A
AGGREGATE
Pebbles, shingle, gravel etc., used in the manufacture of concrete and in the construction of “soakaways”.
AIRBRICK
Perforated brick used for ventilation, especially to floor voids (beneath timber floors) and roof spaces.
ANAGLYPTA
Embossed lining paper used for walls and ceilings.
ARCHITRAVE
Joinery moulding around window or doorway.
ARTEXDecorative texture coating for ceilings and walls.
ASBESTOS
Fibrous mineral used in the past for insulation. Can be a health hazard, specialist advice should be sought if asbestos (especially blue asbestos) is found.
ASBESTOS CEMENT
Cement with 10-15% asbestos fibre as reinforcement. Fragile, will not bear heavy weights. Hazardous fibres may be released if cut or drilled.
ASPHALT
lack, tar-like substance, strongly adhesive and impervious to moisture. Used on flat roofs and floors.
B
Balcony
A platform projecting from a wall, enclosed by a railing or balustrade, supported on brackets or cantilevered out.
BALUSTER
A short post or pillar in a series that supports a rail, thus forming a balustrade, may be curved or straight, generally formed to staircases.
BALANCED FLUE
Common metal device normally serving gas appliances which allows air to be drawn to the appliance whilst also allowing fumes to escape.
BAY, BOW AND ORIEL WINDOWS
These windows project out from the front or side of a house. Oriel windows generally project from an upper storey, supported by brackets. Bay windows are angled/square projections that rise up from the ground. Bow windows are rounded projections often formed of the glass itself.
BACK ADDITION
Rear projecting wing of house.
BALANCED FLUE
Duct through wall takes boiler oxygen from the outside.
BARGE BOARD
Timber fascia to roof verge or gable end.
BARK BORER
A generally harmless form of woodworm found in bark and sapwood.
BATTENS
Thin timber strips, to which tiles and slates are fixed.
BEETLE INFESTATION
(Wood boring insects; woodworm). Larvae of various species of beetle which tunnel into timber causing damage. Specialist treatment normally required. Can also affect furniture.
BENCHING
Smoothly contoured concrete slope beside drainage channel within an inspection chamber. Also known as Haunching
BINDER
Roof timber running over ceiling joists to provide stiffness.
BIRDSMOUTH
Cut in roof timber to join strut at angle to purlin, rafter to plate.
BITUMEN
Black sticky substance, related to asphalt. Used in sealants, mineral felts and damp-proof courses.
BLACKASH MORTAR
Made using industrial ash instead of sand with cement and lime.
BONDING
Method of laying bricks, i.e. English Bond, Flemish Bond.
BORROWED LIGHT
Window in interior wall transferring natural light from windows in another room.
BREEZE BLOCK
Originally made from cinders (“breeze”) the term now commonly used to refer to various types of concrete and cement building blocks.
BRESSUMER
Beam spanning opening to support wall above.
BUILDING REGULATIONS
Statutory Local Authority control over building works.
BUILDING SURVEY
Detailed inspection and report (formerly Structural Survey).
CALCIUM CHLORIDE
Additive used in concrete which can cause loss of strength.
CALCIUM SILICATE BRICKS
Type of brick prone to thermal cracking.
CANTILEVER
A horizontal projection from a building, such as a step, balcony, beam or canopy, that is without external bracing and appears to be self-supporting.
CAPILLARY ACTION
A process by which dampness can rise through walls and floors and between tiles.
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.
CASEMENT WINDOW
A metal or wooden window that opens outward or inward.
CAVITY WALL
Standard modern method of building external walls of houses comprising two leaves of brick or blockwork separated by gap (“cavity”) of about 50mm (2 inches).
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 form, mixed on site and pumped into the cavities where it sets. Can lead to problems of dampness and make replacement of wall-ties more difficult.
-Rockwood: Inert mineral fibre pumped into the cavity.
CAVITY WALL-TIE
Metal device bedded into the inner and outer leaves of cavity walls to strengthen the wall. Failure by corrosion can result in the wall becoming unstable, specialist replacement ties are then required.
CESSPOOL
A simple method of drain comprising a holding tank which needs frequent emptying. Not to be confused with Septic Tank.
CHEEK
Side face of roof dormer or bay.
CHIPBOARD
Also referred to as “particle board”. Chips of wood compressed and glues into sheet form. Cheap method of decking to flat roofs, floors and (with formica or melamine surface) furniture, especially kitchen units.
COB
Rural wall construction using rendered earth, clay, straw etc.
CODES OF PRACTICE
Various non-statutory recommendations for use of materials.
COLLAR
Horizontal timber member intended 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. With this form of boiler there is no need for water storage tanks, hot water cylinders etc.
CONCRETE
Cement mixed with course and fine aggregate (pebbles, crushed stone, brick), sand and water in specific proportions. There are three types of concrete: precast, reinforced and prestressed.
CONDENSATION
Arises on any surface when critical dew point is reached.
CONSUMER UNIT
Modern electric switch box with fuses or circuit breakers (fuseboard).
CONVENTIONAL FLUE
Boiler chimney with boiler oxygen taken from room.
CONVERSION
Property now used differently from original layout – especially flats.
COPING
Brick, stone or tile finish to top of parapet wall.
CORBE
Cantilevered projecting support on face of wall.
CORE SAMPLE
Taken for testing – especially concrete.
CORNICE
Ornamental moulded projection around the top of a building or around the wall of a room just below the ceiling
COVING
Curved junction between wall and ceiling or (rarely) between ceiling and floors.
CREEP
Spreading and cracking especially to asphalt and leadwork on slopes in sun.
CURTAIN WALLING
Non load bearing thin outer panel wall.
CURTILAGE
Enclosed area of land belonging to dwelling.
DADO RAIL
Wooden moulding fixed horizontally to a wall, about 1m (3ft 4in) above the floor, originally intended to protect the wall against damage by chair-backs.
DAMP PROOF COURSE
Course layer of impervious material (mineral felt, pvc etc) incorporated into a wall to prevent dampness rising up the wall or lateral dampness around windows, doors etc. Various proprietary methods are available for damp-proofing existing walls including “electro-osmosis” ands chemical injection.
DEATHWATCH BEETLE
(Xestobium Refovillosum) Series insect pest in structural timbers, usually affects old hardwoods with fungal decay already present.
DETAILING
Flashing upstands and other roof weather sealing.
DISHING
Downward movement to the centre of a floor or roof.
DORMER WINDOW
A window placed vertically in a sloping roof that has a tiny roof of its own. Most often seen in second floor bedrooms.
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” placed inside the original window.
DRY ROT
(Serpula Lacrymans). A fungus which attacks structural and joinery timbres, often with devastating results. Can flourish in moist, unventilated areas.
EASEMENT
Right over adjoining property, e.g. for drainage, light etc.
EAVES
The overhanging edge of a roof.
EFFLORESCENCE
Salt deposits on walls or roof tiles where dampness evaporates.
ENDOSCOPE
Equipment for viewing inside wall cavities etc.
ENGINEERING BRICK
Particularly strong and dense type of brick, sometimes used as a damp-proof course.
EXCLUSION CLAUSES
Parts of reports limiting surveyors liability.
EYEBROW WINDOW
Set into roof slope under curve in tiles.
FACADE
Front elevation of building.
FASCIA
A horizontal piece (such as a board) covering the joint between the top of a wall and the projecting eaves; also called fascia board.
FIBREBOARD
Cheap, lightweight board material of little strength, used in ceilings or as insulation to attics.
FILLET
Sealing of joist and corners between surfaces, generally cement mortar.
FINLOCK GUTTERS
Interlocking pre-cast concrete gutters.
FLANK
Side elevation of building.
FLASHING
Building technique used to prevent leakage at a roof joint. Normally metal (lead, zinc, copper) but can be cement, felt or proprietary material.
FLAUNCHING
Contoured cement around the base of chimney pots, to secure the pot and to throw off rain.
FLIGHT
Straight run of stairs.
FLUE
A smoke duct in a chimney, or a proprietary pipe serving a heat-producing appliance such as a central heating boiler.
FLUE LINER
Metal (usually stainless steel) tube within a flue essential for high output gas appliances such as boilers. May also be manufactured from clay and built into the flue.
FLYING FREEHOLD
n England the ownership of airspace over another Freehold.
FLYING SHORE
Temporary support framework between buildings.
FOUNDATIONS
Normally concrete, laid underground as a structural base to a wall: In older buildings may be brick or stone.
FRENCH DOOR
A tall casement window that reaches to the floor and opens like a door.
FRIEZE
Decorated band along the upper part of an interior wall.
FROG
A depression imprinted in the upper surface of a brick, to save clay, reduce weight and increase the strength of the wall. Bricks should always be laid frog uppermost.
GABLE
Upper section of a wall, usually triangular in shape, at either end of a ridged roof.
GALVANIC CORROSION
Galvanised steel tanks rust in presence of lead and copper.
GRAVITY CIRCULATION
No pump, wide bore pipework for heating and hot water.
GROUND HEAVE
Swelling of clay sub-soil due to absorption of moisture, or tree removal: can cause an upward movement in foundations.
GROUT
Filling for joists or cracks, especially in tiling.
GULLIES
Exterior drains into which waste and storm water discharges.
HALF TIMBERING
A method of construction featuring walls built in timber framework with the spaces filled in by plaster or brickwork. Often some of the exposed planks are laid at an angle to create a pattern.
HAUNCHING
See Benching. Also term used to describe the support to a drain underground.
HEADER
A brick laid in a wall so that only its end appears on the face of the wall. To add a varied appearance o brickwork, headers are alternated with “stretchers”, bricks laid full length on their sides.
HERRINGBONE WORK
Stone, brick or tile work in which the components are laid diagonally instead of horizontally forming a distinct zigzag pattern along a wall face.
HIP
The external junction between two intersecting roof slopes..
HIPPED ROOF
A roof with sloped instead of vertical ends.
HAC
High Alumina Cement. Additive used in concrete to speed hardening, cases loss of strength especially in damp conditions.
HARDCORE
Broken brick, stone, concrete etc.
HOGGIN
Hardcore used as infilling material beneath solid floors etc.
HONEYCOMB WALL
Bricks laid with gaps between to allow ventilation (sleeper wall).
HOPPERHEAD
Funnel to collect water at top of downpipe/wastepipe.
INFILL
Hardcore, rubble or other such material used to bring the ground floor level on a sloping site, prior to laying of a solid concrete floor level.
INSPECTION CHAMBER
Commonly called “manhole”. Access point to a drain comprising a chamber (of brick, concrete or plastic) with the drainage channel at its base and a removable cover at ground level.
INTERCEPTOR
Trap in drain to prevent foul air entering from sewer.
INVERT
Bottom of manhole or drain.
INTERSTITIAL CONDENSATION
Trapped moisture in timber frame walls and flat roofs, double glazing.
JAMB
Side part of a doorway or window.
JOIST
Horizontal structural timber used in flat roof, ceiling and floor construction. Occasionally also metal.
KING POST
Single central upright in traditional roof truss system.
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LOGGIA
A gallery open on one or more sides, sometimes pillared. It may also be a separate structure, usually in a garden.
LAMINATION
Splitting away of surface of tiles etc. (delamination).
LANDSLIP
Downhill movement of unstable earth, clay, rock etc., often following prolonged heavy rain or coastal erosion, but sometimes due entirely to sub-soil having little cohesive integrity.
LATH
Thin strip of wood used in the fixing of roof tiles or slates, or as a back to plaster.
LATH AND PLASTER
Traditional ceiling and stud wall plaster on thin wooden strips.
LINTEL
Horizontal structural beam of timber, stone, steel or concrete placed over window or door openings.
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 as storage tank.
MADE GROUND
Potentially difficult sites infilled with hardcore or rubbish.
MANSARD ROOF
This roof is flat on top, sloping steeply down on its sides, thus appearing to enclose the top storey, usually tiled.
MANTLEPIECE
The wood, brick, stone or marble frame surrounding a fireplace.
MAISONETTE
A dwelling on more than one level, part of a larger building, usually having its own independent ground floor access point.
MICROBORE HEATING
Narrow diameter pipework connected by manifolds.
MINERAL FELT
Common flat roof covering with fairly short life.
MOISTURE METER
Measures electrical conductivity and hence dampness.
MONITORING
Observing crack damage over time using tell-tales, studs or similar.
MONO-PITCH
Roof with only one slope.
MORTAR
Mixture of sand, cement, lime and water, used to join stones or bricks.
MOTORISED VALVES
Electrically controlled flow in heating and hot water pipes.
MOVEMENT JOINTS
In walls and floors to allow for expansion and contraction.
MULLION
Vertical bar dividing individual lights in a window.
NAIL SICKNESS
Rusting of nails used to fix slates to roof battens.
NATIONAL HOUSE BUILDING COUNCIL
Issues 10 year NHBC certificates.
NEWEL
Stout post supporting a staircase handrail at top and bottom. Also, the central pillar of a winding or spiral staircase.
NO-FINES CONCRETE
Cast concrete in shuttering with no sand aggregate.
NOGGINS
Horizontal timber between studs in timber-framed wall construction.
NOSING
Outer top corner of step or sill.
ONE-PIPE HEATING
All water passes in and out of each radiator in turn.
OVERSAILING
Course of brick or stone projecting out from face of wall.
OVERSITE
Rough concrete below timber ground floors: the level of the oversite should be above external ground level.
PARAPET
Low all along the edge of a flat roof, balcony etc.
PARQUET FLOORING
Flooring of hardwood strips laid in patterns of a wood subfloor or concrete.
PATIO
Paved recreation area, usually to the rear of the property.
PEDIMENT
Low pitched gable above a portico or similar feature above doors in homes or windows. Generally stonework, rendered brickwork.
PERGOLA
A covered walk in a garden, usually formed by a double row of posts or pillars with joists above and covered by climbing plants.
PILASTER
A shallow pier or a rounded/rectangular column projecting only slightly from a wall. Primarily decorative.
PORCH
The roofed entrance to a house.
PORTICO
A roofed entrance to a house that is columned like a temple front.
PREFABRICATION
The manufacture of whole buildings or components cast/assembled in a factory or off-site before placed in position.
PANTILES
Flattened S-shaped interlocking tiles.
PARTY WALL
Each owner owns half with rights in respect of the other half.
PEBBLE DASH
Cement mortar render with brown pebble or similar pebble finish.
PEGTILES
Old handmade tiles held by wooden pegs on battens.
PILES
Foundation of concrete columns sunk into ground, can be steel.
PITCHED ROOF
Sloping (rather than flat) and covered with tiles, slates etc.
PLASTERBOARD
Chips and plaster sandwiched between 2 sheets of cardboard.
PLATE
Horizontal timber on wall to spread load of joists, rafters etc.
PLINTH
Widening at base of wall, often rendered.
PLUMB
Vertical (out of plumb/loss of plumbness – leaning/bowing, distorted).
PONDING
Lying water on flat roofs, hardstandings where constructed of inadequate falls.
PURLIN
Roof timber running sideways across slope and supporting rafters.
QUOINS
The dressed stones at the corners of buildings, usually laid so their faces are alternatively large and small. Usually in contrasting colour of brick or stonework from the rest of the wall. Common in Georgian houses.
QUEEN POST
Two off-centre uprights used in traditional roof truss system.
RADON
A radioactive gas usually associated with granite rock, subsoils.
RAFTER
A sloping roof beam, usually timber, forming the carcass of a roof.
RENDERING
Vertical covering of a wall either plaster (internally) or cement (externally) sometimes with pebble-dash, stucco or Tyrolean textured finish.
RETAINING WALL
Supports ground to the rear of the wall, may provide support to structures, prevents landslip.
REVEALS
The side faces of a window or door opening.
RIDGE
Horizontal top to a pitched roof, usually covered with ridge tiles.
RISER
The vertical part of a step or stair.
RISING DAMP
Moisture soaking up a wall from below ground, by capillary action causing rot in timbers, plaster decay, decoration failure etc.
ROOF SPREAD
Outward bowing of a wall caused by the thrust of a badly restrained roof carcass. (See Collar).
ROLLED STEEL JOIST
RSJ used as a lintel to structural openings
ROTATION OF FOUNDATION, FLOOR OR LINTEL
Tilting or overturning movement around axis.
ROUGH CAST
Cement render application to give rough uneven finish.
SASH WINDOW
A window formed with sashes or sliding frames running in vertical grooves.
SCREED
Final, smooth finish of a solid floor; usually cement, concrete or asphalt.
SCRIM
Hessian type material used to seal joints in plasterboard.
SEPTIC TANK
Tank drain installation whereby sewage decomposes through bacteriological action, which can be slowed down or stopped altogether by the use of chemicals such as bleach, biological washing powders etc.
SETTLEMENT
General disturbance in a structure showing as distortion in walls, cracking etc, possibly a result of structural failure. Sometimes of little current significance.
SHAKES
Naturally occurring cracks in timber; in building timbers, shakes can appear quite dramatic, but strength is not always impaired.
SHINGLES
Small rectangular slabs of wood used on roofs instead of tiles, slates etc.
SHIPLAP
Weatherboarding of tongued and grooved planking.
SILL
The lower horizontal part of a window frame. Materials may vary, generally timber or stone, can be tiled.
SKYLIGHT
A window set into a roof or ceiling to provide extra lighting.
SLEEPER WALLS
See honeycomb walls.
SNAGGING
Minor building works to be finished off after practical completion.
SNAP HEADERS
Cut bricks to outer skin of cavity wall or rounded bays.
SOAKAWAY
Arrangement for disposal of rainwater, utilising graded aggregate laid below ground.
SOAKER
Sheet metal (usually lead, copper or zinc) at the junction of a roof with a vertical surface of a chimney stack, adjoining wall etc. Associated with flashings which should overlay soakers.
SOFFIT
The under-surface of eaves, balcony, arch etc.
SOIL STACK (Soil & Vent Pipe)
Main vertical drain pipe for WC and other waste water, generally foul.
SOLDIER ARCH
Bricks laid vertically on end above window or door opening.
SOLID FUEL
Heating fuel, normally coal, coke or one of a variety of proprietary fuels.
SPALLING
Breaking of surface of tiles or bricks, often associated with frost.
SPANDREL
Space above and to the sides of an arch; also the space below a staircase.
STANCHION
Vertical support beam, generally steel today.
STRETCHER
Brick laid sideways.
STRINGS
Sloping framework supporting ends of treads to staircase.
STRUCTURAL SURVEY
See Building Survey.
STRUT
A roof timber, generally sloping between rafter and binder/ceiling joist.
STUCCO
A sturdy type of plaster, used on exterior walls, often spread in a decorative pattern.
STUD PARTITION
Lightweight, sometimes non-load bearing wall construction comprising a framework of timber faced with plaster, plasterboard or other finish.
SUBFRAME
Outer part of a window fixed directly to the wall.
SUBSIDENCE
Ground movement, generally downward, possibly a result of mining activities or clay shrinkage.
SUBSOIL
Material below top soil on which foundations rest.
SULPHATE ATTACK
Chemical reaction, activated by water, between tricalcium aluminate and soluble sulphates. Can cause deterioration in brickwork and concrete floors.
TANKING
Waterproofing of cellar walls and floors.
TELLTALE
Glass or calibrated indicator fixed over crack to check movement.
TERRACOTTA
Fired but unglazed clay, used mainly for floor and roof tiles.
TERRAZZO
A sturdy floor finish of marble chips mixed with cement mortar. These are generally polished.
THERMO-PLASTIC TILES
Common 1950’s floor covering before vinyl tiles.
THRESHOLD
Sill to an exterior door opening
TIE BAR
Inserted in buildings subject to movement with end plates on walls, generally flank walls.
TIMBER FRAMED HOUSES
Built with load bearing timber, generally brick faced.
TINGLES
Metal clips to re-fix slipped slates.
TRANSOM
Horizontal bar of wood or stone across a window or top of door.
TREAD
The horizontal part of a step or stair.
TRUSSED RAFTERS
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 internal 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 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.
VERGE BOARD
Timber, sometimes decorative, placed at the verge of a roof; also known as barge board.
VERTICAL DAMP PROOF COURSE
Used at change in level and in basements and adjacent to window and door openings.
WALL PLATE
Timber placed at the eaves of a roof, to take the weight of the roof timbers.
WALL TIE
Galvanised steel fixing linking inner and outer cavity skins or external cladding to timber framework.
WEATHER BOARD
Horizontal overlapping to timber planks as an external wall finish.
WEEPHOLES
Drainage within brickwork, generally cavities.
WET ROT
Fungal attack to woodwork, especially exterior softwood joinery.
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.