O.C. Approval is the approval of a product by the UK Fire Office's Committee who act for various member insurance companies. It is a large scale fire test, conducted by an independant body called the "Loss Prevention Council". Now all called LPC. Two boards have F.O.C. Approval
footing	Continuous 229 or more thick concrete pad installed before and supports the foundation wall or monopost.
Forced air heating	A common form of heating with natural gas, propane, oil or electricity as a fuel. Air is heated in the furnace and distributed through a set of metal ducts to various areas of the house.
Foundation	The supporting portion of a structure below the first floor construction, or below grade, including the footings.
French drain	A French drain is simply a small trench, dug to a gradient that will allow surface water, or the top of the ground, to drain away from a building or area that is prone to surface water build up and/or flooding. The usual reason for constructing a French drain is to relieve a build up of water against a house wall
Fuse	A device often found in older homes designed to prevent overloads in electrical lines.
Gable	The end, upper, triangular area of a home, beneath the roof.
Galvanised
Gang nail plate	A steel plate attached to both sides at each joint of a truss. Sometimes called a fishplate or gussett.
Gate valve-	A valve that lets you completely stop—but not modulate—the flow within a pipe.
Girder	A large or principal beam of wood or steel used to support concentrated loads at isolated points along its length.
Glass fibre	Mineral fibre manufacurd from moulton glass
Glass wool	Mineral fibre formed to produce an insulant manufactured from moulton glass
Glazing	The process of installing glass, which commonly is secured with glazier's points and glazing compound.
Glue	The material used to bond one substance to another
Glulam	A structural beam composed of wood laminations or lams. The lams are pressure bonded with adhesives to attain a typical thickness of 50mm 300mm
Gradient
Gradulated cork	Cork ground or milled into granules or small particles
Grain	The direction, size, arrangement, appearance, or quality of the fibers in almost any natural and manmade product
Ground motion	The characteristics of structures, and their behavior in earthquakes
Grout	wet mixture of cement, sand and water that flows into masonry or ceramic crevices to seal the cracks between the different pieces. Mortar made of such consistency (by adding water) that it will flow into the joints and cavities of the masonry work and fill them solid.
Gusset	A flat wood, plywood, or similar type member used to provide a connection at the intersection of wood members. Most commonly used at joints of wood trusses. They are fastened by nails, screws, bolts, or adhesives.
Gutter	A shallow channel or conduit of metal or wood set below and along the (fascia) eaves of a house to catch and carry off rainwater from the roof.
Gypsum plaster	Gypsum formulated to be used with the addition of sand and water for base-coat plaster.
H V A C	An abbreviation for Heat, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
Hearth	The fireproof area directly in front of a fireplace. The inner or outer floor of a fireplace, usually made of brick, tile, or stone.
Heat	The simplest way to treat heat is to descibe it as a model: Heat flows from high temerature to low temerature Heat is treated as if it were a fluid When heat flows from one object to another the temerature of the object may change but the total quantity of heat remains constant The temp rise caused by the flow of heat into an object depends upon the heat capacity of that object, The heat capacity of an object depends upon its mass and specific heat capacity The Units of heat and power used to measure heat is the Joule
Heat pump	A mechanical device which uses compression and decompression of gas to heat and/or cool a house.
Heating load	The amount of heating required to keep a building at a specified temperature during the winter, usually 65° F, regardless of outside temperature.
Hip	A roof with four sloping sides. The external angle formed by the meeting of two sloping sides of a roof.
Honey combs
Humidifier	appliance normally attached to the furnace, or portable unit device designed to increase the humidity within a room or a house by means of the discharge of water vapor.
Humidity	Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air and can be described in different ways. Air will normally contain a certain amount of water vapour. The maximum amount of water vapour, that air can contain, depends on the temperature and, for certain temperature ranges, also on whether the air is near to a water or ice surface. If you have a closed con- tainer with water and air (like a beaker) then there an equilibrium will develop, where the air will contain as much vapour as it can. The air will then be saturated with respect to water vapour. The real world outside is not closed, so that the air normally will contain less vapour as it could. Sources of vapour are evaporation processes from water and ice surfaces and transpiration from plants and respiration from animals. The expression "evapotranspiration" takes into consideration plants' large share of evaporation over land areas. Sinks of water vapour are clouds or condensation on surfaces. Dew is created when a surface temperature has such a low temperature that the air chills to the dew point and the water vapour condenses. Physically at the dew point temperature the vapour loses the energy that it gained at evaporation, the latent energy, again. The precipitable water (total column water vapor) is strongly correlated (r > 0.9) with the surface dew point on most days. Exceptions to the rule include days when a cold front has passed and during other transient events.
hydration.	The reaction of cement with water to form a chemical compound.
Hygroscopicity	Capacity of a material to take up water in liqu
I-beam	A steel beam with a cross section resembling the letter I. It is used for long spans as basement beams or over wide wall openings, such as a double garage door, when wall and roof loads bear down on the opening.
Incandescent lamp	A lamp employing an electrically charged metal filament that glows at white heat. A typical light bulb.
Infiltration	The passage of air from indoors to outdoors and vice versa; term is usually associated with drafts from cracks, seams or holes in buildings
Insulation	Any material high in resistance to heat transmission that, when placed in the walls, ceiling, or floors of a structure, and will reduce the rate of heat flow. Insulation material can be divided into three main groups according to their origin: • Vegetable: ? Wood fibre, Cork. • Mineral: ? Glass fibre, ? Mineral Wool, ? Cellular Glass, ? Perlite. • Plastic Foams: ? Polystyrene (bead), ? Polystyrene (extruded), ? Polyurethane, ? Polyisocyanurate, ? Phenolic. A wide range of insulation boards are available which incorporate proprietary refinements to the basic material or are manufactured with facings of plastic, paper, metal foil, glass fibre tissue, bitumenous roofing felt. In addition, composite insulation boards are now more common, such as woodfibre/polystyrene or perlite/polyurethane laminates. Intertitial Condensation The formation of water within the construction from water vapour the the air can no longer hold due to being cooled often associated with insulation.
inverted roofs.
Isocyanurate
Jack rafter	A rafter that spans the distance from the wall plate to a hip, or from a valley to a ridge.
Jamb-	The side and head lining of a doorway, window, or other opening. Includes studs as well as the frame and trim.
Joint-	he location between the touching surfaces of two members or components joined and held together by nails, glue, cement, mortar, or other means.
Joist	Wooden 2 X 8's, 10's, or 12's that run parallel to one another and support a floor or ceiling, and supported in turn by larger beams, girders, or bearing walls
Joist hanger	A metal "U" shaped item used to support the end of a floor joist and attached with hardened nails to another bearing joist or beam.
Joule
kelvin scale	The Kelvin temperature scale (K) was developed by Lord Kelvin in the mid 1800s. The zero point of this scale is equivalent to -273.16 °C on the Celsius scale. This zero point is considered the lowest possible temperature of anything in the universe. Therefore, the Kelvin scale is also known as the "absolute temperature scale". At the freezing point of water, the temperature of the Kelvin scale reads 273 K. At the boiling point of water, it reads 373 K. Whereas the Kelvin scale is widely used by scientists, the Celsius or Fahrenheit scales are used in daily life. These two scales are easier to understand than the large numbers of the Kelvin scale. Could you imagine waking up to your radio and hearing the DJ give a weather report like this: "It's going to be a beautiful day today with sunny skies and a balmy temperature of 297 K!" That's 24 °C or 75 °F.
Keyway	slot formed and poured on a footer or in a foundation wall when another wall will be installed at the slot location. This gives additional strength to the joint/meeting point.
Kiln	High temperature ove
King Post Truss
Knot	In lumber, the portion of a branch or limb of a tree that appears on the edge or face of the piece
Laminate
Landing	A platform between flights of stairs or at the termination of a flight of stairs. Often used when stairs change direction. Normally no less than 3 ft. X 3 ft. square.
Lap	To cover the surface of one shingle or roll with another.
Latch	A beveled metal tongue operated by a spring-loaded knob or lever. The tongue's bevel lets you close the door and engage the locking mechanism, if any, without using a key. Contrasts with dead bolt.
Lattice	An open framework of criss-crossed wood or metal strips that form regular, patterned spaces.
lattice Beam
Level	True horizontal. Also a tool used to determine level.
lighting	The art of illuminating  the interior of a building
Limestone	Mineral rock of calcium carbonate
Linear dencity of heat flow rate	Heat flow rate divided by length
Lintel-	A horizontal structural member that supports the load over an opening such as a door or window.
Load bearing wall	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.
Loose fill insulation	Granules nodules, powder or similar material designed to be intalled by hand or by mechanical equipment (blowing)
Loss Prevention Council	Formerly Fire Offices' Committee. 071 606 1050. Key personnel: Mr Jerome (Information Officer). Approvals Dept: 081 207 2345.
Louver	A vented opening into the home that has a series of horizontal slats and arranged to permit ventilation but to exclude rain, snow, light, insects, or other living creatures.
Lumens	Unit of measure for total light output. The amount of light falling on a surface of one square foot.
Male	Any part, such as a bolt, designed to fit into another (female) part. External threads are male.
Mantel	The shelf above a fireplace opening. Also used in referring to the decorative trim around a fireplace opening.
Masonry	Stone, brick, concrete, hollow-tile, concrete block, or other similar building units or materials. Normally bonded together with mortar to form a wall.
Mass	Mass is the property we associate with weight, yet its the amount of stuff, protons, newtrons, electrons also mass is not contstant, it varies with the amont of energy stored in it. Measurement • 1mm = 40 thou • 1mm = 1000 microns • 1 thou = 25 microns • mill = 1thou (mill is an american expresion for thou) • 145 psi = 1N/mm2 thou = 1/1000 inch
Mastic	A pasty material used as a cement (as for setting tile) or a protective coating (as for thermal insulation or waterproofing)
Mineral fibre	General term for all non-metalic inorganic fibres
Mineral Wool	Mineral wool is manufactured from volcanic rock, melted at extremely high temperatures. The molten rock is directed onto a series of rotating wheels where it is converted into thin fibres. During this process a small amount of resin is added as a binding cured and compressed to form a rigid insulation board, providing a good level of themal insulation and a dimensionally stable substrate, but having low compressive strength
Miter joint	The joint of two pieces at an angle that bisects the joining angle. For example, the miter joint at the side and head casing at a door opening is made at a 45° angle.
Moisture content
Moisture diffusivity
Moisture permeability
Molding	A wood strip having an engraved, decorative surface.
Mortar	A mixture of cement (or lime) with sand and water used in masonry work.
Mortise	A slot cut into a board, plank, or timber, usually edgewise, to receive the tenon (or tongue) of another board, plank, or timber to form a joint.
Mullion	A vertical divider in the frame between windows, doors, or other openings.
Mushroom
Nail
Neutral wire
Newel post	he large starting post to which the end of a stair guard railing or balustrade is fastened.
Nonbearing wall-	A wall supporting no load other than its own weight.
None conbustable	Classifcation of fire behavour
Nosing	he projecting edge of a molding or drip or the front edge of a stair tread.
Notch-	A crosswise groove at the end of a board.
Nozzle	The part of a piping system that sprays liquid mixture into the air.
Open Cell Structure	A permeable structure (as in cork or EPS) wherein there is no barrier between cells, and gases or liquids can pass freely through the substance. Not considered desireable in insulation; gases can easily thermally pump outwards to the dew point, and water entering through leaks in the roof membrane can spread through the insulation by hygroscopic action.
Operating temperature	The temperature at which a plant or material nornally operates
Oriented strand board	One trade name is Sterling Board. Used instead of plywood but is cheaper
Ozone Layer	Found 12 to 30 miles above the earth's surface, the 30 km thick ozone layer screens out 99% of the potentially deadly ultraviolet radiation from the sun. CFC's have been found to cause thinning of the ozone layer which allows ultraviolet radiation to reach the ground and in turn leads to increased skin cancer, eye diseases and threatens the ocean food chain.
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 appear correct.
Paint	A combination of pigments with suitable thinners or oils to provide decorative and protective coatings. Can be oil based or latex water based.
Panel	A thin flat piece of wood, plywood, or similar material, framed by stiles and rails as in a door (or cabinet door), or fitted into grooves of thicker material with molded edges for decorative wall treatment.
Parapet-	A wall placed at the edge of a roof to prevent people from falling off.
Paver	Materials—commonly masonry—laid down to make a firm, even surface.
Pedestal-
Penalty clause	A provision in a contract that provides for a reduction in the amount otherwise payable under a contract to a contractor as a penalty for failure to meet deadlines or for failure of the project to meet contract specifications.
perched water table	The water table is the level at which the water stays. It is the very top of the zone of saturation. A few centimeters above this level water can also be found due to capillary action. In the presence of a pumping well, the water table will drop around the well. This situation is called drawdown. Under some conditions, a perched water table may exist. This occurs when the water percolation is interrupted by another confining layer above the "main" one.
perlite
PH Value	a scale devised to show the acidity of a material or liquid. As the acidity increases, the pH decreases.
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 burners when needed.
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-foot rise and 24-foot width is a one-fourth pitch roof. Roof slope is expressed in the inches of rise, per foot of horizontal run.
Plenum	The main hot-air supply duct leading from a furnace.
Plug
Plumb	Exactly vertical and perpendicular.
Plumb bob	A lead weight attached to a string. It is the tool used in determining plumb.
Ply	term to denote the number of layers of roofing felt, veneer in plywood, or layers in built-up materials, in any finished piece of such material.
Poining
Point load	A point where a bearing/structural weight is concentrated and transferred to the foundation.
Portland cement
Post	A vertical framing member usually designed to carry a beam
Post-and-beam	A basic building method that uses just a few hefty posts and beams to support an entire structure. Contrasts with stud framing.
Precast
Preservative	Any pesticide substance that, for a reasonable length of time, will prevent the action of wood-destroying fungi, insect borers, and similar destructive agents when the wood has been properly coated or impregnated with it. Normally an arsenic derivative. Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) is an example.
Pressure Relief Valve	A device mounted on a hot water heater or boiler which is designed to release any high steam pressure in the tank to prevent tank explosions.
Pressure-treated wood	Lumber that has been saturated with a preservative
Prestressed
Primer	The first, base coat of paint when a paint job consists of two or more coats. A first coating formulated to seal raw surfaces and holding succeeding finish coats.
Purlin
Putlog
Putty	A type of dough used in sealing glass in the sash, filling small holes and crevices in wood, and for similar purposes
PVC	Poly Vinyl Chloride-A type of white or light gray plastic pipe sometimes used for water supply lines and waste pipe
Quarry tile-	A man-made or machine-made clay tile used to finish a floor or wall. Generally 6" X  6"  X 1/4" thick .
Quarter round	A small trim molding that has the cross section of a quarter circle
Queen Post Truss
R factor or value-	A USA Its a measure of a materials resistance to the passage of heat. New homewalls are usually insulated with 4" of batt insulation with an R value of R-13, and a ceiling insulation of R-30.
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, wall, or ceiling. Also electrically heated panels.
Radiation-	Energy transmitted from a heat source to the air around it. Radiators actually depend more on convection than radiation.
Radon	A naturally-occurring, heavier than air, radioactive gas common in many parts of the country.  Radon gas exposure is associated with lung cancer. Mitigation measures may involve crawl space and basement venting and various forms of vapor barriers.
Rafter	umber used to support the roof sheeting and roof loads. Generally, 2 X 10's and 2 X 12's are used. The rafters of a flat roof are sometimes called roof joists.
Rail	ross members of panel doors or of a sash. Also, a wall or open balustrade placed at the edge of a staircase, walkway bridge, or elevated surface to prevent people from falling off.  Any relatively lightweight horizontal element, especially those found in fences (split rail).
Raised Tie Truss
Rake	Slope or slanted.
Rebar	Ribbed steel bars installed in foundation concrete walls, footers, and poured in place concrete structures designed to strengthen concrete. Comes in various thickness' and strength grade.
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. Freon is an example and is used in air conditioning systems.
Reinforcing Steel
Relative Humidity	Relative Humidity can be inferred from dew point values. When air temperature and dew point temperatures are very close, the air has a high relative humidity. The opposite is true when there is a large difference between air and dew point temperatures, which indicates air with lower relaitve humidity. Locations with high relative humidities indicate that the air is nearly saturated with moisture; clouds and precipitation are therefore quite possible. Weather conditions at locations with high dew point temperatures (65 or greater) are likely to be uncomfortably humid.
Retaining wall-	A structure that holds back a slope and prevents erosion
Retardants	Admixtures that increase the setting time by slowing down hydration
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.
Ris	The vertical distance from the eaves line to the ridge. Also the vertical distance from stair tread to stair tread
Riser	Each of the vertical boards closing the spaces between the treads of stairways.
Road base	aggregate mixture of sand and stone.
Roof joist	he rafters of a flat roof. Lumber used to support the roof sheeting and roof loads
Roof sheathing	The wood panels or sheet material fastened to the roof rafters or trusses on which the shingle or other roof covering is laid.
Roof valley	he "V" created where two sloping roofs meet.
Roughing-in	Roughing-in- The initial stage of a plumbing, electrical, heating, carpentry, and/or other project, when all components that won't be seen after the second finishing phase are assembled.
Rubble Wall
RUF
Saddle-	A small second roof built behind the back side of a fireplace chimney to divert water around the chimney. Also, the plate at the bottom of some—usually exterior—door openings. Sometimes called a threshold.
Sash	A single light frame containing one or more lights of glass. The frame that holds the glass in a window, often the movable part of the window.
Sash balance	A device, usually operated by a spring and designed to hold a single hung window vent up and in place
Scaffolding
Scissors Truss
Scratch coat	The first coat of plaster, which is scratched to form a bond for a second coat.
Screed	To level off concrete to the correct elevation during a concrete pour.
Screw
Scribing-	Cutting and fitting woodwork to an irregular surface.
Sealer	A finishing material, either clear or pigmented, that is usually applied directly over raw wood for the purpose of sealing the wood surface.
Seasoning-	Drying and removing moisture from green wood in order to improve its usability.
Septic system	An on site waste water treatment system. It usually has a septic tank which promotes the biological digestion of the waste, and a drain field which is designed to let the left over liquid soak into the ground. Septic systems and permits are usually sized by the number of bedrooms in a house.
Settlement	Shifts in a structure,
sewer
Sewers	Sewerage systems deal with the removal and treatment of foul water/waste
Sheathing	The structural wood panel covering, usually OSB or plywood, used over studs, floor joists or rafters/trusses of a structure.
Sheathing
Sheet metal work	All components of a house employing sheet metal, such as flashing, gutters, and downspouts.
Shim	A small piece of scrap lumber or shingle, usually wedge shaped, which when forced behind a furring strip or framing member forces it into position. Also used when installing doors and placed between the door jamb legs and 2 X 4 door trimmers. Metal shims are wafer  1 1/2" X 2" sheet metal of various thickness' used to fill gaps in wood framing members, especially at bearing point locations.
Shingles	Roof covering of asphalt. asbestos, wood, tile, slate, or other material cut to stock lengths, widths, and thickness'.
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.
Shutter	Usually lightweight louvered decorative frames in the form of doors located on the sides of a window. Some shutters are made to close over the window for protection.
Sill	wood plate framing member that lays flat against and bolted to the foundation wall (with anchor bolts) and upon which the floor joists are installed. Normally the sill plate is treated lumber. (2) The member forming the lower side of an opening, as a door sill or window sill.
Sill plate	Bottom horizontal member of an exterior wall frame which rests on top a foundation, sometimes called mudsill. Also sole plate, bottom member of an interior wall frame.
Single hung window	A window with one vertically sliding sash or window vent.
Skylight	A more or less horizontal window located on the roof of a building.
Sleeper	Usually, a wood member embedded in concrete, as in a floor, that serves to support and to fasten the subfloor or flooring.
Slope-	The incline angle of a roof surface, given as a ratio of the rise (in inches) to the run (in feet). See also pitch.
Slump test	Test used to determine workability. The "wetness" of concrete. A 3 inch slump is dryer and stiffer than a 5 inch slump
soakaway	Soakaways are a traditional way of disposing of surface water from buildings remote from a suitable public sewer or watercourse. A soakaway must have capacity to store immediate run-off from roofs and hard surfaces and the water must then be able to disperse into the surrounding soil quickly enough for the soakaway to be able to cope with the next storm. Soakaways are probably the most common form of surface water disposal and are usually suitable for areas less than 100m2. Soakaways are generally formed from square or circular pits, filled with rubble or lined with dry jointed masonry or perforated concrete ring units. Soakaways serving larger areas are generally lined pits, trench type soakaways or constructed from specialist proprietary units. It should be expected that a domestic rubble filled soakaway may need to be renewed about every ten years Soakaways are a simple way of dispersing surface and/or ground water in situations where connection to the SW system is impractical or unwarranted. The basic principle is that of a 'reverse well' i.e. a 'hole-in-the-gound' that loses water rather than collecting water. It should be noted that soakaways rarely work on heavy clay soils. If you are hoping to create a soakaway to alleviate waterlogging in a garden, you may well be disappointed by what follows.
Soffit-	The area below the eaves and overhangs. The underside where the roof overhangs the walls. Usually the underside of an overhanging cornice.
Soil	The top surface of vegatable mater usualy about 15mm
Soil pipe	A large pipe that carries liquid and solid wastes to a sewer or septic tank.
Soil stack	A plumbing vent pipe that penetrates the roof.
Sole plate	The bottom, horizontal framing member of a wall that's attached to the floor sheeting and vertical wall studs.
Sound attenuation
Space heat-	Heat supplied to the living space, for example, to a room or the living area of a building.
Span-	The clear distance that a framing member carries a load without support between structural supports. The horizontal distance from eaves to eaves.
Splice
Static vent	A vent that does not include a fan.
Step flashing	Flashing application method used where a vertical surface meets a sloping roof plane. 6" X 6" galvanized metal bent at a 90 degree angle, and installed beneath siding and over the top of shingles. Each piece overlaps the one beneath it the entire length of the sloping roof (step by step).
Stick built-	A house built without prefabricated parts. ususaly in timberframe
Stile	n upright framing member in a panel door
Storm sewer	A sewer system designed to collect storm water and is separated from the waste water system.
Story	That part of a building between any floor or between the floor and roof.
Strike	The plate on a door frame that engages a latch or dead bolt.
stringer	A timber or other support for cross members in floors or ceilings. In stairs, the supporting member for stair treads. Usualy a plank notched to receive the treads
Structural floor
Structure
Stucco	Refers to an outside plaster finish made with Portland cement as its base.
Stud	A vertical wood framing member, also referred to as a wall stud, attached to the horizontal sole plate below and the top plate above. Normally 2 X 4's or 2 X 6's, 8' long (sometimes 92 5/8"). One of a series of wood or metal vertical structural members placed as supporting elements in walls and partitions.
Stud framing	A building method that distributes structural loads to each of a series of relatively lightweight studs. Contrasts with post-and-beam.
Sump	Pit or large plastic bucket/barrel inside the home designed to collect ground water from a perimeter drain system.
Sump pump	A submersible pump in a sump pit that pumps any excess ground water to the outside of the home.
Suspended ceiling-	A ceiling system supported by hanging it from the overhead structural framing.
Switch	A device that completes or disconnects an electrical circuit.
T & G,	A joint made by a tongue (a rib on one edge of a board) that fits into a corresponding groove in the edge of another board to make a tight flush joint. Typically, the subfloor plywood is T & G.
Tempered	Strengthened. Tempered glass will not shatter nor create shards, but will "pelletize" like an automobile window. Required in tub and shower enclosures and locations, entry door glass and sidelight glass, and in a windows when the window sill is less than 16" to the floor.
Tension	The stress resulting from elongation.
thermal transmittance
Thermostat	A device which relegates the temperature of a room or building by switching heating or cooling equipment on or off.
Threshold	The bottom metal or wood plate of an exterior door frame. Generally they are adjustable to keep a tight fit with the door slab.
Timber
Top chord	The upper or top member of a truss.
Top plate-	Top horizontal member of a frame wall supporting ceiling joists, rafters, or other members.
Trap	A plumbing fitting that holds water to prevent air, gas, and vermin from backing up into a fixture.
Tread-	The walking surface board in a stairway on which the foot is placed.
Trim	The method used to finish a material often quite rough. mostly the applicaton of a strip of material to the edge of a finished product to hide a rough edge,
Truss	An engineered and manufactured roof support member with "zig-zag" framing members. Does the same job as a rafter but is designed to have a longer span than a rafter.
Turpentine	A petroleum, volatile oil used as a thinner in paints and as a solvent in varnishes
U Value
Undercoat	A coating applied prior to the finishing or top coats of a paint job. It may be the first of two or the second of three coats. Sometimes called the Prime coat.
Upside Down" roofs
Valley-	The "V" shaped area of a roof where two sloping roofs meet. Water drains off the roof at the valleys.
Valley flashing-	Sheet metal that lays in the "V" area of a roof valley.
Vapour barrier	Material of low permeability applied to insulation to avoid o retard the passage of water vapour.
Veneer	Extremely thin sheets of wood. Also a thin slice of wood or brick or stone covering a framed wall.
Vent	A pipe or duct which allows the flow of air and gasses to the outside. Also, another word for the moving glass part of a window sash, i.e. window vent.
Vermiculite	A mineral used as bulk insulation and also as aggregate in insulating and acoustical plaster and in insulating concrete floors.
Visqueen-	A 4 mil or 6 mil plastic sheeting.
Voids	The formation of large cavities or pockets in a structure
Voltage	measure of electrical potential. Most homes are wired with 110 and 220 volt lines. The 220 volt power is usually used for the kitchen range, hot water heater and dryer., and lighting although other countrys use 110 volts
W C-	An abbreviation for water closet (toilet).
Wall Tie
Warm Roof	A roof having the deck or structural component kept warm by the insulation. Most flat roofs, for example, are now warm roofs comprising insulation ABOVE the deck, ie, the construction would be weathering membrane, insulation, vapour control, deck. A ceiling is only necessary for aesthetic or sound absorbtion purposes.
Warping	Any distortion in a material.
Waste pipe	Plumbing plastic pipe that carries waste water to the municipal sewage system.
Water closet	Another name for toilet.
water Table	Rain, falling an the earth, runs off as streams, evaporates, is held by soils, and soaks into the earth. Water that soaks into porous rocks is called underground water, or ground water. Water will flow into porous rocks until the rocks become saturated. The level of saturation depends upon weather conditions and is higher during rainy seasons and lower during dry seasons. The surface between the level of saturation and nonsaturation is called the water table. Underground water does not flow in streams, nor does it occur in lake-like pools, but is very similar to the model in this activity. A water well is a hole drilled in the earth to a point below the water table. Dry spells may cause the water table to lower, thus causing a well to go dry. The water table is the level at which the water stays. It is the very top of the zone of saturation. A few centimeters above this level water can also be found due to capillary action. In the presence of a pumping well, the water table will drop around the well. This situation is called drawdown. Under some conditions, a perched water table may exist. This occurs when the water percolation is interrupted by another confining layer above the "main" one.
Water vapour
Water vapour diffusion
Water-repellent preservative	A liquid applied to wood to give the wood water repellant properties
Watt	A measure of the electrical requirement of an appliance calculated by multiplying the voltage times the amperage.
Weatherstrip	Narrow sections of thin metal or other material installed to prevent the infiltration of air and moisture around windows and doors.
Weep holes	mall holes in any surface to the exterior that allow moisture to escape.
Wind
Wind bracing	Metal straps or wood blocks installed diagonally on the inside of a wall from bottom to top plate, to prevent the wall from twisting, racking, or falling over "domino" fashion.
wind engineering	To evaluate and quantify wind effects in dense urban areas, in terms of wind effects on people, buildings, other structures, and urban built environment.
Wind Loading
Window frame-	he stationary part of a window unit; window sash fits into the window frame.
Window sash	The operating or movable part of a window; the sash is made of window panes and their  border.
Wood
Wood Fibreboard	Wood fibreboard was the first type of board extensively used for roof flat insulation