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| Home Buyer Tips |
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| Knowing the terminology is half the battle so we have compiled a list of the commonly used terms in the home industry. |
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Building Dictionary |
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Tips on Site Selection
If you want to buy land and build a home, consider the following items as you shop for land to build your home on:
Selecting a Location
Your personal preferences will determine the best place for you to live. Do you want to be close to conveniences such as activities and shopping, or do you prefer living away from the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan area? If you work, how far are you willing to drive? You may want to make the commute during your normal drive time to see how long it takes and what traffic you encounter.
Evaluating Homes in the Area
When you build your home, you want it to be generally comparable to homes close to yours. If your house is valued much higher-or lower-than others in your geographic location, it may affect your property value.
Ensuring your Home Fits
If you have a home size and type in mind, you will want to be sure it can be accommodated on land you choose.
Utilities
You will want to ensure that your house can be serviced by public or private utilities.
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A
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Acre
A unit of land measurement. One acre equals 43,560 sq ft, and there are 640 acres in one sq mile.
Air, return
In air conditioning, air which is withdrawn from a room or space to be reprocessed by an air conditioner and recirculated back into the room or space.
Assessed value
A value placed upon a property by the county or other taxing authority to be used as a base for taxation purposes. It is usually a percentage of the market value as determined by the taxing assessor.
Astragal
On a pair of doors, the lip-like member on the free edge of one door against which the other door closes. It can be either of wood or metal.
Attic
The enclosed space between a roof and a ceiling below.
B
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Backfill
Earth replaced after having been excavated, such as to refill utility trenches or behind retaining walls.
Balusters
The closely spaced vertical members in a stairway or balcony railing.
Balustrade
A stairway or balcony railing consisting of balusters
Baseboard
A wood finish piece along and flat against the bottom of a wall to hide the joint between the wall and floor and to protect the base of the wall against damage.
Beam
A structural member, usually horizontal, used to support loads applied transversely to it by its ability to resist bending and shearing forces.
Benchmark
In surveying, a reference point from which other elevations are measured and computed.
Berm
A smaller dike-like earth or paved embankment to divert the flow of run-off water.
Blocking
Short, wooden members put between rafters, joists or studs for added stiffness, or as a backing for attaching other materials.
Boundary survey
Establishing the perimeter of a property by a surveyor, which is in accordance with the distances contained in the land description. Permanent markers are usually set at all corners or changes in direction.
Breezeway
A covered passageway, usually between a house and garage.
Butt Joint
The joint in which the end of one member connects to the end of another member.
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Cabinetwork
The making of high quality cabinets, shelving, furniture, and related wood items.
Casing
In carpentry: a wood finish piece placed around the inside of a door or window opening.
In foundations: a lining on the inside of an excavated shaft to prevent the soil from caving in.
Cast Stone
Precast concrete components made with a high degree of quality and precision.
Caulking
The weather resistant ceiling of a joint by filling the void or crack with a permanently elastic material.
Certificate of Occupancy
A term used in building codes meaning an approval issued by the building dept of a government entity to permit a building to be occupied for a particular purpose. It is issued at the completion of construction when the building dept is satisfied that the structure complies with the building code and is safe to occupy.
Chair Rail
A wooden protective strip placed horizontally along a wall to prevent damage from chairs striking the wall.
Chimney
A vertical shaft to conduct gaseous products of combustion to the outside air, as from a fireplace, furnace, or boiler.
Circuit
One complete run of a set of electric conductors from a power source to various electrical devices and back to the same power source.
Circuit Breaker
A mechanical overcurrent protective device placed in an electric circuit.
Clapboard
Horizontal wood siding consisting of boards thicker at their bottom edges and laid in an overlapping manner.
Clerestory
A wall with windows which is between two roofs at different levels.
Cornice
A decorative element projecting from a wall, at or near the roofline.
Cross Section
In drafting terminology, an imaginary slice, cross-wise, through an object in order to better visualize or illustrate it.
Cubic Yard
The standard unit of measurement for earthwork and concrete. One cubic yard contains 27 cubic feet.
Culvert
A pipe under a road or railroad to provide drainage from one side to the other.
D
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Damper
Adjustable blades within an air duct to regulate the flow of air.
Door Jamb
The sides of a door opening.
Draft Stop
A vertical partition closing off or separating areas of an attic for fire protective purposes.
Drywall
Refers to a wall covering of gypsum board or similar dry sheets as opposed to plaster, which is applied wet.
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Easement
A right given to a third party to use a portion of property for certain purposes, such as power lines or water mains.
Eave
That part of a lower edge of a roof extending beyond the sides of a building.
Elevation
The exterior faade of a home, including the materials (like brick or stone) used on that face.
Excavation
Removal of earth.
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Faade
The finished outside face of a building.
Fascia
The exposed vertical edge of a roof.
Flagstone
A type of stone which can be easily split into thin slabs and which is usually used for veneer or paving.
Flashing
Sheet metal weather protection placed over a joint between different building materials or between parts of a building, in such a matter that water is prevented from entering.
Floor Plan
An architectural drawing showing the overall layout of a home. The size and shape of each room, as well as any details of those rooms, are shown on the floorplan.
Foundation
That part of a building which is in contact with the soil.
Framing
The construction of the skeleton structure, or framework, of a house.
Frost Line
The maximum depth in which ground becomes frozen in the winter.
Furnace
That part of a boiler or warm air heating plant in which combustion takes place.
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Gable
An end wall of a building having a triangular shaped upper portion formed by a sloping roof on either side of a ridge.
Glued Laminated Lumber
Built-up beams, girders, and columns made from small boards glued together.
Grade
The surface of the ground.
Gutter
A horizontal sheet metal trough for conveying roof run-off water to a downspout or other point of discharge.
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Handrail
A protective railing, usually along the open side of a stairway or mounted on a wall along side a stairway.
Hardware
A general term for all metal or plastic items used for fasteners or connectors on a building, and for the fastening and/or operation of doors, windows, cabinets and similar movable items.
Header
The framing member at the end of a floor or roof opening into which a joist or rafter is framed.
Heat Pump
An electrically operated air conditioning unit used for both heating and cooling.
Homeowner Orientation
The homeowner orientation provides buyers with the opportunity to become acquainted with their new home prior to moving in. During the orientation, you will be provided a thorough demonstration of the completed home (e.g., mechanical components, appliances, etc.) and reviews items covered by the warranty.
Hose Bib
A water faucet with a threaded male fitting intended for the attachment of a hose.
I
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Insulation
Any materials having the ability to reduce heat transmission.
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Joist
One of a series of parallel beams used to support a floor, called floor joists, or a ceiling only called ceiling joists.
K
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Kiln dried lumber
The artificial drying of wood, in opposition to air drying, to reduce moisture content and thereby reduce further shrinkage.
L
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Lally column
A round steel column filled with concrete.
Laminated plastic
Layers of paper, cloth or wood impregnated with a resin and pressed together under high temperature to form finish surfacing boards or sheets, such as are used on counter ops win which case they have a melamine overlay.
Lavatory
A fixture designed for the washing of the hands and face.
Leach field
A means of disposing of the liquid wastes from a septic tank whereby the liquid from the tank flows into perforated clay pipe in a gravel-filled trench, thus allowing the liquid to be spread over the length of the trench and percolate into the soil.
Legal description
The location and boundaries of any piece of land can be described by one of three methods: Government survey, metes and bounds description, and subdivision map.
Lineal
A term meaning in a straight line.
Lintel
A beam over an opening
Louver
An opening covered by a series of slanted vanes; usually of sheet metal such that air can pass through but rain cannot.
M
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Main
That part of a distribution system, such as electrical or piping, that connects directly to a primary supply source and into which branch lines connect.
Mansard roof
A roof having two pitches on all four sides, the lower of which is steeper than the upper.
Masonry
Any assemblage of individual concrete, clay, or stone building units which are usually bonded together with mortar.
Millwork
Wood items manufactured in planning mills and woodworking shops, including doors, window frames, and molding.
Miter
To cut at an angle
Molding
A decoratively cut or shaped strip of material, usually wood, placed into a corner to form a finish trim.
Mortise
To cut a rectangular slot-like hole in the side of a wood member into which something is to fit.
Mudsill
A horizontal wood support sill piece set into a concrete foundation or slab and onto which the wood studs are set.
Mullion
A framing, or separating, member between adjacent door or window sections.
Muntin
Framing members between panes of glass in a window.
N
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Newell Post
On a stairway, an end post supporting a run of handrail.
Nosing
The front edge of a stair tread.
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Ornamental Iron
Fabricated steel or iron.
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Panelboard
In electrical work, a metal cabinet-like housing for electrical equipment usually mounted on a wall and used to divide a single incoming feeder into separate distribution circuits such as to lights, motors, etc., such panel boards being called light panels or power panels.
Parcel
In surveying, a term used to denote a small piece of property.
Percolation Test
A test to determine the permeability of soil or rock by measuring the timed rate of change in the level of a column or water allowed to percolate into the rock or soil.
Pier
An isolated column of masonry or concrete, generally having a low ratio of height to width.
Pilaster
A portion of a masonry or concrete wall which is thickened to act as a column to support a beam or truss.
Plans
A drawing showing, in horizontal projection, a part, total, or larger area of a building.
Plat
A map or drawing showing a parcel of land.
Platform framing
In carpentry, a two story stud wall framing system whereby the stud walls are constructed one story at a time with the floor joists set onto the top of the wall thereby serving as a platform for the next higher wall selection.
Plywood
A wood panel product made from a number of thin layers of wood glued together under pressure, with the grain of each layer generally at right angles to adjacent layers, to provide strength and dimensional stability in both directions.
Points
In real estate finance, an additional charge made by a lender to a buyer for making a loan.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
The most important vinyl plastic. It can be modified with plasticizers to produce a wide range of plastics ranging ranging from elastic to rigid.
Private Sewage Disposal System
An on-site means of disposing of sewage as opposed to connection to a public sewer.
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Quantity Surveying
A listing of quantities of materials from a set of plans.
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Rafter
Framing member supporting a roof which is relatively closely spaced and which usually frames into a beam or bearing wall.
Rake
The edge of a roof on a sloping side.
Real Estate
Land and its natural assets such as minerals, water, etc.
Register
An opening into a room for the passage of conditioned air, as from a furnace or air conditioner.
Reinforcing bar
A round steel bar embedded in reinforced concrete.
Rendering
An artists perspective drawing of a building.
Reveal
A continuous recessed, slot-like space, usually for decorative effect, as around a window or door opening.
Ridge
The line formed where two upward sloping roof surfaces meet, as opposed to a valley.
Right of Way
Generally, any right of use to a strip of land but usually meaning a strip of land owned by, and/or used by, a railroad.
Rim Joist
A joist along side of an opening and parallel to adjacent joists.
Riser
In a stairway: the vertical part of a step
In plumbing: a vertical water supply pipe.
Roofing
The waterproof covering over a roof, or the act of placing such a covering.
Rough-in Plumbing
The installation of concealed and permanent parts of the piping up to, but not including, the fixtures.
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Sash
The framework into which panes of glass are set.
Scale
The proportional relationship between an actual object and its visual representation on paper.
Scribe
To mark and cut the edge of a sheet of material such that it will fit tightly against an adjoining irregular surface.
Scuttle
An access opening from a ceiling into an attic space or through a roof.
Section
A drawing showing a sideways view at an imaginary cut through a building or portion thereof, or of any assembly or component, to clarify its manner of construction.
Septic tank
A part of a private sewage disposal system consisting of an underground concrete, masonry, or cast iron device to separate the solid matter, which is biologically digested, and discharge only the liquid effluent for final disposal into the soil by a seepage pit or leach field.
Set Back
The legal distance a structure or building must be from a property line.
Sheathing
Material used for covering a wall, floor, or roof surface, or the act of installing such material.
Sheetrock
Trade name for gypsum board wall and ceiling systems.
Shingles
Used as a roof covering but are suitable only for roof slopes steeper than 4 in 12.
Shutter
A louvered covering over an opening which is either removable or hinged.
Sill
The bottom horizontal part of a window opening.
Soffit
The underside of a horizontal surface which projects beyond a wall line, such as an overhanging roof.
Stack
In plumbing, a general term used for any vertical line of drainage and vent piping.
Stile
On a wood panel or frame, a vertical piece into which the interior or secondary members fit.
Stringer
A longitudinal inclined beam supporting a stairway.
Stud
A regularly spaced upright framing member in a wall to which the finish material is
applied.
Subdivision
A level division of a tract of land into smaller parcels.
Sub-flooring
A structural sheathing material such as plywood applied over joists to provide a base for the installation of the finished floor.
Subsoil
The soil zone below the topsoil.
Sump
A basin or pit-like depression at the low point of a floor or pit to collect wastewater for easier removal.
Surveying
The science of land measurement, conveyancing or description.
T
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Thermopane
Trade name for factory built insulating glass window units composed of two or more glass panes separated by hermetically sealed air spaces.
Thermostat
A switch-like device which senses the temperature and thereby can remotely control the flow or temperature of air to a space.
Threshold
A strip of metal or wood used under a door to cover the joint between differing flooring materials on each side of the door and to help seal the gap under the door.
Topography
The accurate, detailed description of a region as would be shown on a topographic map.
Transom
An openable window over a doorway.
Tread
The horizontal part of a stair step.
Trusses
A truss is a single plane framework of individual structural members connected at their ends to form a series of triangles to span a large distance.
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Uniform Building Code
This model code is published and maintained by the International Conference of Building Officials.
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Valley
The intersection at the bottom of two roof planes, as opposed to a hip.
Variance
A deviation from a zoning law usually granted when an extreme hardship would result, where the zoning law adhered.
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Wainscot
The lower portion of an interior wall when of a different material from the rest of the wall.
Water Table
The upper surface of a body of ground water.
Welded Wire Fabric
Prefabricated reinforcement used in concrete work, consisting of parallel series of high strength, cold drawn wires welded together in square or rectangular grids.
Working Drawings
A complete set of drawings for a construction project which provide all information necessary for construction.
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Zoning
The division of a city into areas restricting by the law the use of the land within the zone, such as for single family residences only, apartments, retail stores, manufacturing, etc.
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