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 Whether you're building, buying or selling, this glossary of terms should be a big help to you as you prepare to buy or sell your home. The probability is great that you will be discussing the design, construction, materials and condition of the structure. It helps to be able to talk the same language so no misunderstanding arises at a later date.

Acoustical Materials  - Sound-absorbing substances to cover ceilings and walls.

Aggregate  - Ingredients of concrete; gravel and sand, mixed with portland cement.

Air-Dried Lumber - Wood that is seasoned in open air instead of a kiln.

Anchor Bolts - Bolts used to secure a wooden sill to a masonry foundation.

Asbestos Shingles - Fireproof roof or siding material made of portland cement and asbestos.

Backfill - Excavated soil replaced in a trench or against the foundation.

Baseboard - A molding at the bottom of a wall to present a finished appearance where wall and floor meet.

Batt - Insulating material in blanket form, made in small sizes for convenient installation.

Batten - A narrow strip of wood nailed across two other pieces of cover a joint or crack.

Beam - Any substantial length of timber, steel or other material which supports a load over an opening; a girder.

Beamed Ceiling - Exposed timber placed horizontally along a ceiling which may be load-bearing or merely decorative.

Bearing Wall - A wall that supports the weight of the roof, or the upper floor of a building.

Blanket - Flexible insulating material in rolls up to eighty feet in length, usually paper covered.

Board Feet - A unit of lumber measurement, one foot long, one foot wide, and one inch thick. Lumber in large quantities is sold by board feet.

Breezeway - An open, roofed passageway.

Brick Veneer - A brick facing laid against exterior walls of a frame structure which is not designed to support any weight of the building. See solid brick.

Bridging - Small strips of wood or metal fastened diagonally between joists to make them rigid; a method of bracing the floor. Wood is sometimes used a s solid bridging.

British Thermal Unit (BTU) - A method of measuring heat; the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit; the standard measurement to determine power of an air-conditioning unit.

Building Code - A set of rules and regulations established by local government, which determines the standards for procedures and materials in construction.

Built-up Roof - A flat or low pitched roof of three or more layers of tar-saturated felt or jute; the surface is finished with gravel or crushed slag.

Casement Window - A window that opens on hinges.

Casing - Framework around a door or window.

Catch Basin - A sieve-like device at  a sewer's entrance to prevent solid matter from blocking the system.

Caulk - To fill seams and joints with a flexible, durable substance to make them watertight and airtight.

Cavity Wall - Two walls, usually brick, constructed with a hollow space between in which the air serves as insulation. This type of construction also prevents windswept rain from seeping through the interior wall. Ties of metal or brick join the walls. Often called hollow wall.

Ceramic Tile - Hard-baked, kiln baked tile that is impervious to water.

Center to Center - In measuring spaces between structural members, such as joists and studs, actual distance from the center of each unit.

Circuit - Two or more wires through which electricity circulates from the supply source to one or more outlets and then back to the source.

Circuit Breaker - An electrical device which has the same function as a fuse, but which can be reset after being tripped by an overload on the line.

Common Brick - The least expensive red brick used for construction and lacking the attractive texture and water-resistant qualities of tapestry or face brick.

Component Construction - A method of building in which all units of a house are completely fabricated at the factory and assembled on a site.

Concrete Block - A rectangular, partially hollow masonry block made of portland cement, sand, and aggregate which is considerably stronger than cinder block and is used in constructing foundations and building walls.

Condensation - Droplets of water sometimes appearing as frost on inside surfaces of exterior walls or windows in cold weather, and caused by excessive moisture-laden air in poorly ventilated buildings.

Crawl Space - In houses without basements, a shallow area between floor and ground.

Damper - A metal device to regulate draft in the flue of a boiler, furnace or fireplace.

Dead Load - An inert weight that remains constant, such as the downward pressure of structural members. See live load.

Dew Point - The temperature at which water vapor in the air begins to condense into droplets.

Dormer - A gabled window that projects from a sloping roof.

Double-Hung Window -  A window that opens and closes by raising and lowering.

Dressed Lumber - Wood after it has been seasoned and planed. A 2" x 4" board when dressed is actually 1 1/2" x 3 1/2".

Drywall - An interior wall made of plasterboard, which comes in 1/2 inch and 5/8 inch thicknesses. Other materials such as gypsum and fiberboard are also used.

Ducts - Metal pipes, usually rectangular which carry forced warm air from the furnace to various parts of the house; also used to circulated cooled air form an air conditioning unit.

Electric Service Panel - The main cabinet where electric current enters the house and then branches off to different circuits. The main switch to disconnect the entire house current is installed there; also the circuit breakers or fuses.

Ell - An addition to a structure at a right angle to its length.

Expansion Joint - A Bituminous fiber placed between separate slabs of concrete, as on a sidewalk to prevent cracks when rising temperature causes expansion.

Facebrick - A type of brick made of selected clays and often textured which is highly water-resistant. Also called tapestry brick.

Fiberboard - Insulating material formed into sheets from the pulp of vegetables, wood or cane.

Firebrick - A brick made of special fire clay to resist high heat.

Fire Clay - Material that can withstand very high temperatures without softening or fusing and to line chimney flues and fire chambers of boilers and furnaces.

Firestop - Any solid object used to block airways between walls to prevent smoke and fire from spreading.

Flagstone - A type of rock that splits readily into layers or flags which is used to pave patios and entrance halls.

Flashing - Sheet metal or other material used around chimneys, dormers, windows and joints where angles meet to protect a structure from water seepage.

Flue - An enclosed chimney passage through which gas and smoke rise to open air.

Flue Lining - Round or square fire clay or terra-cotta pipe made in two foot lengths which prevents smoke and hot gases from escaping through the wall of the chimney into the house. 

Footing - The subterranean support of a structure's foundation. It may be in the form of a continuous base around the perimeter of the outside walls or consist of pedestals to support piers. 

Furring - Wood strips fastened to a wall, ceiling, or floor to provide an airspace which also serves as a base for lath or drywall.

Gable - Triangular peaks at either end of the house above the eaves. A ridged roof ending abruptly at both ends is called a gable roof.

Girder - A main beam that supports the superstructure.

Grade - The slope or pitch of the ground around a house.

Grading - Arranging the soil to slope downward from a foundation for drainage.

Gutter - A trough or open channel installed below and along roof eaves to carry off rainwater.

Half Story - An attic in a dwelling with a pitched roof which has a finished ceiling and floor but a low side wall.

Hardboard - An inexpensive substitute for wood made of finely ground wood fibers bonded under pressure with an adhesive.

Hardwood - Lumber from trees that shed their broad leaves in the fall. The term hardwood or softwood is not an accurate index of relative hardness. Some softwoods such as southern yellow pine or Douglas fir are much harder than the hardwoods poplar or basswood. See softwood.

Hearth - The floor of a fireplace, including the part that extends into the room constructed of tile, brick or stone.

Hip Roof - They type of roof that slopes upward on three or four sides. It is sometimes called a hip-and-valley roof.

Hopper Window - A window that opens inward on hinges attached to the bottom.

I-Beam - A steel girder having a cross section that resembles the letter I.

Insulation - Any substance which is a poor conductor of heat, electricity, or sound and also used as a fire-retardant.

Jamb - The upright piece forming the side of an opening as of a door, window or fireplace.

Joists - Planks two to four inches thick and six or more inches wide which rest on load-bearing walls and beams; used to support floors and ceilings.

K Factor - The rate of speed at which heat, measured in BTU's will pass through the material of an exterior wall.

Kiln-Dried - A method of seasoning lumber in ovens which is a faster process than air drying.

Lath - Wooden strips, metal mesh, gypsum, or insulating board secured to the frame of a structure to serve as a plaster base.

Leader - A metal pipe, extending from the roof gutter to the ground to carry off rainwater. Also called a downspout.

Lintel - A length of steel, stone, or wood laid horizontally across the top of a door, window and other openings to support the load directly above.

Load-Bearing - Refers to walls that bear weight in addition to their own.

Louver - An opening with horizontal slats to ventilate attics and other areas. It is designed to prevent rain or sunlight from entering.

Masonry - Anything built of materials such as concrete, stone, brick or tile.

Millwork - Woodwork that has been finished and partly assembled at the mill.

Moisture Barrier - A waterproof material placed against the inner side of exterior walls to prevent moisture form forming on the wood. A vapor barrier.

Molding - Wood strips machined in various shapes, sizes and designs for use as ornamental trim.

Mortar - A mixture of cement, sand and water used to bond bricks and stone.

Mullion - The thin vertical bar separating window panes.

Newel - (1) An upright post that supports the handrail at the top and bottom of a stairway. (2) Any post around which the steps of a winding staircase turn.

Pier - A masonry pillar used to support other structural members.

Pitch - The incline of a roof from the plate or base to the ridge or peak.

Plaster Board - Rigid wallboard made of gypsum covered with heavy paper on both sides.

Plate - A horizontal length of lumber resting on studs or posts to support rafters.

Platform Frame - Construction in which floors are framed separately. Each floor is supported by studs that are only one story high.

Plywood - Construction material made of three or more layers of thin veneers or sheets of wood glued together with the grain of each sheet at right angles to the other and manufactured in 3, 5,  or 7 ply sheets that do not warp.

Prefabricated House - A house in which all units are fabricated in a factory and then shipped to a site for assembling.

Quarter Round - A molding with a quarter circle profile.

R Value - A grading standard for insulating materials. It stands for "resistance to heat flow" and is stamped on most good brands of insulation material. The higher the R value the better.

Rafter - One of a series of sloping planks designed to support roof loads. Rafters of a flat roof are called joists.

Reflective Insulation - Aluminum foil-covered insulating material, the effectiveness of which is measured by the number of reflective surfaces rather than thickness.

Register - In warm-air heating, a grill that allows the heated air to pass into different rooms.

Ridge - The highest line formed by the two sloping surfaces of a roof. Rafters on both inclines are nailed at the ridge.

Ridge Board - A plank extending the length of the ridge to secure the upper ends of the rafters.

Sash - The framing which holds one or more window panes.

Semi-Detached - A dwelling which shares a common wall with one other house.

Sewer Trap - A device in the sewer line to prevent sewer gas from seeping into the house without interrupting the flow of sewage. 

Shake - A hand split edge-grained shingle usually of cedar.

Sheathing - Wallboard, plywood or similar material nailed to exterior studs or rafters which forms the base for finish applications.

Shingles - Small rectangular or square pieces of building material laid in overlapping rows on the roof or walls of a house.

Siding - The finish or outer covering of a frame house such as wood, shingle, aluminum, vinyl, stucco or other protective material.

Sill - The lowest wooden member of a building, resting horizontally on the foundation and providing the support or bearing surface for the beam, joists, and exterior walls of the structure.

Slate - Natural stone that splits easily into flat sheets of varying thickness which provides a durable, finished roofing material and also is used for patios.

Soffitt - The underside of parts of building such as a stairway, arch, cornice or beam. 

Softwood - Cone-bearing, evergreen trees which except for the cypress and larch do not shed their needle-like leaves. See Hardwood.

Soil Stack - The main vertical pipe in the plumbing system which receives all waste matter from other units.

Sole Plate - A horizontal board usually 2" x 4" on which the wall studs rest.

Solid Brick Construction - A type of house construction with brick walls built several courses thick to support the weight of the entire structure.

Structural Lighting - Lighting devised to fit a specific purpose.

Stucco - An exterior finish usually consisting of portland cement, lime and sand.

Stud - A vertical length of lumber, 2" x 4", used to form the framework of a wall or partition the length of which determines the height of the ceiling. In the plural often called studding.

Subfloor - In better built houses, a rough flooring laid directly on the joists that provides a rigid base for the finish flooring.

Sump Pump - An apparatus to siphon water from basements particularly those below sewer level that cannot be waterproofed and are subject to seepage or floods.

Termite Shield- A float strip of non-corrosive metal placed between the foundation and superstructure and around pipes that extend through the foundation to prevent termite infestation.

Trim - Interior finishing materials such as moldings usually ornamental applied to doors, windows, baseboards, cornices and other objects.

Valley - An internal or depressed angle formed by the junction of the bottom of two sloping sides of the roof.

Wainscot - Wood paneling or other material on the lower half of walls.

Wallboard - A fabricated rigid sheet made of gypsum, compressed wood , or similar material used to cover walls or ceilings.

Weephole - A small opening in the lower part of a retaining wall to allow drainage of excess water.