The construction industry has a unique vocabulary that any contractor or construction worker can understand. They have a different way to describe the processes of building homes, apartments, office buildings and other projects that construction workers face during the day.
Here are just a few of the most common terms that are used in the building profession, but they are just scratching the surface.
A/C - An abbreviation for air conditioning.
Air space - The area between insulation wall coverings.
Area wells - Corrugated metal or concrete walls installed around the basement window to keep away the earth
Attic access - An opening in the dry walled ceiling providing access to the attic.
Ballast - A transformer that increases the voltage in a florescent lamp.
Baseboard – A trim board placed against the wall around the room near the floor.
Bearing wall - A wall that supports a vertical load in addition to its weight.
Blocking - Small wood pieces to brace framing or to provide a nailing base for board or paneling.
Brick mold -Trim used around an exterior door jamb that siding butts to.
Building codes – ordinances governing the way a home may be constructed or customized.
Casing - Wood trim molding installed around a door or window opening.
Chalk line – A line made by snapping a tight string dusted with chalk making a straight line.
Conduction - The direct transfer of heat energy through a material.
Crown molding – A molding used on cornice or wherever an interior angle is to be covered, especially at the roof and wall corner.
Damper - A metal “door” placed within the fireplace chimney.
Dormer - An opening in a sloping roof, the framing of which projects out to form a vertical wall suitable for windows or other openings.
Eaves - The exterior roof overhang.
Equity - The “valuation” that you own in your house.
Facing brick – The brick used on the outside of a wall. Usually these have a finished texture.
Fire retardant chemical - A chemical used to reduce the flammability of a material or to retard the spread of flame.
Flashing – Sheet metal used in roof and wall construction to protect a building from water.
Foundation - The supporting portion of a structure below the first floor construction.
Glazing - The process of installing glass, which often is secured with glazier’s points and glazing compound.
Grout - A wet mixture of cement, sand and water that flows into masonry or ceramic crevices to seal the cracks between the different pieces.
Heat pump - A device which uses compression and decompression of gas to heat and/or cool a home.
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.
Jamb - The side and head lining of a doorway, window, or other opening. Includes studs as well as the frame and trim.
Laminating - Bonding together two or more layers of materials.
Load bearing wall - Includes all exterior walls and any interior wall that is aligned above a support beam or girder.
Masonry - Stone, brick, concrete, hollow-tile, concrete block, or other similar building units or materials.
Overhang - Outward projecting eave-soffit area of a roof; the part of the roof that hangs out or over the outside wall.
Particle board - Plywood substitute made of course sawdust that is mixed with resin and pressed into sheets.
Permit – A governmental authorization to perform a building process as in:
Retaining wall - A structure that holds back a slope and prevents erosion.
Scratch coat - The first coat of plaster, which is scratched to form a bond for a second coat.
Sheet rock- A manufactured panel made out of gypsum plaster and encased in a thin cardboard.
Strip flooring- Wood flooring consisting of narrow, matched strips.
Top plate - Top horizontal member of a frame wall supporting ceiling joists, rafters, or other members.
Undercoat - A coating applied prior to the finishing or top coats of a paint job.
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.
For more construction related terminology, here are additional resources:
Construction Terminology (From MIT Libraries)
Dictionary of Wood Product and Construction Terminology
Construction Terminology (Adobe PDF from Illinois Department of Revenue)
Glossary of Construction Terminology
Glossary of Construction Terms
Homeowner’s Glossary of Building Terms (Federal Citizens Information Center)