| Aggregate |
Broken
stone, gravel or sand used with cement to form
concrete. Aggregates
may be coarse or fine and are often used in the construction of
'soakaways'. |
| Airbrick |
A perforated
brick built into a wall for the purposes of providing air for
ventilation purposes. Used for instance, to
ventilate the underside of a wooden floor or a roof
space. |
| Architrave |
A moulding around
a doorway or window opening. It usually covers
the joints between the frame and the wall finish, thus hiding any
shrinkage gaps which may occur. |
| Asbestos |
Material used in
the past for insulation and other uses. Asbestos is a deleterious
material which should only be removed or worked upon by a licensed
contractor. Whilst items remain in good condition and are left
undisturbed, the current informed view is that they present no
significant hazard to health. However, some potential purchasers
may be deterred by their presence and in the event of damage or
disturbance, the applicants should anticipate potentially
significant costs to have them removed
safely. |
| Asbestos
Cement |
Cement mixed with
15% asbestos fibre as reinforcement. Fragile -
will not usually bear heavy weights. Hazardous
fibres may be released if cut, drilled or otherwise damaged or
disturbed. See comments above in relation to
Asbestos. |
| Asphalt |
Black, tar-like
substance, designed to be impervious to
moisture. Used on flat roofs and
floors. |
| Barge
Boards |
See 'Verge
Board'. |
| Balanced Flue |
Common metal
device normally serving gas appliances which allows air to be drawn
to the appliance whilst also allowing fumes to
escape. |
| Baluster |
A post or
vertical pillar supporting a handrail or parapet
rail. |
| Balustrade |
A collective name
for a row of balusters or other in filling below a handrail on a
stair or parapet. |
| Beetle
Infestation |
(Wood boring
insects, eg. woodworm). Larvae of various
species of beetle can tunnel into timber causing
damage. Specialist treatment normally
required. Can also affect
furniture. |
| Benching |
Shaped concrete
slope beside drainage channel within an inspection
chamber. Also known as
'haunching'. |
| Bitumen |
Black, sticky
substance, similar to asphalt. Used in sealants,
mineral felts and damp proof courses. |
| Bond |
The regular
arrangement of bricks or stones in a wall so that the units may be
joined together. The principal types of "bond"
used in domestic construction being English, flemish, header,
stretcher, diagonal or garden wall bond. |
| Breeze
Block |
Originally made
from clinker cinders or ('breeze') - the term now commonly but
incorrectly used to refer to various types of concrete and cement
building blocks. |
| Carbonation |
A natural process
affecting the outer layer of concrete. Metal
reinforcement within that layer is liable to early corrosion, with
consequent fracturing of the concrete in some
cases. |
| Casement
Window |
A window composed
of hinged, pivoted or fixed sashes. |
| Cavity
Wall |
Traditional
method of building external walls of houses comprising two leaves
of brick or blockwork usually separated by a gap ('cavity') of
about 50 mm (2"). |
| Cavity Wall
Insulation |
Filling of wall
cavities by one of various forms of insulation material:
Beads: Polystyrene beads pumped into
the cavities. Will easily fall out if the wall is broken open
for any reason.
Foam: Urea formaldehyde foam, mixed on site, and then
pumped into the cavities where it sets. Can lead
to problems of dampness and make replacement of wall ties more
difficult.
Fibreglass: Inert mineral fibre pumped into the
cavity. |
| Cesspool |
A simple method
of drain comprising a holding tank which needs frequent
emptying. Not to be confused with 'septic
tank'. |
| Chipboard |
Often referred to
as 'particle board'. Chips of wood compressed
and glued into sheet form. Cheap method of
decking to flat roofs, floors and (with formica or melamine
surface) furniture, especially kitchen
units. |
| Cleaning Eye |
Sometimes known
as an 'access eyes' or 'rodding eye'. An opening
in a drain or ventilation pipe, covered by a plate, the removal of
which allows the drain to be rodded to clear
blockages. |
| Collar
Beam |
A horizontal tie
beam of a roof, which is joined to opposing rafters at a level
above that of the wall plates. |
| Collar |
Horizontal timber
member designed to restrain opposing roof
slopes. Absence, removal or weakening can lead
to roof spread. |
| Combination
Boiler |
Modern form of
gas boiler which activates on demand usually within a pressurized
system. With this form of boiler there is no
need for water storage tanks, hot water cylinders,
etc. |
| Coping/Coping
Stone |
Usually stone or
concrete, laid on top of a wall as a decorative finish and designed
to stop rainwater soaking into the wall. |
| Corbel |
Projection of
stone, brick, timber or metal jutting out from a wall to support a
weight above it. |
|
Cornice |
A large moulding at the junction between
an inside wall and a ceiling. Can also
include a moulding at the top of an outside wall designed to
project and throw raindrops clear of the
wall. |
|
Coving |
Curved junction between wall and
ceiling. |
| Dado
Rail |
A wooden moulding fixed to the wall or
capping paneling and forming the top most part of a
dado. Originally designed to avoid damage
to the wall where people or furniture brushed against
it. |
| Damp Proof Course (or
DPC) |
Layer of impervious material (mineral
felt, PVC, etc) incorporated into a wall
and designed to prevent dampness rising up to the wall or
lateral dampness around windows, doors,
etc. Various proprietary methods are
available for damp proofing existing walls including
'electro-osmosis' and chemical
injection. |
|
Death-watch
Beetle |
(Xestobium
Refovillosum). Extremely serious insect
pest which attacks structural timbers.
Usually affects old hardwoods with fungal decay already
present. |
|
Double
Glazing |
A method of
thermal insulation usually either:
Sealed Unit: two panes of glass fixed and
hermetically sealed together, or
Secondary: in
effect a second 'window' positioned inside the original
window. |
|
Double Hung Sash
Window |
A window in which the opening lights
slides vertically within a casement window, counter balanced
by weights supported on sash cords which passes over pulleys
in the frame. |
|
Dry
Rot |
(Serpula Lacrymans). A
very serious form of fungas which attacks structural and
joinery timbers, often with devastating
results. Can flourish in moist,
unventilated areas. |
|
Eaves |
The overhanging edge of a
roof. |
| Efflorescence |
Powdery white salts crystallized on the
surface of a wall as a result of moisture
evaporation. |
| Engineering
Brick |
Particularly strong and dense type of
brick, often used as a damp proof course in older
buildings. |
|
FENSA |
The Fenestration Self Assessment Scheme.
FENSA Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Glass and
Glazing Federation. |
|
Fibreboard |
Cheap, lightweight board material of
little strength, used in ceilings or as insulation to
attics. |
| Flashing |
Building technique designed to prevent
leakage at a roof joint. Normally ,metal
(lead, zinc, copper) but can be cement, felt or proprietary
material. |
| Flaunching |
A cement mortar weathering on the top of
a chimney stack surrounding the base of the chimney pots to
throw off the rain and thus prevent it from saturating the
stack. |
| Flue |
A smoke duct in a chimney, or a
proprietary pipe serving a heat producing appliance such as a
central heating boiler. |
| Flue
Lining |
Metal (usually stainless steel) tube
within a flue - essential for high output appliances such as
boilers. May also be manufactured from
clay and built into the flue. Other
proprietary flue liners are also
available. |
| Foundations |
Normally concrete, laid underground as a
structural base to a wall: in older buildings these may be
brick or stone. |
| Frog |
An indentation, usually V shaped in the
bedding face of the brick to reduce it's
weight. 'Frog down' or 'frog up' are the
generally accepted ways of describing how the bricks are
laid. |
| Gable |
Upper section of a wall, usually
triangular in shape, at either end of a ridged
roof. |
| Gas Safe
Register |
This replaced
CORGI as the official stamp for gas safety in Great Britain and the
Isle of Man on 1 April 2009. CORGI registration is not valid or
recognised by law in these regions. To work legally on gas
appliances and installations, a contractor must be on the Gas
Safe Register https://engineers.gassaferegister.co.uk |
| Ground Heave |
Swelling of clay
sub-soil due to the presence of moisture: can cause an upward
movement of foundations in extreme cases. |
| Gulley |
An opening into
which rain and waste water are collected before entering the
drain. |
| Gutter |
A channel along
the eaves of a roof or the edge of a path for the removal of
rainwater. |
| Hardcore |
Broken bricks or
stones which, consolidated, are used as a foundation for paths,
drives or solid floors. |
| Haunching |
See
'Benching'. Also term used to describe the
support to a drain underground. |
| HETAS |
Heating Equipment
Testing and Approval Scheme |
| Hip |
The external
junction between two intersecting roof
slopes. |
| Hip
Tile |
A saddle shaped
or angular tile fitting over the intersection of those roof tiles
which meet at a hip. |
| In
Situ |
'In position' -
applied to work done in the position where it is finally required,
eg. concrete may be precast in sections which are later taken to
the position where they are required or it may be cast 'in
situ'. |
| Inspection
Chamber |
Commonly called
the 'manhole' - access point to a drain comprising a chamber (of
brick, concrete or plastic) with the drainage channel at it's base
and a removable cover at ground level. |
| Jamb |
Vertical side
face of a doorway or window. |
| Joist |
A timber or steel
beam directly supporting a floor and sometimes alternatively or
additionally supporting a ceiling. Steel beams
are usually referred to as RSJ's (rolled steel
joists). |
| Key |
The roughness of
a surface which provided a bond for any application of paint,
plaster, rendering, tiles, etc, or spaces between laths or wire
meshes which provide a grip for plaster. |
| Landslip |
Downhill movement
of unstable earth, clay, rock, etc, often following prolonged heavy
rain or coastal erosion, but sometimes due to sub-soil having poor
cohesion. |
| Lath |
Thin strip of
wood used in the fixing of roof tiles or slates, or as a backing to
plaster. |
| Lintel |
A horizontal beam
over a door or window opening usually carrying the load of the wall
above. Often lintels can be partially or
completely hidden from view. |
| Longhorn
Beetle |
(Hylotrupe
Bajulus). A serious insect pest mainly confined
to the extreme south-east of England, which can totally destroy the
structural strength of wood. |
| LPG |
Liquid
Petroleum Gas or Propane. Available to serve gas appliances in
areas without mains gas. Requires a
storage tank. |
| Mortar |
Mixture of sand, cement,
water and sometimes lime used to join stones or
bricks. |
| Mullion |
Vertical bar dividing
individual lights in a window. |
| Newel |
Stout post supporting a
staircase at top and bottom. Also, the central
pillar of a winding spiral staircase. |
| NICEIC |
National
Inspection Council for Electrical Installation
Contracting |
| OFTEC |
Oil Firing
Technical Association |
| Oversite |
Rough concrete below timber
ground floors. |
| Parapet |
Low wall along the edge
of a roof, balcony, etc. |
| Parapet
Gutter |
A timber gutter of
rectangular cross-section usually provided with a flexible metal or
other impervious lining. Used behind a parapet
or sometimes at a valley. |
| PCA |
'Property Care
Association' formerly known as the 'British Wood Preserving and
Damp-proofing Association'
(BWPDA). |
| Pier |
A vertical column of
brickwork or other material, used to strengthen the wall or to
support a weight. |
| Plasterboard |
Stiff 'sandwich' of plaster
between coarse paper. Now in widespread use for
ceilings and walls. |
| Pointing |
Outer edge of mortar joint
between bricks, stones, etc. |
| Powder Post
Beetle |
(Bostrychide or Lyctidae
family of beetles). A relatively uncommon pest
which can, if untreated, cause widespread damage to structural
timbers. |
| Purlin |
Horizontal beam in a roof
upon which rafters rest. |
| Quoin |
The external angle of a
building: or specifically, bricks or stone blocks forming that
angle. |
| Rafter |
A sloping roof beam, usually
timber, forming the carcass of a roof. |
| Random
Rubble |
Basic early method of stone
wall construction with no attempt at bonding or
coursing. |
| Rendering |
Vertical covering of a wall,
either plaster (internally) or cement (externally), sometimes with
pebbledash, stucco or Tyrolean textured
finish. |
| Reveals |
The side faces of a window or
door opening. |
| Ridge |
The highest part or apex of a
roof, usually horizontal. |
| Ridge
Tile |
A specially shaped tile for
covering and making weather tight the ridge of a
roof. These tiles may have a rounded or angular
cross section. |
| Riser |
The vertical part of a step
or stair. |
| Rising
Damp |
Moisture soaking up a wall
from below ground, by capillary action which can cause rot in
timbers, plaster decay, decoration failure,
etc. |
| Roof
Spread |
Outward bowing of a wall
caused by the thrust of a badly restrained roof framework (see
'Collar'). |
| RSJ |
Frequently used abbreviation
for a rolled steel joist. |
| Screed |
Final, smooth finish of a
solid floor: usually cement, concrete or
asphalt. |
| Septic
Tank |
Drain installation whereby
sewage decomposes through the action of bacteria, which can be
slowed down or stopped altogether by the use of chemicals such as
bleach, biological washing powders, etc. |
| Settlement |
All properties settle to some
extent, and this can show as cracking and/or distortion in
walls. Very often minor settlement is not of
great significance to the building as a
whole. |
| Sewer |
A large
underground pipe or drain used for conveying waste water and
sewage. The
Local Authority is usually responsible for the sewers, which
collect the effluent from various drains, the drains being the
responsibility of the land owners. |
| Shakes |
Naturally occurring cracks in
timber: in building timbers, shakes can appear quite dramatic, but
strength is not always impaired. |
| Shaling |
Damage to roof slates and
tiles caused by weather action (see
'Spalling'). |
| Shingles |
Small rectangular slabs of
wood used on roofs instead of tiles, slates,
etc. |
| Soakaway |
A pit, filled with broken
stones, etc, below ground to take drainage from rainwater pipes or
land drains and allow it to disperse. |
| Soaker |
Piece of flexible metal
fitted to interlock with slates or tiles and make a water tight
joint between a wall and a roof or at a hip or
valley. Stepped flashings are used over the
soakers at a joint against a wall. |
| Soffit |
The underside of an arch,
beam, staircase, eaves or other feature of a
building. |
| Soil Pipe/Soil
Stack |
A vertical pipe which
conveys sewage to the drains. It's upper end is usually vented above the
eaves. |
| Solid
Fuel |
Heating fuel, normally wood,
coke or one of a variety of proprietary
fuels. |
| Spalling |
Deterioration of brickwork
through the action of weathering caused by freeze/thaw action,
especially during inclement weather
conditions. |
| Spandrel |
Space above and to the sides
of an arch: also the space below a
staircase. |
| Stopcock |
A valve on a gas or water
supply pipe which is used to cut off the
supply. |
| Stud
Partition |
Lightweight, sometimes non
load bearing wall construction comprising a framework of timber
faced with plaster, plasterboard or other
finish. |
| Subsidence |
Ground movement, generally
downwards, possibly a result of mining activities or failure of the
sub soil. |
| Sub-soil |
Soil lying immediately below
the top-soil. |
| Sulphate
Attack |
Chemical reaction, activated
by water, between tricalcium aliminate and soluble sulphates which
can cause deterioration of brick walls and concrete
floors. |
| Tie
Bar |
Metal bar passing
through a wall, or walls in an attempt to brace a structure
suffering from structural
instability. |
| Torching |
Mortar applied on the
underside of roof tiles or slates to help prevent moisture
penetration. Not necessary when a roof is
underdrawn in felt. |
| Transom |
Horizontal bar of wood or
stone across a window or top of door. |
| Tread |
The horizontal part of a step
or stair. |
| Trussed
Rafter |
Method of roof construction
utilising prefabricated triangular framework of
timbers. Now widely used in domestic
construction. |
| Underpinning |
Method of strengthening
weak foundations whereby a new, stronger foundation is placed
beneath the original. |
| Valley
Gutter |
Horizontal or sloping gutter,
usually lead or tile lined, at the intersection between two roof
slopes. |
| Ventilation |
Necessary in all buildings to
disperse moisture resulting from bathing, cooking, breathing, etc,
and to assist in prevention of condensation.
Floors: necessary
to avoid rot, especially dry rot, achieved by airbricks near to the
ground level.
Roofs: necessary
to disperse condensation within roof spaces; achieved either by
airbricks in gables or ducts at the
eaves. |
| Verge |
The edge of a
roof, especially over a gable or around a dormer window or
skylight. |
| Verge
Board |
Timber, sometimes
decorative, placed at the verge of a roof; also known as 'barge
board'. |
| Wall
Plate |
Timber placed at
the eaves of a roof, designed to take the weight of the roof
timbers and coverings. |
| Wall
Tie |
See 'Cavity Wall
Tie'. |
| Waste
Pipe |
A pipe from a
wash hand basin, sink or bath to carry away the waste water into
the drain. |
| Weather
Boarding |
Horizontal
overlapping boards nailed on the outside of a building to provide
the finished wall surface. |
| Wet
Rot |
(Coniophora
Puteana). Decay of timber due to damp
conditions. Not to be confused with the more
serious dry rot. |
| Woodworm |
Colloquial term
for beetle infestation; usually intended to mean Common Furniture
Beetle (Anobium Punctatum); by far the most frequently encountered
insect attack in structural and joinery
timbers. |
