Construction Terminology

55 Questions | By Jim Patterson | Updated: Jan 11, 2013 | Attempts: 372

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Basic building terms and construction vocabulary

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Current Version
Jan 11, 2013

Quiz Edited by
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Apr 14, 2010

Quiz Created by
Jim Patterson

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Construction Terminology

A mixture of sand and stone and a major component of concrete.

A trim board that is installed beneath a window sill

The rail, posts and vertical balusters along the edge of a stairway or elevated walkway

An overhang. Where one floor extends beyond and over a foundation wall. For example at a fireplace location or bay window cantilever. Normally, not extending over 2 feet.

Frames of wood or metal enclosing part (or all) of a window sash. May be opened by means of hinges affixed to the vertical edges.

Cutting and fitting woodwork to an irregular surface.

A row of shingles or roll roofing running the length of the roof. Parallel layers of building materials such as bricks, or siding laid up horizontally.

A type of warping that causes boards to curl up at their edges.

Short vertical "2 by 4's or 6's" frame lumber installed above a window or door.

A molding used on cornice or wherever an interior angle is to be covered, especially at the roof and wall corner.

A groove cut into a board or panel intended to receive the edge of a connecting board or panel

An opening in a sloping roof, the framing of which projects out to form a vertical wall suitable for windows or other openings.

A molding or metal flashing placed on the exterior topside of a door or window frame to cause water to drip beyond the outside of the frame.

The horizontal exterior roof overhang.

To install nails into the vertical face of a bearing header or beam.

Horizontal boards attached to rafter/truss ends at the eaves and along gables. Roof drain gutters are attached to the fascia.

Sheet metal or other material used in roof and wall construction to protect a building from water seepage.

Continuous 8" or 10" thick concrete pad installed before and supports the foundation wall or monopost.

The supporting portion of a structure below the first floor construction, or below grade, including the footings.

The depth of frost penetration in soil and/or the depth at which the earth will freeze and swell. This depth varies in different parts of the country.

Strips of wood, often 1 X 2 and used to shim out and provide a level fastening surface for a wall or ceiling.

The end, upper, triangular area of a home, beneath the roof.

A foundation wall that is poured @ level with or just below the grade of theearth. An example is the area where the 8' or 16' overhead garage door "block out" is located, or a lower (walk out basement) foundation wall is poured

(a) A beam placed perpendicular to joists and to which joists are nailed inframing for a chimney, stairway, or other opening. (b) A wood lintel. (c) The horizontal structural member over an opening (for example over a door or window).

A roof with four sloping sides. The external angle formed by the meeting of two sloping sides of a roof.

The appearance concrete makes when rocks in the concrete are visible and where there are void areas in the foundation wall, especially around concrete foundation windows.

The side and head lining of a doorway, window, or other opening. Includes studs as well as the frame and trim.

Wooden 2 X 8's, 10's, or 12's that run parallel to one another and support a floor or ceiling, and supported in turn by larger beams, girders, or bearing walls.

A slot formed and poured on a footer or in a foundation wall when another wall will be installed at the slot location. This gives additional strength to the joint/meeting point.

Bonding together two or more layers of materials.

Includes all exterior walls and any interior wall that is aligned above a support beam or girder. Normally, any wall that has a double horizontal top plate.

A slot cut into a board, plank, or timber, usually edgewise, to receive the tenon (or tongue) of another board, plank, or timber to form a joint.

A vertical divider in the frame between windows, doors, or other openings.

The projecting edge of a molding or drip or the front edge of a stair tread.

A wall that subdivides spaces within any story of a building or room.

A column of masonry, usually rectangular in horizontal cross section, used to support other structural members. Also see Caisson.

Exactly vertical and perpendicular.

A list of discrepancies that need to be corrected by the contractor.

A small trim molding that has the cross section of a quarter circle.

Slope or slanted.

Each of the vertical boards closing the spaces between the treads of stairways.

A single light frame containing one or more lights of glass. The frame that holds the glass in a window, often the movable part of the window.

To level off concrete to the correct elevation during a concrete pour.

1) The 2 X 4 or 2 X 6 wood plate framing member that lays flat against and bolted to the foundation wall (with anchor bolts) and upon which the floor joists are installed. Normally the sill plate is treated lumber. (2) The member forming the lower side of an opening, as a door sill or window sill.

The incline angle of a roof surface, given as a ratio of the rise (in inches) to the run (in feet). See also pitch

The area below the eaves and overhangs. The underside where the roof overhangs the walls. Usually the underside of an overhanging cornice.

Round, large cardboard tubes designed to hold wet concrete in place until it hardens.

A building method that distributes structural loads to each of a series of relatively lightweight studs. Contrasts with post-and-beam.

The exposed portion of strip shingles defined by cutouts.

The bottom metal or wood plate of an exterior door frame. Generally they are adjustable to keep a tight fit with the door slab.