This document defines and describes various construction terms related to building components and materials. It provides brief definitions for over 100 terms, including types of roofing materials and shapes, framing elements, windows, doors, masonry, plumbing, electrical, insulation, and more. Each term is concisely defined in a sentence or two to provide the essential information about its use or purpose.

1. Visual Dictionary BSCI 2300 April 26, 2010

2. Air Barrier Paper Air Barrier Paper – an external membrane applied to the sheathing below the veneer which serves as a weather barrier and helps to prevent air infiltration into the home.

3. Attic Ventilation Attic Ventilation – Serves to allow water vapor to escape and to allow the hot attic air to escape by providing an intake at the eaves through the soffit vents which allows the warmer air to escape through the roof vents.

4. Attic Ventilation Soffit Vent – Allows air into the attic so that the warmer air can be pushed out through the vents placed higher on the roof

5. Attic Ventilation Ridge Vent – Allows hot attic air to escape through a gap in the ridge decking

6. Attic Ventilation Gable Vent – Allows hotter attic air to escape and prevents buildup of heat conducted through the roof of the structure

7. Attic Ventilation Roof Turbine – allows the air to escape by drawing it out through the roof like a fan

8. Backhoe Backhoe – Heavy machinery used for excavation in smaller site clearing projects like tree removal and used to dig footings and some basement excavation. Bucket Width = 24’’

9. Batter Boards Batter Boards – A temporary frame built just outside the corners of a foundation excavation. They are used to make sure the structure is square and to also carry the lines of a footing from corner to corner.

10. Brick Arches Roman Arch

11. Brick Arches Segmental Arch

12. Brick Arches Roman Arch w / Keystone

13. Brick Arches Centering- The temporary framework that supports an arch while it is being built

14. Brick Bonds Stacked Bond – Stretchers that are stacked on top of each other

15. Brick Bonds Running Bond – Continuous row of stretchers with every other row offset one half brick

16. Brick Bonds Rowlocks

17. Brick Bonds Headers

18. Brick Bonds Soldier

19. Brick Bonds Sailors

20. Brick Bonds Shiners

21. Brick Sizes Utility – 3 1/2 Wx 3 1/2” Hx 11 1/2” L

22. Brick Sizes King Size 3” W x 2 5/8” Hx 9 5/8” L

23. Bulldozer Bulldozer – heavy machinery used during site prep. It is used to level the dirt off by grading with the front blade and pushing dirt around small areas of the construction site.

24. Cladding Brick Clad

25. Cladding EIFS

26. Cladding StoneClad- Random Rubble

27. Cladding Wood Board Clad

28. Cladding Wood Shingle Wood Shake – small shingle split from a block of wood, which gives a rough texture and uneven depths Wood Shingle – sawn shingle, typically more smooth and uniform; also larger in size

29. Code Requirements Windows : minimum opening of 5.7 square feet (5.0 if sill is less than 44” AFF) Opening width 20” minimum & opening height 24” minimum. Actual Measurements – 26” h x 32” w x 36” AFF. Total Area : 5.78 sq. ft. The window meets the code requirements

30. Code Requirements Code requirements – Riser Height 7 ¾” maximum Tread Depth 10” nosing to nosing Actual measurements – Riser Height of 7 5/8 tread depth 11 5/8” (no overhang) gives 11 5/8”. Therefore, the stair is in compliance with the code.

31. Concrete Joints Control Joint – a designed cut in concrete to weaken the slab at that point in an attempt to prevent cracking elsewhere in the concrete

32. Construction Joints Isolation joints - separate concrete from objects or structures, and allow independent movement without any connection that could cause damage to either object. This one isolates the concrete slab from the brick wall.

33. Concrete Masonry Unit CMU – a block of hardened concrete designed to be laid up like regular masonry brick. The hollow cores allow for the block walls to be filled with concrete for additional strength. CMU is more economical for foundation walls than cast concrete, and when laid by a proper mason, one course of block is equal to 3 courses of standard brick w/ a 3/8” mortar joint. A typical block is 8” x 8” x 16” with a 3/8” mortar joint.

34. ConcreteMasonryUnit 4 inch cmu and 8 inch cmu

35. Decorative CMU Split Block

36. Decorative CMU Ribbed Block

37. Doors Flush Door

38. Doors Top Rail Style Panel Lock Rail Bottom Rail exterior panel door

39. Doors Transom – A small window directly over a door

40. Doors Sidelight – A tall, narrow widow running alongside a door

41. Electrical Components Underground Transformer Box – Steps down the electricity from a few thousand volts to the 110v / 220v service needed for the home

42. Electrical Components Service Head – Brings the electricity into the meter and isolates that particular residence through an in-line fuse which prevents the house wiring from interfering with other structures on the grid Meter – Measures how much electricity is being used

43. Electrical Components Service Panel – the point where the electricity enters the home. The panel distributes the electricity throughout the home through individual circuits.

44. Electrical Components Duplex Receptacle – where the power is accessed in the home

45. Framing Elements Subfloor #1 Anchor Bolt #2 Sill Plate #3 Floor Joist

46. FramingElements #4 Subflooring

47. Framing Elements #5 Sole Plate #6 Stud #7 Top Plate

48. Framing Elements #8 Unfinished Stringer

49. Framing Elements #9 Ceiling Joist

50. Framing Elements #10 Rafter

51. Farming Elements #11 Roof Decking #12 Sheathing

52. Front End Loader Front End Loader – used for transporting piles of dirt or other material across a jobsite. The hydraulic arms on the bucket allows the ability to place material at a raised elevation – useful for loading dump trucks and backfilling retaining walls. Unlike a bulldozer, a loader has the ability to scoop dirt out of the ground and move it to another location rather than spreading it around an area

53. Gypsum Board Gypsum Board – An interior finish board made from a gypsum core sandwiched between two paper faces.

54. Heat Pump Compressor – compresses the refrigerant gas which gives off heat, thus cooling the air as it blows across the cooler coils at the air handler -One main disadvantage of the heat pump system is that it is noisy. One must take into account where to place the outside compressors to avoid noise intrusion into the home. -One advantage of heat pump systems is that it is the most efficient way to heat and cool a home

55. Heat Pump Air Handler – Forces the air through the system with the use of a blower fan. Also, cooler air is blown across a heating element inside the air handler to warm it up before distributing it through the ductwork

56. Insulation Batt Insulation Insulation is used to create the thermal envelope for the house to reduce air infiltration/ heat loss in the home

57. Insulation Loose Fill

58. Insulation Foamed Insulation

59. Insulation Rigid Board Insulation

60. Lintel Steel Lintel – A beam that carries the load of the wall across a door or window

61. Mortar Extruded Joint – This house used a 3/8” joint neither tooled or trowledwith type ‘M’ mortar

62. Mortar Concave joint – this oil changing building has a 3/8” tooled mortar joint with type S mortar

63. Oriented Strand Board OSB – a nonveneered panel made up of long strands of wood particles which are compressed and glued together in several layers, with each layer oriented opposite the direction of the previous layer for strength

64. Plumbing Lavatory – uses 1 ½” drain pipe

65. Plumbing Water Closet – uses 3” pipe to drain

66. Plumbing

67. Plumbing Vent Through Roof – allows air to enter the plumbing system which lets the water drain from the pipes

68. Plumbing Drop-in kitchen sink

69. Plywood Plywood – manufactured by gluing thin veneers of wood together, rotating each layer 90 degrees so that the grain in the wood does not run the same in each layer. This provides greater strength and equalizes moisture movement Veneer – a thin layer or facing

70. RadiantBarrier Radiant Barrier – is a reflective barrier that comes any many forms. Its designed to keep heat out in the summer and keep heat in in the winter. Its usually installed in the attic.

71. Rebar #4 rebar (1/2” thickness) The purpose of the deformations is where the concrete will bond to it better.

72. Steep Roof Drainage Gutter Downspout Gutter – a channel which collects rainwater at the eave of a roof Downspout – A vertical pipe for conducting the rainwater from the gutter to a lower level discharge point

73. Steep Roof Drainage Splashblock – a precast concrete block used to dissipate the water at the downspout’s discharge point

74. Steep Roof Materials Underlayment – A thin layer of waterproof material laid between the roof deck and roofing. It allows to get the house in the dry so progress will not be held up due to inclement weather and protects the building before the roofing is applied

75. Steep Roof Materials Clay Tile Roof

76. Steep Roof Material Shingle – A water resistant material nailed in an overlapping pattern with other like materials to make the roof watertight. Wood Shingle Roof

77. Steep Roof Materials Metal Panel Roof – Aluminum Steel

78. Steep Roof Shapes Gable Roof

79. Steep Roof Shapes Gambrel Roof

80. Steep Roof Shapes Hip Roof

81. Steep Roof Shapes Mansard Roof

82. Steep Roof Terms Ridge – the level intersection of roof planes Valley – the sloping intersection of roof planes when water runs to it Eave – the level, low edge of the roof

83. Steep Roof Terms Rake – The Sloping edge of a steep roof

84. Steep Roof Terms Fascia – the exposed vertical face of the eave Soffit – the undersurface of a roof overhang, installed to enclose the rafter tails

85. Steep Roof Terms No Fascia – house with exposed rafter tails

86. Stone Random Rubble Pattern

87. Stone Coursed Rubble Pattern

88. Stone Random Ashlar Pattern

89. Stone Coursed Ashlar

90. Vapor Retarder Vapor Retarder – put in place to reduce the passage of air and water vapor through the building assembly to prevent condensation. It is usually placed to the inside of the building.

91. Waterproofing Waterproofing – installed to prevent the passage of water through the CMU into a basement or crawlspace. This is an example of liquid applied

92. Weep Hole Weep hole – a small opening in the brick veneer to allow accumulated water from the building to escape

93. Welded Wire Fabric WWF – 6” x 6” grid

94. Windows Double Hung Window Wood clad Both the top & bottom sash open

95. Windows Casement Window Vinyl Clad The window cranks out from a side hinge

96. Windows Single Hung Wood clad Only the bottom sash is operable