Construction Terminology Guide for Building Projects

1. CADD Part III Unit 1

2. Construction Terms • Footing • Poured concrete base upon which the foundation wall rests. • Sheathing • The rough boarding or covering over the framing of a house. • Soleplate • The horizontal member of a frame wall

3. Construction Terms • Grade beam • A horizontal member that is between two supporting piers at or below grade and that supports a wall or a structure above. • Gable • The triangular end of a gable-roofed house. • Balloon frame • A type of wood framing in which the studs extend from sill to eaves without interruption.

4. Construction Terms • Batting • A type of insulation designed to be installed between framing members. • Specifications • The written instructions that accompany a set of working drawings.

5. Construction Terms • Water closet • A toilet. • Built-up roof • A roofing composed of layers of felt impregnated with pitch, coal tar, or asphalt. • The top is finished with crushed stone or minerals. • It is used on flat or low-pitched roofs.

6. Construction Terms • Casement window • A window with one or two sashes that hinge on their sides. • They may open either in or out. • Web • The member between the flanges of a steel beam, or the vertical and diagonal members between the top and bottom chords of a truss or bar joist.

7. Construction Terms • Casing • The trim around a window or door opening. • Wythe • Pertaining to a single-width masonry wall. • Wainscot • The surfacing on the lower part of an interior wall that is finished differently from the remainder of the wall.

8. Construction Terms • Cavity wall • A masonry wall having a 2" air space between brick wythes. • Rafter • A roof structural member running from the wall plate to the ridge. • There are jack, hip, valley, and common rafters. • The structural members of a flat roof are usually called roof joists.

9. Construction Terms • Valley rafter • The diagonal rafter at the intersection oftwo intersecting, sloping roofs. • Ridge • The top edge of a roof where two slopes meet. • Ridgeboard • The highest horizontal member in a gable

10. Construction Terms • Chord • The lower horizontal member of a truss. • Run • The horizontal distance of a flight of stairs, or the horizontal distance from the outer wall to the ridge of a roof. • Rise • The vertical height of a roof or stairs.

11. Construction Terms • Pitch • The slope of a roof, usually expressed as a ratio. • Plywood • A relatively thin building material made by gluing layers of wood together. • Post-and-beam construction • A type of building frame in which roof and floor beams rest directly over wall posts.

12. Construction Terms • Column • A vertical supporting member. • Concrete masonry unit (C.M. U.) • A concrete block extruded from cement, aggregate, and water • Plumb • Said of an object when it is in true vertical position as determined by a plumb bob or a vertical level.

13. Construction Terms • Coping • A cap or top course of masonry on a wall to prevent moisture penetration. • Cornice • The molded projection of the roof overhang at the top of a wall. • Nominal size • The size of lumber before dressing, rather than its actual size.

14. Construction Terms • Crawl space • The shallow space below the floor of a house built above the ground. • Generally, it is surrounded with the foundation wall. • Nonbearing wall • A wall supporting no load other than its own weight.

15. Construction Terms • Bearing wall • A wall that supports a weight above in addition to its own weight. • Curtain wall • An exterior wall that provides no structural support. • On-center • A method of indicating the spacing between framing members by stating the measurement from the center of one member to the center of the succeeding one.

16. Construction Terms • Partition • A wall that divides areas within a building. • Blocking • Small wood pieces in wood framing to anchor or support other major members. • Flitch beam • A built-up beam formed by a metal plate sandwiched between two wood members and bolted together for additional length.

17. Construction Terms • Floor joist • Structural member of a floor. • King post • The center upright strut in a truss. • Moisture barrier • A sheet material that retards moisture penetration into walls, floors, ceilings, and so on.