A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | XYZ
| a.c.p.h. | air changes per hour (see Air tightness) |
| Accumulator | usually a large water tank used to store surplus heat (from say a wood fired boiler or thermal solar collector – see Heat Stores) |
| AECB | the Sustainable Building Association |
| Aggregate | gravel, crushed stone and other coarse material used in concrete or as hardcore |
| Airbrick | a perforated brick used to allow ventilation |
| Anchor bolt | Used to secure part of a structure to masonry. Typically timber framing is fixed to concrete foundations using expanding or chemical anchors |
| Approved Documents | These are a part of the Building Regulations which ensure, if you follow them, that your plans will be automatically approved. These are what are most often used. However there may be other ways of fulfilling the conditions and these are mentioned in the regulations |
| APR | Air permeability rate, expressed as m3 of air flow per hour per m2 of dwelling envelope area at a pressure differential of 50 Pascals, m3/(h.m2) @ 50Pa |
| Arris | External angle (often 90 degrees) where two planes meet. E.g. the corner where two walls meet or the edge around a door opening. |
| Back drop manhole | Used where the gradient of a foul drain would otherwise be too steep. |
| Backfill | Material used to refill an excavated area |
| Balanced flue | A combined flue, usually serving a gas heater or boiler, which handles both incoming combustion air and outgoing waste gas. |
| Ballast | Part of the control gear in a fluorescent light |
| Baluster | One of the vertical elements of a balustrade, usually linking to or supporting the handrail |
| Balustrade | A railing made of balusters and a top (and maybe bottom) rail |
| Barge board | A decorative board fixed to edge of a gable roof |
| Bat | a half brick |
| Batt | A ‘slab’ of mineral fibre insulation stiff enough to be mainly self supporting (see Insulation properties) |
| Battens | Narrow strips of wood used to cover joints in sheet materials. Roof battens are narrow strips used to fix slates and tiles onto |
| BCB | Building Control Body- either the local authority building inspectors or an approved inspector |
| Beam | Substantial, usually horizontal structural member. Often distinguished from joists which will be smaller and whose ends will be supported by the beam |
| Bed joint | Horizontal mortar joint between courses of bricks or blocks. (perpends or perps are the vertical ones) |
| Bellcast | A slight, usually curved thickening out of the lower edge of render in order to shed water away from the masonry or DPC below |
| Benching | Also known as haunching is the sloping concrete at the bottom of a manhole or inspection chamber |
| Bifold door | A door hinged down the middle so that it can be opened in a restricted area |
| Bill of Quantities | A list of all the materials etc. required for a building. The items may be priced. (see Tenders and contracts) |
| Blockboard | A board made by sandwiching and gluing softwood strips between two sheets of veneer. It is strongest in the direction of the strips. |
| Bond | The arrangement of bricks in a wall. This partly determines the strength and stability of the wall. It can also produce interesting patterns such as with diagonal bond. |
| Brace | A usually diagonally fixed piece of timber used to stiffen a structure, either temporarily during construction or permanently |
| BRE | Building Research Establishment |
| BREEAM | The (now defunct) Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method |
| Bressumer | A beam or lintel, usually timber giving support over a bay window or fire place |
| Brick veneer | A brick facing fixed to a supporting structure such as timber frame |
| BS | British Standard (these are slowly being replaced by Eurocodes which are CEN standards) |
| BSI | British Standards Institute |
| BSRIA | The Building Services Research and Information Association. ‘BSRIA offers a wide range of services to help companies improve the design, build and operation of buildings’ |
| Building Control | the local authority department which deals with the Building Regulations |
| Building paper | strong kraft paper used to prevent thermal bypass in wall insulation |
| Building Regulations | These are the legal regulations which govern how a house is constructed. (not to be confused with Planning Permission which is about whether you are allowed to build the house at all or what it might look like) |
| Built up roofing | Multi layer roofing usually composed of 3 layers of felt bonded together with bitumen |
| Butt joint | Where two pieces of timber are joined with a square cut end |
| Buttress | A masonry support to a wall used to prevent lateral movement |
| CAD | computer aided design |
| CARES | Community And Renewable Energy Scheme |
| Casement window | A side hung window opening similarly to a normal door |
| CAT | Centre for Alternative Technology |
| Cavity tray | A tray, usually of plastic or metal, built into a cavity wall to deflect any water back out of the cavity |
| CCA | (Chromated Copper Arsenate) A fungicide and pesticide used to protect timber by pressure impregnation |
| cfl | compact fluorescent light |
| Chalk line | method of marking a straight line by snapping a chalk powder covered string against the surface |
| CHP | Combined heat and power – where the heat which is produced when electricity is generated is used within a heating system rather than wasted. This can happen at different levels – within a single house, a housing development, a town etc. |
| Chase | A trench or groove cut into a masonry wall to take services |
| Circuit breaker | An electronic device which acts like a fuse to cut off an electric circuit |
| CIRIA | Construction Industry Research and Information Association |
| CO2 | Carbon dioxide is a gas which is given off when carbon based materials such as fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) are burned. It is called a greenhouse gas because it works like the glazing of a greenhouse and causes global warming |
| Column | A vertical compression member, similar to a post |
| cold bridging | this is a pathway where heat can easily escape through some part of the structure. It is usually caused by some element of structure such as a steel lintel or wooden studwork |
| Combination boiler | A boiler which heats both domestic hot water and central heating water instantaneously (i.e. without requiring a hot water storage tank) |
| Comb/finger jointing | A method of end jointing lengths of timber by cutting them to interlock. Similar to finger jointing |
| COP | Coefficient Of Performance. Applied to heat pumps this indicates the ratio of how much energy they can shift compared with how much they use to do it. So for instance, a ground source heat pump with a COP of 3 will be able to get 3kW of heat out of the ground for every kWh it uses |
| Cornice | A decorative molding |
| CSH | Code for Sustainable Homes. A now withdrawn standard for eco-houses developed by the Building Research Establishment. It covers a wide range of criteria |
| Condensation | The water which forms when steam or water vapour comes in contact with a cold surface |
| Condensing boiler | A boiler which is very efficient because it extracts latent heat from its exhaust gases |
| Conductivity | Measurement of how easily heat is transmitted through a material |
| Convection | The transmission of heat by air moving upwards |
| Conduit | Electrical: A metal or plastic tube which carries and protects wiring |
| Coping | The top layer of stones or flags in a wall often used to protect it from rain |
| Corbel | One or more bricks or stones cantilevered out to carry a beam |
| DC | Direct Current (the sort of electricity that comes out of batteries rather than Alternating Current which is in the mains) |
| Cornice | Decorative moulding at the top of a wall or between wall and ceiling |
| Counter batten | Battens which cross other batten, studding or joists |
| Coving | Concave moulding between a wall and floor or ceiling |
| Dado | the lower part of a room’s wall, when it is decorated differently or panelled |
| DECC | the government Department of Energy and Climate Change |
| Damp Proof Course | A strip of (usually) plastic built into walls to prevent damp rising. |
| Damp proof membrane | A sheet of (usually) plastic used to prevent dampness rising up through a floor or in through an underground wall |
| Deathwatch Beetle | The lavae of the beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) can be very destructive of hardwood |
| Decrement delay | This relates to the lag time that insulation itself takes to heat up or cool down. It introduces a delay into the effect of the insulation. This can help level out peaks and troughs of temperature |
| Dedicated circuit | An electrical circuit which serves only one set of uses such as for smoke detectors, immersion heater, cooker etc |
| Delamination | The separation of various layers of a material such as plywood, usually due to moisture ingress |
| Density | The mass per unit volume of a material measured in kg/cubic metre or gm/litre |
| Dew point | Warm air contains (invisible) water vapour. If you cool the air down you will reach a temperature where this vapour turns to liquid water. This is called thedew point. |
| DHW | Domestic Hot Water |
| Dormer window | one that projects from a roof |
| DPC | Damp Proof Course – a strip of (usually) plastic built into walls to prevent damp rising. |
| DPM | Damp proof membrane – a sheet of (usually) plastic used to prevent dampness rising up through a floor or in through an underground wall |
| Drip | An extension, groove, projection or overhang of a material to shed water away from what is below |
| Dry lining | An internal lining such as plasterboard which is applied in sheets (also known as drywall) |
| Dry rot | A fungus (Serpula lacrymans) which attacks timber |
| Drywall | An internal lining such as plasterboard which is applied in sheets (also known as dry lining) |
| DTI | was the Department of Trade and Industry but is now the BIS (Department for Business Innovation and Skills) |
| Duct | A channel or passage for conveying gasses, or for carrying services |
| Dumpy level | An instrument for measuring relative vertical levels. Used with a tripod |
| Easement | A legal agreement allowing one party to use part of another party’s property. E.g. to run an electric cable |
| Eaves | The lower projecting edge of a pitched roof |
| Efflorescence | Accumulation of natural salts on a material, especially where rising damp has dried out |
| Egress | Exiting from a building, particularly used about escape from fire |
| Embodied energy | the total amount of energy it takes to make a material (or a building) |
| Engineering brick | A very hard dense brick, often blue in colour. |
| English bond | A pattern of brickwork with alternating courses of stretchers and headers |
| EP | expanded polystyrene insulation |
| EPC | energy performance certificate |
| EPDM | ethylene-propylene-diene monomer. often used as a roofing membrane |
| EPS | Expanded polystyrene |
| Escutcheon | Small, usually metal flap which covers a keyhole |
| EST | Energy Savings Trust |
| Estimate | The amount of money a builder thinks a job might cost. Not to be confused with a tender or quotation which might form part of a contract |
| Expansion joint | Most masonry materials expand with temperature and require a moving joint to take up the movement every few meters |
| Fascia board | a flat horizontal board covering, for instance, the edge of a roof. Also on gables |
| Facing brick | The external face of brickwork on a building, with a high quality or decorative finish |
| Findhorn Foundation | A large community near Inverness. There is a strong emphasis on sustainable building and living. |
| Finger joint | A method of end jointing lengths of timber by cutting them to interlock. Similar to comb jointing |
| Fire brick | A brick which resists high temperatures, used in fire places and some stoves and boilers |
| Fire stop | A way of preventing fire spreading between dwellings, particularly in cavity walls |
| First fix | Electrical and plumbing installation: Refers to the fixing of pipes and cables before the outlets, switches, taps etc. are fitted |
| Flag stone | Flat stones used as paving. Usually between 50mm and 100mm thick |
| Flashing | Sheet material, usually lead, zinc or plastic used to cover and waterproof joints, particularly where roofs meet walls |
| Flaunching | Mortar used around the base of chimney pots to hold them in place and shed water |
| Flue | The actual tube through which gasses pass, as opposed to a chimney which might contain several flues |
| Flue liner | Ceramic or metal lining to a chimney or flue designed to protect the flue from excessive heat and/or corrosive combustion products |
| Footings | Often used as a synonym for foundations but strictly speaking it refers to a broadening out of the wall below ground level, as was the method before concrete came into general use |
| Formwork | Temporary structure to contain concrete while it sets |
| Foundations | The part of a building which spreads the load on the ground. Usually concrete strips, blocks, steel screws or a concrete slab |
| French windows | A pair of hinged windows which can act as doors |
| Frog | The indentation on the lower face of a brick. It helps the brick sit more evenly when laid |
| FSC | Forest Stewardship Council (who accredit timber) |
| Furniture | Joinery fittings including handles, catches, locks, knobs, stays etc. |
| Furrings | Also furring pieces. Strips of wood, diminishing in width along their length used to create a slope on an othewise flat roof |
| Gabions | Cuboid containers made of wire and filled with rocks. You see them protecting river banks, acting as retaining walls and, more recently as walls in buildings |
| Gable | The triangular wall beneath a double sloped roof |
| Gang nail plate | Steel plates each with multiple nails used to connect members of roof trusses |
| Gauge | The distance between slate or tile battens on a roof |
| Gauged brickwork | Brickwork with very thin mortar joints |
| General contractor | A building contractor who takes on a building contract and then uses his own employees or sub-contracts the work or both |
| Geotextile | A strong fabric, usually plastic and non-woven, placed in the ground to keep differing substances such as gravel and soil separate but to allow water to flow through |
| Grey water | This is the waste water that comes from the baths, basins, showers and washing machines. Kitchen sink water is known as black water. |
| Glulam | engineered laminated timber used to make structural members such as beams, joists and column |
| GRP | glass reinforced plastic, also commonly known as fibre glass |
| Grounds | Something such as timber battens which acts as a fixing for another layer of material |
| Groundwater | The water which makes up the water table |
| Grout | A fine mortar used to finish off masonry or tilework joints |
| GSHP | ground source heat pump. A heat pump which extracts heat from the ground |
| Gulley | An opening at ground level, connected to a drain and designed to catch rainwater from a fall pipe. Also a longer channel for collecting surface water |
| Gutter | A channel used to collect water at the bottom of a roof and convey it to a fall pipe |
| Gusset | A flat plate, usually plywood or steel, used to connect structural members such as parts of a roof truss |
| Hardcore | Broken brick, stones etc. usually graded to size and compacted, used as a base beneath concrete |
| Haunching | Also known as benching, is the sloping concrete at the bottom of a manhole or inspection chamber |
| Header | A brick positioned so that its end, not side, is showing |
| Header tank | An open water tank used to pressurise and top up a system such as central heating or domestic hot water |
| Hearth | The fireproof (and maybe decorative) area directly in front of a fireplace or stove |
| Heartwood | The central part of a tree, excluding the sapwood |
| Heat meter | A meter capable of measuring how much heat has passed through it, usually in the form of hot water. Units in kWh |
| Heat pump | A machine to move heat around. Usually they increase or decrease the temperature of the heat at the same time, as with air conditioning |
| Hectare | 10,000 square metres (ie. 100m x 100m) A hectare is very nearly 2.5 acres |
| Hip roof | A four sided roof having sloping ends and sides |
| Hopper | An open box, usually attached to a wall, for collecting water from waste pipes and gutters and funnelling it into a fall pipe |
| HSE | Health and Safety Executive |
| I beams | prefabricated timber beams with a web of OSB and softwood flanges. They are very light, efficient and regular. See Structural timber |
| Incandescent lamp | The traditional light bulb with a wire fillament |
| In situ concrete | this is concrete cast on site in its final position rather than being fabricated elsewhere |
| Inspection chamber | A chamber like a manhole to give access to a section of drain. Previously of brickwork but now mainly plastic or concrete ring |
| Intumescent strip | a strip of material, usually set in a groove round a door, which swells and seals the gap to prevent fire and smoke getting past it |
| Invert level | The lowest level of the internal surface of a drain at any given position, usually at a manhole or inspection chamber |
| IP | Ingress Protection |
| ISES | Inter Seasonal Energy Storage |
| Jamb | The vertical side member of a door or window |
| JCT | Joint Contracts Tribunal |
| Joists | Timber beams, running parallel and supporting floors and/or ceilings |
| Joist hanger | A ‘U’ shaped metal strap supporting the end of a timber joist by fixing it to a wall or other member |
| Key | The roughness of a material which provides a grip for an overlaying material such as plaster or render |
| Keystone | (or brick) at the centre of a brick or stone arch |
| Kiln dried timber | Timber which has been dried in a kiln down to about 12% moisture content (or any other value specified) |
| Kilowatt | 1000 watts. A measure of electrical flow rate. Amounts of electricity are measured in Kilowatt hours (kWh) |
| Kneeler stone | A specially shaped stone at the eaves of a roof to support coping stones |
| Knotting | A special varnish used on knots to seal them and prevent the resin coming through and spoiling the finish |
| kWh | Kilowatt hour. The measurement of an amount of electricity |
| kWp | kW peak. This is the output of a PV solar collector in bright sunshine (rather than a cloudy day) |
| Ladder | Ladder shaped timber construction which supports the roof overhang at a gable end |
| Land drain | Perforated plastic or sections of clay pipe with gaps at joints to collect and remove ground water |
| Landing | A platform at the top, bottom or part way up a stair |
| Latch | a door fastener which holds the door when it is pushed closed and requires some kind of lever action to open it. E.g. the common lever latch on a door |
| Lath | A key for plaster and traditionally of timber strip. Now expanded metal lath may be used especially for forming curved areas |
| Lath and plaster | The traditional way of building internal walls using strips of timber nailed to studs and then covering with plaster. The strips act as a support and a key |
| LCA | Life Cycle Analysis (also sometimes called ‘Cradle to Grave’ or ‘Cradle to Cradle’ assessment) |
| LEDs | light emitting diodes |
| Ledger strip | A strip of timber, maybe about 75mm x 50mm fixed near the bottom of a structuralbeam to act as a bearer for floor joists (instead of joist hangers) |
| Light | Sometimes used to mean ‘window’ as in roof light |
| LILI | Low Impact Living Initiative. ‘LILI is a network of great organisations with lots of ways to help you change your life and the world for the better’ |
| Lintel | Structural joist, usually steel or timber, over a window or door or other opening. |
| Living roofs | A roof with a covering of soil or growing medium and plants. They tend to be divided into turf roofs with a 150mm layer of soil and sedum roofs with a thinner layer (about 40mm). |
| Louvre | A framed opening with a number of parallel slats which will admit air but not rain. Moveable louvres can adjust the amount of view and light admitted |
| Lumen |
A measurement of an amount of light. See Wikipedia on this |
| Mansard roof | A roof with two pitches, the lower one being steeper. Often used to create more space for rooms in the roof |
| Masonite | structural timber beams made with a web (the middle part) of masonite (a type of hardboard) and with top and bottom members made of finger jointed softwood glued to the web. Very strong, light and regular in size. |
| Mastic | A general sealant, usually gunned to seal around windows doors etc. Also Sand mastic which is applied by trowel |
| Matchboard | Usually softwood tongued and grooved board with bevelled edges used as an internal lining. Various thicknesses- 8,10,12,14mm |
| MDF | Medium Density Fibreboard |
| MDPE | Medium Density PolyEthelene. (the type of plastic used in water supply pipes etc.) |
| Metal lath | Expanded metal is used as a base for gypsum plaster, particularly on curved surfaces |
| Mezzanine | An extra floor or half floor sometimes inserted in a tall room area and left partly open on one side. Sometimes more like an internal balcony |
| Microporous | Used about paint and other surface finishes which allow vapour, particularly trapped water vapour to escape |
| Mitre joint | A corner joint formed by cutting two adjoining pieces of material at the same angle and fixing them together. E.g. the architrave joint around a door is often formed with two 45º angles |
| Modulating | a modulating boiler is able to gradually turn itself up and down depending on how much heat is required. This is more efficient than cycling on and off. |
| Mortar | A mixture of sand, cement and water used for joints in masonry |
| Mortise | Usually a square edged hole cut into timber to make a tight joint with a tenon inserted tightly into it. E.g. the traditional way of building framed doors |
| Moulding | A decorative edge cut on timber or formed in plasterwork |
| Mullion | The vertical divider between individual panes in a window |
| Muntin | The vertical timber member between two panels in a door |
| MVHR | Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery |
| n 50 | This is the number of air changes per hour, monitored at 50 Pa. pressure differential. |
| NaCSBA | National Custom & Self Build Association |
| Natural England | Natural England is the government’s advisor on the natural environment. It ‘provides practical advice, grounded in science, on how best to safeguard England’s natural wealth for the benefit of everyone’ |
| NHBC | National House Building Council. It’s purpose is raising the construction standards of new homes in the UK to protect homeowners. It offers warranties to self builders. |
| NBS | National Building Specification. This is a company specializing in specification writing. It’s owned by the RIBA. |
| Net metering | this is a special type of electrical tariff which rewards you if you sell electricity you produce back into the national grid (effectively making your meter go backwards) |
| Neutral | Electric wiring: The wire which is at or very near zero volts. It is now coloured blue but was previously black |
| Newel | The newel posts of a stair are the large ones at the top and bottom of the flight and usually carry the handrail |
| Nosing | The rounded edge on the front of steps which projects beyond the riser |
| OPC | Ordinary Portland Cement |
| Oriented Strand Board | A particle board made of flakes or strands of timber glued together |
| OSB | Oriented Strand Board |
| Oversite | The rough concrete on the ground surface beneath suspended ground floors |
| Pantile | Overlapping roof tiles, S shaped in section. There are many traditional designs |
| Parapet | A protective wall around the edge of a flat roof |
| Parging | A traditional special plaster finish to protect the inside of a chimney from acid condensates |
| Parting bead | The thin central vertical wooden moulding between the upper and lower sash |
| Party wall | The dividing wall between two neighbouring properties |
| Passivhaus | The PassivHaus Institute has pioneered a standard for low energy buildings. It includes very low energy usage and ways of achieving this. The word is derived from the idea of buildings which are fundamentally low energy and passive solar heated rather than using extra gadgets to heat them |
| PC Sum | Prime cost sum |
| PC Sums | Prime Cost sums |
| PE | Polyethylene or just plain old polythene |
| PELV | Protective Extra-Low Voltage (where the protected items are connected to earth) |
| Permaculture | Permaculture is the practice of a sustainable way of living in all its forms. In the UK the coordinating body is the Permaculture Association |
| Permeability | The rate at which water can penetrate a material |
| Perpend | (or simply perp) the vertical joints in masonry construction |
| PEX | Cross linked polythene. A stronger form of polythene much used in water pipes |
| PHPP | Passivhaus planning package |
| Pico hydro | very small scale hydro electric generation – up to 5 kW. |
| Pier | A column of masonry, usually square in cross section |
| Pigment | A fine dry powder which gives colour to paint |
| Pitch | The steepness of a roof or a flight of stairs etc, usually measured as the angle from the horizontal |
| Planning consent | the legal basis for being allowed to do some form of development such as building a house. (not to be confused with Building Regulations which is all about whether the building is properly constructed) |
| Planning permission | the legal basis for being allowed to do some form of development such as building a house. (not to be confused with Building Regulations which is all about whether the building is properly constructed) |
| Plumb | Vertical. From Plumb bob which is a string with a weight on the end to check for verticality |
| POU | Point of Use (for instance an electric water heater right next to a tap) |
| Primer | First coat of paint or varnish |
| P trap | Plumbing: A ‘P’ shaped water trap, usually below a sink or basin to prevent sewer gasses escaping |
| Purlin | A large roof beam whose job is to support the roof joists half way down the roof to reduce their span |
| PV | Photo Voltaic. referring to the generation of electricity from sunlight |
| PVC | Poly vinyl chloride. An oil based plastic with the recycling code number 3 |
| Quarry tile | Hard wearing clay tile often used on floors. Usually 150mm square |
| Quoin | The external corner of a building or the stones used to build it which were often larger than the other stones |
| Racking | The tendency for a rectangular element of structure to stretch sideways under pressure and form a parallelogram. Often prevented by attaching a sheet material such as plywood to maintain the correct shape |
| Radiant heating | Heating which relies on high temperature radiation rather than convection or conduction. E.g. an electric bar fire |
| Radon | Naturally occurring radioactive gas. Protective measures may be required in the design of ground floors |
| Rafter | A main member in the roof structure (an ill defined word) |
| Rain screen | this is a (usually thin) outer cladding on a wall which prevents rain, snow, etc getting at the structure of the wall behind |
| Raked | Slanting or sloping |
| RCD | Residual Current Device. This is a device which protects against electrocution. |
| REA | Renewable Energy Association |
| Ready mixed concrete | Comes by lorry ready to use |
| Rebar | An American shortening of reinforcing bar |
| Reinforcing bar | Steel bar used to strengthen concrete |
| Relative humidity | The weight of water held in air (as vapour) as a percentage of the maximum weight the air could hold at the same temperature |
| Remediation | (of ground) the cleaning up of contaminated or polluted ground |
| Render | A wall coating based on lime or cement and usually sand or small pebbles, decorative chippings etc. Known in Scotland as harling |
| Resorcinol Glue | A high quality waterproof glue, used for glueing timber joints. Cascamite is a common make |
| Retaining wall | A wall used for holding back earth, soil etc. |
| Retention money | Money which is held back from payment to a builder until the work stage is complete, or longer if agreed |
| Reveal | The edge of an opening in a wall where a window, door etc. occurs |
| RHI | Renewable Heat Incentive |
| RIBA | Royal Institute of British Architects |
| RICS | Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors |
| Ridge board | The board at the top of a sloping roof where the joists meet |
| Ridge tile | Angled or curved roof tiles capping the ridge of the roof |
| Riser | on a stair – the vertical part between the treads |
| Rough cast | A rough wall render |
| RSJ | Rolled steel joist. One of the commonest types of structural joists |
| Sanding sealer | A sealer for timber which dries quickly and readily sands smooth |
| SAP | Standard Assessment Procedure – the method used in the building regulations for calculating the energy use of a house |
| sash | The part of the frame of a window immediately around the glazing, often hinged or sliding |
| Sash weight | The counterweight which balances a sliding window sash |
| Scratch coat | The initial coat of plaster which is scratched to form a key for the next coat |
| Screed | The usually thin final coat of a floor to form a smooth finish. Often a cement sand mixture (on concrete) |
| Scribing | In joinery: marking and cutting a piece of timber to accurately fit against an irregular surface or moulding |
| Sealer | A liquid applied to a surface such as timber, screed or plaster to seal the surface before applying a final coat. It prevents the next coat from being absorbed too readily |
| Seasoning | The process of air drying timber over months or a couple of years |
| SEDBUK | Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK. The measurement of how efficient central heating boilers are |
| SELV | Separated Extra Low Voltage – 12 volts maximum |
| Septic tank | A method of dealing with sewage which partly decomposes it to mainly water, methane and CO2. There is still a residue which requires occasional emptying |
| Settlement | Downward movement of walls and structure usually due to inadequate foundations |
| Sewer | a drain serving more than one property |
| Sewage | The affluent from toilets and waste water |
| Sewerage | A system of sewers |
| Shake | A naturally occurring split in timber. While often visually problematic, it does not often impair the structural qualities |
| Shakes | Wall or roof tiles made of split, moisture resisting timber such as cedar or oak (rather than shingles which are sawn rather than split) |
| Shellac | A type of varnish, often used in traditional french polishing. |
| Shingles | Wall or roof tiles made of sawn, moisture resisting timber such as cedar or oak (rather than shakes which are split rather than sawn) |
| Shiplap | Exterior cladding of horizontal boarding |
| Sill | The lowest member of an item of framework (often timber) such as a window frame or structural frame |
| SIPs | Structural Insulated Panels – prefabricated (usually in a factory) timber panels usually forming part of an integrated building system and aimed at fast site erection |
| Skeiling | The sloping part of the ceiling in some attic rooms |
| Sleeper wall | A low wall under a suspended ground floor, giving support to the floor |
| Sliding sash window | Where two sashes, one above the other, can slide in a track to open and close |
| Soakaway | An underground pit, usually filled with hardcore or gravel, used to allow rain water or waste water to disperse into the ground |
| Soffit | The underside of part of a building which is too small to be termed a ceiling |
| Soil pipe | A pipe, usually about 100mm in diameter for carrying sewage and grey water |
| Soil stack | A vertical section of soil pipe running up the inside or outside of a building |
| Specifications | Detailed written descriptions of building materials and method of construction etc. |
| SSSI | Site of Special Scientific Interest |
| Soldier course | A band of bricks laid vertically, often over a door or window |
| Sole plate | A horizontal timber member at the base of a timber structure |
| Stile | A vertical member of a frame or panel such as in a door or sash of a window |
| Stop bead | Plastering: A metal bead used to form a neat straight edge to an area of plaster |
| Stop cock | (or stop tap). A valve on a water or gas circuit which can shut off the supply to the whole system |
| Stretcher | A brick laid lengthways (as in stretcher bond) |
| String board | A board which either supports the ends of stairs in a flight or it covers the ends |
| String course | A decorative horizontal band of bricks |
| Strutting | Solid or herringbone wooden or steel members fixed between floor joists to provide rigidity |
| Studding | Timber uprights which support a stud wall |
| Stud wall | A lightweight wall made of sheeting such as plasterboard fixed to studding (timber uprights with noggins between) |
| Subfloor | A loadbearing floor beneath the floor finish |
| Subsoil | The soil immediately below the top soil |
| SUDS | Sustainable urban drainage systems. Various ways of holding back rain water and allowing it to percolate into the ground instead of taking it to a drain and sewer. This helps prevent flash flooding |
| Sump | A waterproof container set below floor level (especially in basements) to catch any water run-off from drains etc. |
| Sump pump | A pump set in a sump for emptying it |
| Suspended ceiling | A ceiling suspended on rails set below the structure above |
| SVP | soil and vent pipe |
| Take off | A list of materials required for a job |
| Tempered | Tempered (or toughened) glass is toughened to withstand a degree of impact |
| TER | Target emission rate. The minimum energy performance for a new dwelling as defined in the Building Regulations. |
| Terra Cotta | Hard wearing ceramic material with red/orange colour such as is used in quarry tiles |
| Thermal bridging | this is a pathway where heat can easily escape through some part of the structure. It is usually caused by some element of structure such as a steel lintel or wooden studwork |
| Thermal mass | this is about how much heat something can absorb – so it involves its specific heat capacity and its volume. It can be useful for levelling out the peaks and troughs of temperature within a house |
| Threshold | The sill area of an external door. Often a strip of wood |
| TMP | Thermal Mass Parameter – the heat capacity of the dwelling in kilojoules per m2 of floor area per degree, kJ/(m2K) |
| Tongued and grooved | A method of side jointing timber boards such as floor boards and matchboard |
| T&G | Tongued and grooved (see above) |
| TPO | Thermoplastic polyolefin. Often used as a roofing membrane |
| TRADA | Timber Research and Development Association. A trade association with a strong reputation for research and publication on all things timber |
| Trap | Waste and soil plumbing: A bend in the pipe which contains water and prevents sewer gasses escaping |
| Trapion | similar to a gabion but with a trapezoid shape. A gabion is a wire basket used to contain rocks |
| Tread | The step part on a flight of stairs. It’s depth is known as the going |
| Trimmer | A short floor or ceiling joist which forms an opening for a stair well or chimney |
| Truss | A factory made roof frame |
| TRV | Thermostatic radiator valve. |
| Underpinning | A way of strengthening inadequate foundations from below |
| uPVC | Unplasticised Poly Vinyl Chloride. Used as a replacement for wood in windows, doors, gutters, boarding etc and for plumbing waste pipe |
| U value | measurement of how much heat escapes (or gets in). The units are W/sq.m./degree celcius. It is what the Building Regulations uses to rate building materials of a given thickness. |
| Valley gutter | The gutter where two downward sloping roof areas meet |
| Vapour barrier | A membrane used to prevent movement of water vapour within a structure |
| Verge | Area of slates or tiles at the gable end of a roof |
| Vermiculite | A lightweight mineral used as insulation and fire proofing around flues |
| VOCs | Volatile organic compounds |
| Wainscot | Panels, usually timber, applied to the lower metre or so of a room, sometimes to cover areas of rising damp |
| Wall plate | Horizontal timber rail at the top of a wall onto which the roof structure is fixed |
| Wall tie | Metal, plastic or ceramic tie for structurally connecting the two leaves of a cavity wall |
| Walter Segal | The architect who devised a simple timber frame self build system (often simply known as ‘Segal self build‘ |
| Waste pipe | Drainage pipe used to carry away grey water |
| Water table | The level of the naturally occurring groundwater |
| Weep holes | Small holes in walls to allow water to exit |
| Winder | A triangular shaped step in a flight of stairs which allows a turn |
| Window board | The internal shelf at the sill of a window |
| Zone valve | A central heating control valve which controls radiators within a certain zone of the house |
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