This visual dictionary defines and illustrates various construction terms through pictures and descriptions. It includes terms related to roofs like ridge vent, gable vent, and roof turbine. It also covers masonry components such as brick bonds and brick sizes. Rounding it out are mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems in a home as well as framing elements, exterior finishes, and types of roofs. The document serves as a reference guide for construction industry terminology.

1. Visual Dictionary By: Ryan Sims Devin Vickers

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

3. 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.

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

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

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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Brick Arch 1 Segmented arch

10. Brick Arch 2 Gothic arch with keystone

11. Centering

12. Brick Bond 1

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

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

21. 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.

22. Brick Cladding

23. EIFS Cladding

24. Stone Cladding

25. Wood Board Cladding

26. 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

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

28. Code Picture 2 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. 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.

31. 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”

32. CMU Pic 2 4” CMU

33. CMU Pic 3 10” CMU

34. Split Face Block

35. Ribbed Block

36. Flush Door

37. Panel Door

38. Transom A small window directly above a door.

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

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

41. 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

42. Meter Measures how much electricity is being used

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

44. Duplex Receptacle Where power is accessed from the home

45. Anchor Bolt

46. Sill Plate

47. Floor Joist

48. Subflooring

49. Sole Plate

50. Stud

51. Top Plate

52. Stringer

53. Ceiling Joist

54. Rafter

55. Roof Decking

56. Sheathing

57. 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

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

59. 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

60. 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

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

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

63. 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

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

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

66. Mortar Joint 1

67. Mortar Joint 2

68. 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

69. Lavatory Uses 1 ½ inch diameter piping for drainage

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

71. Tub and Studs

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

73. Bathroom Sink

74. 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

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

76. Rebar

77. Gutter A channel that collects rainwater at the eave of a roof

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

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

80. Roof Underlayment

81. Clay Tile Roof

82. Shingle Roof Slate Shingle Roof

83. Metal Roof

84. Gable Roof

85. Gambrel Roof

86. Hip Roof

87. Mansard Roof

88. Ridge

89. Valley

90. Eave

91. Rake

92. Fascia

93. Soffit

94. Stone

95. Vapor Retarder

96. Waterproofing

97. Weep Hole

98. Welded Wire Fabric

99. Window 1

100. Window 2

101. Window 3