General Building Terms
These are some of the common building terms (words) used throughout the residential and commercial construction industry.
Batter Boards
These are boards nailed to the posts at the corners of the proposed structure.
Strings stretched between them indicate the outline of the foundation walls.
Beam (a.k.a. a girder)
This is a structural member that supports a load in the roof, wall or floor. Wood beams are common in residential homes. Steel beams are common to commercial.
Bearing Wall
This is a partition within a building that supports the weight of a load above, such as a joist or beam.
Brace
Any piece of wood or metal fastened to two or more pieces. The braced usually forms a triangle with the other pieces to give them better support.
Drywall (a.k.a. gypsum board)
Rigid sheet made up of a gypsum core sandwiched between heavy paper or other materials.
These sheets are fastened to interior wall frames.
Type ‘x’ is used when a wall must be a fire-rated partition wall.
Water resistant is used in moist areas, such as kitchens or washrooms.
Hoarding
This is a temporary structure erected around a structure or space to keep the construction work on one side and the public safely on the other.
HVAC
This is an abbreviated form for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning.
Joists
Horizontal parallel beams to support floor and ceiling loads. Bearing walls, columns or larger beams support the joists.
Non-Bearing Wall
This is a partition within a building that supports only its own weight.
Radiant Heating
This is a heating system mostly used in floors. Plastic tubing is connected to a boiler or hot water tank. The tubing is laid out in a continuous pattern across the floor space. It is embedded into a concrete floor. Below the concrete is two inches of polystyrene insulation board. Water flows through the tubing and heats the floor. Radiant heating can also be a ceiling application, although not as common..
Plenum
This is the space between a suspended ceiling and the structural floor above.
This term is used mostly in commercial building.
Scaffold
A temporary platform on metal framing built to assist workers to reach higher places.
Seismic Safety
Seismic refers to the erratic vibration caused by earthquakes.
There are building code standards that must be followed to minimize the damage to structures in earthquake prone areas. The materials used and how they are installed must follow specific guidelines. This applies to the construction of a building as well as to the design of any space within a building.
Sheathing
These are narrow wood boards spaced on rafters to which shingles are attached. Plywood or other wallboard materials are also used and placed solidly over studding or rafters.
Sheathing Paper
Paper-like material placed over subfloors, on walls, or on roofs to help prevent air passage.
Studs
Framing members used to form walls. 2 x 4” wood studs are common for residential construction. 3-5/8” metal studs are common for commercial construction.
Subfloor
A sheet wood product, such as plywood is placed across floor joists to create the subfloor. The finished floor is laid over this.
Tyvek
This is a brand name for a plastic like material used to cover the sheathing on the exterior of homes or commercial buildings. It resists air and water passage.
Wallboard
Various materials made into rigid sheets.
These sheets are fastened to wall framing.
This is a general term used for any rigid material applied to the wall.
It can refer to plywood, particleboard, drywall, or gypsum board.
From Building Terms Back to Technical Systems
|
