US Construction

Glossary

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 This document comprises a list of terms
used in US construction. They are arranged
alphabetically to navigate easily.
Click an alphabet or scroll down to start
your journey into the world of Construction
vocabulary.

A B C D E F

G H I J L M

N O P R S

T U V

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Architect A person who designs, plans, and oversees

the building process.

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Balloon Framing The lightest and most economical form of a wood

frame structure. In Balloon framing, the studding
and corner plates are set up in continuous
lengths from the first-floor line or sill to the roof
plate to which all floor joists are fastened.
Base (or Baseboard) A board that is placed at the base of the wall and
around the room to cover the joint between the
floor and the wall plaster.
Barrel Roof A roof design that has a semi-circular cross-
section and is arched.
Batt Insulation Strips of insulation, usually fiberglass, that fit
between studs or other framings.

Beam Structural support member (steel, concrete,

lumber), which transversely supports a load that
transfers weight from one location to another.
Bearing Wall A wall that supports any vertical load in addition
to its own weight.
Below Grade The portion of a building that is below ground
level.
Bid Documents Drawings, details, and specifications for a
particular project.
Blocking The process of fastening together two pieces of
board by gluing blocks of wood at the interior
angle in carpentry.

Cont.

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Board Foot In carpentry, a single board foot is equivalent to 1

square foot of lumber that is 1 inch thick in
carpentry.
Boards A yard of lumber less than 2 inches thick and 2 or
more inches wide.
Blueprints Architectural plans for a building or construction
project that include floor plans, footing and
foundation plans, elevations, plot plans, and
various schedules and details.
Brick Veneer The facing of brick laid against and fastened to
the sheathing of a frame wall or tile wall
construction.
Building Paper A general term for papers, felts, and similar sheet
materials used in buildings without reference to
their properties or uses.

Butterfly Roof A roof assembly that pitches sharply from either

side towards the center.

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Casing The molding of various widths and thicknesses

used to trim door and window openings at the
jambs.
Chair Rail A horizontal aluminum extrusion that runs along
the wall at about 3 feet from the ground. In
storefront, window wall, or curtain wall systems,
a chair rail is applied horizontally to the wall to
create a barrier in floor-to-ceiling glazing
applications.
Circuit Breaker A simple switch-like device that automatically
opens a circuit when the rated current exceeds
in case of a short circuit.
Coating A layer of any liquid product spread over a
surface for protection.

Column In architecture, a column is a perpendicular

supporting member, circular or rectangular in
section, usually consisting of a base, shaft, and
capital.
In engineering, a column is a vertical structural
compression member that supports loads in the
direction of its longitudinal axis.
Common rafter Runs square with the plate and extends to the
ridge.

Cont.

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Construction A type of construction in which the structural

Frame parts are made of wood or wood frame for
support. In codes, if masonry veneer is applied to
the exterior walls, the classification of this type of
construction is usually unchanged.
Corner Boards Used as trim for the external corners of a house
or other frame structure against which the ends
of the siding are finished.

Corrugated Folded or shaped into parallel ridges or furrows

to form a symmetrically wavy surface.

Crawl Space A shallow open area between the floor of a

building and the ground normally enclosed by
the foundation wall.
Cricket A small drainage-diverting roof structure of
single or double slope placed at the junction of
larger surfaces that meet at an angle, for
example, a structure above a chimney.

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Damp proofing A process used on concrete, masonry, or stone

surfaces to repel water. The purpose is to
prevent the coated surface from absorbing
rainwater while permitting moisture vapor to
escape from the structure. "Damp proofing"
generally applies to surfaces above grade;
"waterproofing" generally applies to surfaces
below grade.

Deck An elevated platform. The term “Deck” is

commonly used to refer to the above-ground
floors in a multi-level parking garage.
Dimension A softwood yard lumber that is nominally 2
Lumber inches to (but not including) 5 inches thick and 2
or more inches wide. It includes joists, rafters,
studs, plank, and small timbers.
Doorjamb The surrounding case into which a door closes
(interior) and opens. It consists of two upright pieces
called side jambs and a horizontal head jamb.
Dormer An opening that is set on a sloping roof. It has
framing, which projects out to form a vertical
wall suitable for windows or other openings.

Cont.

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Drawing Outline A top view drawing of a building or a roof

showing only the perimeter drawn to scale.

Drawing Detail A top view drawing of a building or a roof

showing the roof perimeter and indicating the
projections and roof mounted equipment drawn
to scale.
Dry-In A term, which means to make the roof water and
weatherproof.

Drywall Also known as sheetrock, gypsum board etc. is a

panel that are used in the framing, taping,
coating, and finishing of the interior walls and
ceilings of a building. It is also used as a verb to
refer to the installation process.
Dry-Wall A type of construction in which the interior wall
Construction finish is applied in a dry condition, generally in
the form of sheet materials or wood paneling in
contrast to plaster.

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Elevation A side of a building.

EPDM (Ethylene A single-ply membrane that consists of synthetic

Propylene Diene rubber, which is usually from 45 or 60 mils in
Monomer) thickness. EPDM can be installed either fully
adhered, mechanically attached, or ballasted.

Excavate Dig the basement or all areas that will need

footings/foundations below ground.

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Facade The front of a building. In architectural terms,

façade is an artificial or decorative effort.
Fascia A horizontal band or framed metal assembly that
runs along the lower edge or eaves of a flat,
sloping, or overhanging roof. It protects the edge of
the roof assembly and also helps to close the gap
between the roof and the wall.
Fasteners A general term covering a wide variety of screws
and nails that may be used for mechanically
securing various components of a building.
Felt A general term used to describe the composition of
roofing ply sheets. It consists of a mat of organic or
inorganic fibers unsaturated and impregnated with
asphalt or coal tar pitch or impregnated and coated
with asphalt.
Finish In hardware, the term “finish” is used to describe
the metal fastenings on cabinets that are usually
exposed, such as hinges and locks.
Finish Carpentry The hanging of all interior doors, installation of
door molding, base molding, chair rail, built in
shelves, etc.
Finish Grade Any surface that has been cut to or built to the
elevation indicated for that point, surface elevation
of lawn, driveway, or other improved surfaces after
completion of grading operations.
Flagstone (Flagging Thin slabs of stone, 1 to 4 inches thick, used for
or Flags) flagging or paving rustic walks, steps, floors, and
the like.
Cont.

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Flashing Weatherproof material installed between roof

sheathing (or wall sheathing) and the finish
materials to help keep moisture away from the
sheathing. Typically, sheet metal or a similar
material is used in roof and wall construction to
protect a building from water seepage.

Floor Plan The basic layout of building, which includes

placement of walls, windows and doors as well as
dimensions.

Floor Plate A bottom board of a wall in stick framing.

Footings Wide pours of cement reinforced with a re-bar
(reinforcing bar) that support foundation walls,
pillars, or posts. Footings are part of the
foundation and are often poured before the
foundation walls.
Footprint See Floor Plan.

Foundation The supporting portion of a structure below the

first floor construction, or below grade, including
the footings.
Frieze In house construction a horizontal member
connecting the top of the siding with the soffit of
the cornice.
Furring Strips of wood or metal applied to a wall or other
surface to level it and to serve as a fastening base
for finish material.

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Gable The end of a building as distinguished from the

front or rear side. The triangular end of an
exterior wall from the eaves to the ridge of a
double-sloped roof. In house construction, a
gable is the portion of the roof above the eave
line of a double-sloped roof.

Gable End An end wall having a gable.

Gambrel Roof A type of roof, which has its slope broken by an

obtuse angle so that the lower slope is steeper
than the upper slope. It is a double sloped roof
that has two pitches.
General Also known as Prime Contractor, is a person
Contractor responsible for all aspects of construction of a
building or renovation.
Girder A main beam upon which floor joists rest. It is
used to support concentrated loads at isolated
points along its length and is commonly made of
steel or wood.
Gypsum Plaster A white cementing material, mixed with sand and
water and applied as base- coat plaster.

Gypsum Board See Drywall

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Hardware Metal accessories such as door knobs, towel

bars, toilet paper holders, etc.

Header A structural member placed horizontally over a

window, door, or other framed opening to carry
the load over that opening. A structural member
placed perpendicular to the joists to which other
joists are nailed in framing around a chimney,
stairway, or other opening in a floor or a ceiling.
Hearth The inner or outer floor of a fireplace, usually
made of brick, tile, or stone.
Hip The external angle at which adjacent sloping
sides of a roof meet.
Hip Rafter Extends from the outside angle of the plate
towards the apex of the roof. They are 2" deeper
or wider than common rafters.
Hip Roof A roof, where all four sides slope downwards to
the wall of a building.

HVAC Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning.

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I-Beam A steel beam with an “I” shaped cross-section is

used to support heavy loads. It is used as
basement beams or over wide wall openings, such
as a double garage door when wall and roof loads
are imposed on the opening.
Insulation A rigid structural building board made of coarse
Board wood or cane fiber in ½ and 25/32-inch thickness.
It is available in various size sheets, in various
densities, and with several treatments.
Insulation A natural or manufactured material that retards or
slows down the flow or transfer of heat.
a. Building insulation types are classified
according to form as loose-fill, flexible, rigid,
reflective, and foamed-in-place. The
resistance of each material to heat
transfer depends on the specific
thermal resistance or R-value.
b. In electrical contracting, insulation is done
using materials such as rubber, thermoplastic,
or asbestos to cover copper wire and other
electrical conductors. The thickness of
insulation varies with wire size and type of
material, application, or other code limitations.
Interior Finish Material used to cover the interior framed areas,
or materials of walls and ceilings.

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Jamb The side and head lining of a doorway, window, or

other opening.

Joist One of a series of parallel beams that is 2 inches in

thickness, used to support floor and ceiling loads,
which in turn is supported by larger beams,
girders, bearing walls.

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Lookout A short wood bracket or cantilever to support an

overhang portion of a roof or the like, usually
concealed from view.
Lumber The product of the sawmill and planing mill, not
manufactured other than by sawing, re-sawing,
and passing lengthwise through a standard planing
machine, crosscutting to length, and matching.

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Mantel The shelf above a fireplace. Also used in refer to

a decorative trim around a fireplace opening.

Masonry Stone, brick, concrete, hollow-tile, concrete block,

gypsum block, or other similar building units or
materials or a combination of the same, bonded
together with mortar to form a wall, pier,
buttress, or similar mass.
Membrane It is a generic term relating to a range of sheet
goods used for certain built-up roofing repairs
and applications.
Millwork All building materials made of finished wood and
manufactured in millwork plants and planing
mills are included under the term "millwork." It
includes items such as inside and outside doors,
window and doorframes, blinds, porch work,
mantels, panel work, stairways, moldings, and
interior trim. It does not include flooring, ceiling,
or siding.
Mullion A vertical element in the frame that forms a
division between windows, doors, or other
openings. It supports and holds items such as
panels, glass, sash, or sections of a curtain wall.

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Nailer A piece of lumber secured to non-nailable decks

and walls by bolts or other means. It provides a
suitable backing onto which roof components may
be mechanically fastened.
Non-bearing A wall that does not support any structural
Wall members such as beams and slabs other than its
own weight.

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O.C. (On Center) A term used in construction drawings, architectural

plans, and woodworking designs. It indicates that
the given dimension refers to the distance
between the center of one framing member to the
center of the next member.
Studs, rafters, joists, and the like in a building
placed at 16 inches O.C. will be laid out so that
there are 16 inches from the center of one stud to
the center of the next.

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Parapet Wall A low wall around the perimeter of a roof deck.

Partition A wall that subdivides spaces within any story of
a building.
Pier A column of masonry, usually rectangular in
horizontal cross-section, used to support other
structural members.
Pitch (a) The measure of the incline slope of a roof or
the ratio of the total rise to the total width of a
house. For example, an 8-foot rise and 24-foot
width is a one-third pitch roof. Roof slope is
expressed in the inches of rising per foot of run.
(b) A term frequently used to designate coal tar
pitch.
Plate A plate or wall plate is a horizontal, structural,
load-bearing member in wooden building
framing. There are three types of wall plates in
platform framing:
Sill Plate A horizontal member anchored to a masonry
wall.
Sole Plate A bottom horizontal member of a frame wall.

Top Plate A top horizontal member of a frame wall

supporting ceiling joists, rafters, or other
members.
Plate Line The top horizontal line of a building wall upon
which the roof rests.

Cont.

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Platform Framing A construction method in which each floor is

or Platform framed independently by nailing the horizontal
Construction member to the top of the wall studs.
It is a system of framing for a building
construction several stories high, in which the
studs are only one story high; the floor joists for
each story rest on the top plates of the story
below or on the soleplate of the first story; the
bearing walls and partitions rest on the subfloor
of each story.
Plumb Exactly perpendicular; vertical.

Ply A term that denotes the number of thicknesses

or layers of roofing felt, veneer in plywood, or
layers in built-up materials in any finished piece
of such material.
Plywood A piece of wood made of three or more layers of
veneer joined with glue and laid with the grain of
adjoining plies at right angles. Always an odd
number of plies are used to provide balanced
construction.
Pocket (Channel) A three-sided, U-shaped opening in a sash or
frame to receive glazing infill. Contrasted to a
rabbet, which is a two-sided, L-shaped section as
with face glazed window sash.

Cont.

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Post A vertical member of wood, steel, concrete, or

other material that transfers weight from the top
of the post to whatever the post is resting on.
Post & Beam Common type of wall framing in which posts are
Construction used to carry horizontal beams on which joists
are supported. It allows fewer bearing partitions
and less material.
Precast Concrete building components that are formed
and cured at a factory and then transported to a
worksite for erection.
Pressure-Treated A lumber that is treated in such a way that the
Lumber sealer is forced into the pores of the wood.

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Rafter A sloping roof member that supports the roof

covering that extends from the ridge or the hip of
the roof to the eaves.
Rail Cross members of panel doors or a sash. It is
also the upper and lower members of a
balustrade or staircase extending from one
vertical support, such as a post, to another.
Rake (a) Trim members that run parallel to the roof
slope and form a finish between the wall and
a gable roof extension.
(b) The angle of slope of a roof rafter or the
inclined portion of a cornice.
Rebar A reinforcing bar used to increase the tensile
strength of concrete.
Reinforced A combination of steel and concrete using the
Concrete best properties of each. The steel consists of
rebar or reinforcing bars varying from 3/8 " to 2
1/4 "in diameter and is placed before concrete is
poured.
Reinforced Masonry units, reinforcing steel, grout, and/or
Masonry mortar combined to act together to strengthen
the masonry structure.
Reinforcing Steel rods or metal fabric placed in concrete
slabs, beams, or columns to increase their
strength.

Cont.

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Ridge The horizontal line at the junction of the top

edges of two sloping roof surfaces.
Ridge Board The board placed on edge at the ridge of the roof
into which the upper ends of the rafters are
fastened.
Rise In stairs, the term used to describe the vertical
height of a step or flight of stairs.
Riser Each of the vertical boards closing the spaces
between the treads of stairways.
Roof System General term referring to the waterproof
covering, roof insulation, vapor barrier (if used),
and roof deck as an entity.
Rough Metal fastenings on cabinets that are usually
concealed, like staples in hardware.
Rough Opening The opening in a wall into which a door or
window is to be installed.
Rough Plumbing All plumbing that should be done before the
finish trades (sheetrock, painting, etc), which
includes all waste lines and supply water lines
that are in the walls or framing of the building.
Also refer to Plumbing, Sub Rough, and Finish
Plumbing.
Run (roofing) The horizontal distance between the eaves and
the ridge of the roof being half the span for a
symmetrical gable roof (stairs). The net width of a
step or the horizontal distance covered by a flight
of stairs.

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Scupper An outlet in the wall of a building or a parapet

wall to drain water from a flat roof.
Shake A thick hand-split shingle, resawed to form two
shakes. It is usually edge grained.
Sheathing The structural covering, usually wood boards,
plywood, gypsum or wood fiber that is used over
studs or rafters of framed buildings as the first
layer of outer wall.
Sheathing Paper A building material, generally paper or felt, used
in wall and roof construction as a protection
against the passage of air and sometimes
moisture.
Shed Roof A roof having only one slope or pitch, with only
one set of rafters that fall from a higher to a
lower wall.
Sheetrock Panels made primarily from gypsum installed
over the framing to form the interior walls and
ceilings. Sheetrock is often called a gypsum
board.
Shingles Roof covering of asphalt, wood, tile, slate, or
other material cut to stock lengths, widths, and
thicknesses, which are laid in a series of
overlapping rows as a roof covering on pitched
roofs.
Shiplap Lumber A lumber that is edge-dressed to make a close
rabbeted or lapped joint.
Cont.

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Siding A protective material attached to the exterior

side of a wall of a house or other building. Siding
can be made of horizontal weatherboards,
vertical boards with battens, sheet materials or
smaller overlapping panels such as shingles and
tiles
Sill The lowest member of the frame of a wall or
structure, usually horizontal, resting on the
foundation supporting the uprights of the frame.
It is a member forming the lower side of an
opening, as a door sill, windowsill. etc.
Sill Plate The framing member anchored to the foundation
wall upon which studs and other framing
members will be attached. It is the bottom plate
of your exterior walls.
Sill Sealer A material placed between the top of the
foundation wall and the sill plate. Usually a foam
strip, the sill sealer helps make a better fit and
eliminates water problems.
Sill Step The first step coming directly off a building at the
door openings.
Single Family A house built for the purpose of a single family as
Dwelling (SFD) opposed to multi families such as a duplex or
apartment complex.
Slab-on- Grade A type of shallow foundation in which a concrete
slab rests directly on the ground below it without
load transfer to any beams or foundations.
Cont.

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Sleeper A wood member embedded in concrete, as in a

floor, supports and fastens subfloor or flooring.
Slope Incline or pitch of roof surface.
Soffit The underside of an architectural structure such as
an arch, a balcony, or overhanging eaves, extending
out from the plane of the building walls.
Specification The detailed written instructions, when clear and
concise, explain each phase of work to be done.
Square A unit of measurement, e.g., 100 square feet, is
usually applied to roofing material. Sidewall
coverings are sometimes packed to cover 100
square feet and are sold on that basis.
Storey The portion of a building included between the
surface of any floor and the surface of the floor
next above it. If there is no floor above it, then the
space between any floor and the ceiling next above
it.
Stucco A type of exterior finish. It is commonly referred to
an outside plaster made with Portland cement as
its base.
Stud One of a series of wood or metal vertical structural
members placed as supporting elements in walls
and partitions.

Cont.

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Subcontractor A contractor who specializes in a particular trade

such as waterproofing.
Subfloor Boards or plywood laid on joists over which a
finished floor is to be laid.
Suspended A secondary ceiling is hung below the main ceiling
Ceiling supported by thin metal frames that run in a grid
style pattern across the room.

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Thermal Any material high in resistance to heat

Insulation transmission, when placed in the walls, ceiling, or
floors of a structure, will reduce the rate of heat
flow.
Threshold A strip of wood or metal with beveled edges used
over the finish floor and the sill of exterior doors.
Timbers Yard lumber that is normally 5 or more inches in
the least dimension. They may be used as beams,
stringers, posts, caps, sills, girders, and purlins.
Tongue & A type of flooring where the tongue of one board is
Groove joined to the groove of another board.
Top Plate A top horizontal member of a frame wall.

Tread The horizontal board in a stairway on which the

foot is placed.
Trim The finish materials in a building, such as moldings
applied around openings (window trim, door trim)
or at the floor and ceiling of rooms (baseboard,
cornice, and other moldings).
Trimmer A beam or joist to which a header is nailed in
framing for a chimney, stairway, or other openings.
Truss A truss is frame or an assembly of members such
as beams, connected by nodes, that creates a rigid
structure. All truss members are two-force
members that are either in tension or compression

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Underlayment A material placed under finish coverings,

such as flooring, or shingles, to provide a
smooth, even surface for applying the finish.

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Valley The internal angle formed by the junction of two

sloping sides of a roof.
Valley Rafter A rafter that forms the intersection of an internal
roof angle. The valley rafter is made of double 2-
inch-thick members.
Vapor Barrier Any material used for damp proofing, typically a
plastic or foil sheet, that resists diffusion of
moisture through the wall, floor, ceiling, or roof
assemblies of buildings to prevent condensation.

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