Jargon Buster
If you don’t know your purlin from your pointing, our jargon-busting glossary of builders’ terms should help. Sourced from the FMB’s website.
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ARCHITRAVE
Moulding round opening such as door or window
ARRIS
Sharp external angle – usually 90 degrees
BALUSTER
Alternative term for Banister
BARGE BOARD
Wide board fitted on edge of tiles following the slope of the roof
BEAD
Small convex moulding
BIB TAP
Tap fed by horizontal supply – as in a garden tap
BLOWN OR LIVE
Plaster that has lost its bond with the wall
BOND
Arrangement of bricks to ensure stability of brickwork
BUTTRESS OR PIER
Thickening of wall to form a vertical projection to strengthen it
CAVITY WALL
Usual construction for external walls comprising an inner and outer leaf with a space between for insulation
CISTERN
Tank for storing water – usually located in the attic
CLEAT
Cable fixing for phone wire, etc
COPING
Protective finish to the top of a wall
CORBELLING
Successive projecting courses of brickwork
COVE OR CORNICE
Moulding around room at junction of wall and ceiling
DADO RAIL
Horizontal moulding part way up a wall
DEAL
Term for piece of square-sawn softwood
DISTEMPER
Wall paint made from water, pigment and glue (traditional)
DRIP
Moulding or groove in overhanging member to prevent water creeping back
EAVES
Overhang of roof beyond wall below
EFFLORESCENCE
Unsightly powdery white salts brought to surface of brickwork
FLASHING
Metal sheet used to deflect water at junction between roof and wall
FLAT ARCH
An arch that is almost completely horizontal
FLAUNCHING
Cement mortar filler round the top of a chimney stack
FLUE
Tube conveying smoke or fumes from fireplaces or appliances
FLUSH DOOR
Door with completely flat faces
FOOTLIFTER
Wedge used to lift boards for nailing to wall
FORMATION LEVEL
The deep point in an excavation for a drive or path
FROG
Indent on bed face of a brick
GAUGED BRICKWORK
Fine brickwork with very thin joints
GABLE OR VERGE
Upper part of an outer wall at the end of a pitched roof
GLAZING BAR
Thin bar shaped to receive pane of glass
GRAVITY FED SYSTEM
Central heating system that circulates water by gravity and water expansion
HEADER
The end face of a brick
HEADER TANK
Small open cistern (tank) that feeds water to central heating system
HERRINGBONE
Zigzag pattern of brickwork
HIP
Line of adjoining sections of pitched roof at external angle of building
HIPPED ROOF
Pitched roof, the ends of which are also sloped
HIP TILE
Roof tile shaped to cover hip of roof
JAMB
The side of an opening in a wall for a door or window
JOIST
Support for floor and ceiling
KNOTTING
Varnish to stabilise knots in wood
LEAN-TO ROOF
Sloping roof supported along its highest part by a taller adjoining wall
LIGHT
Subdivision of a window – fixed or opening. Opening light can be top or side hung
LINTEL
Concrete or steel beam over opening to support wall above
LOOSE-FILL INSULATION
Loose material for insulating cavity walls and lofts
MANSARD ROOF
Form of pitched roof designed to provide more space for rooms
MEGGER
Test meter used by electricians
MEZZANINE
Extra floor – possibly inserted between floor and ceiling of very tall room
MITRE
Angled joint (similar to joint in picture frame)
MODULE
Dimensional co-ordination of components
MUCK
Brickie term for mortar
MULLION
Upright post in window
NEWEL
Vertical post at top and bottom of staircase
NOGGING
Short wooden stiffeners inserted between joists
NOSING
Rounded edge of a stair tread projecting beyond the riser
PARAPET
Low wall at the edge of a roof
PEBBLE DASH
Roughcast wall finish with stones bedded in rendered wall
PILASTER
Projecting part of a square column which is attached to wall
PITCH
Slope of roof – expressed as an angle or ratio
PLAIN TILE
Rectangular “flat” roofing tile
PLASTER
Applied wall finish
PLASTERBOARD
Prefabricated sheets of plaster for walls and ceilings
PLINTH
Projecting base to external walls
PURLIN
Horizontal beam, part way up a rafter to prevent sagging
RAFTERS
Series of structural timbers rising from eaves to ridge to support pitched roof covering
RAIL
Horizontal member in door or fence
RELIEVING ARCH
An arch constructed above a lintel or beam to take weight of wall above
RENDER
External sand-cement coating for walls
REVEAL
Vertical side of door or window opening
RIDGE
Top of a pitched roof
RING MAIN
Power circuit for sockets
RISE
Vertical distance between two adjacent stair treads
RISER
Upright part of a stair OR vertical water pipe from the mains
ROOF TRUSS
Prefabricated structural timer framework to support roof
RSJ
Rolled steel joist
SASH
Framework for glass – in particular double-hung sliding sash window
SCREED
Layer of fine concrete used to provide smooth surface prior to floor finish
SARKING FELT
Waterproof felt under roof tile battens
SECOND FIX
Items fitted following plastering – including joiner, cupboards and plumbing/electrical fittings
SILL
Bottom horizontal member of a door or window frame
SKIM
Finishing coat of plaster
SKIRTING
Horizontal board at junction between floor and wall
SOFFIT
Visible underside of a projecting surface
SPAN
Horizontal distance covered by a beam or lintel etc.
SPOIL
Material dug out during excavation
STACK
Vertical pipe carrying waste from sinks and toilets
STOCKS
Hand or machine-made bricks made in a mould
STRETCHER
The side face of a brick
STRING
Sloping board carrying the treads and risers of a staircase
TARMAC
Bitumen macadam coating aggregate for drive/path surfaces
TIMBER FRAME
Type of house construction usually finished with brickwork outer skin
TREAD
Horizontal part of a stair
TRV
Thermostatic radiator valve
VOUSSOIR
Wedge-shaped brick used in arch construction
WAINSCOT
Wooden lining to the walls of a room (traditional)