A/C Condenser – The outside fan unit of the Air Conditioning system. It removes the heat from the freon gas and “turns” the gas back into a liquid and pumps the liquid back to the coil in the furnace.

Attic access – An opening that is placed in the dry walled ceiling of a home providing access to the attic.

Balusters – Vertical members in a railing used between a top rail and bottom rail or the stair treads. Sometimes referred to as ‘pickets’ or ‘spindles’.

Bearing wall – A wall that supports any vertical load in addition to its own weight. 

Breaker panel – The electrical box that distributes electric power entering the home to each branch circuit (each plug and switch) and composed of circuit breakers. 

Bull nose (drywall) – Rounded drywall corners. 

Casing – Wood trim molding installed around a door or window opening. 

Concrete – The mixture of Portland cement, sand, gravel, and water. Used to make garage and basement floors, sidewalks, patios, foundation walls, etc. It is commonly reinforced with steel rods (rebar) or wire screening (mesh).

Crown molding – A decorative molding used where the interior wall meets the ceiling, or on top of upper cabinetry. . 

Dedicated circuit – An electrical circuit that serves only one appliance (ie, dishwasher) or a series of electric heaters or smoke detectors.

Doorjamb, interior – The surrounding case into which and out of which a door closes and opens. It consists of two upright pieces, called side jambs, and a horizontal head jamb. These 3 jambs have the “door stop” installed on them. 

Door stop – The wooden style that the door slab will rest upon when it’s in a closed position.

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

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

Flatwork – Common word for concrete floors, driveways, basements, and sidewalks.

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

Frame inspection – The act of inspecting the home’s structural integrity and it’s compliance to local municipal codes.

Framer – The carpenter contractor that installs the lumber and erects the frame, flooring system, interior walls, backing, trusses, rafters, decking, installs all beams, stairs, soffits and all work related to the wood structure of the home. The framer builds the home according to the blueprints and must comply with local building codes and regulations. 

Framing – Lumber used for the structural members of a building, such as studs, joists, and rafters.

GFCI, or GFI – Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter – an ultra sensitive plug designed to shut off all electric current. Used in bathrooms, kitchens, exterior waterproof outlets, garage outlets, and “wet areas”. Has a small reset button on the plug.

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

Girder – A large or principal beam of wood or steel used to support concentrated loads at isolated points along its length.

Gutter – A shallow channel or conduit of metal or wood set below and along the (fascia) eaves of a house to catch and carry off rainwater from the roof. 

Hardware – All of the “metal” fittings that go into the home when it is near completion. For example, door knobs, towel bars, handrail brackets, closet rods, house numbers, door closer's, etc. The Interior Trim Carpenter installs the “hardware”.

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

Hose bib – An exterior water faucet (sill cock).

HVAC – An abbreviation for Heat, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning.

Inside corner – The point at which two walls form an internal angle, as in the corner of a room.

Load bearing wall – 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.

Millwork – Generally all building materials made of finished wood and manufactured in millwork plants. Includes all doors, window and door frames, blinds, mantels, panel work, stairway components (balusters, rails, etc.), moldings, and interior trim. Does not include flooring, ceiling or siding.

Mortar – A mixture of cement (or lime) with sand and water used in masonry work.

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

Nail inspection – An inspection made by a municipal building inspector after the drywall material is hung with nails and screws (and before taping).

Outside corner – The point at which two walls form an external angle, one you usually can walk around.

Overhang – Outward projecting eave-soffit area of a roof; the part of the roof that hangs out or over the outside wall.

Padding – A material installed under carpet to add foot comfort, isolate sound, and prolong carpet life.

Permit – A governmental municipal authorization to perform a building process.

Plot plan – An overhead view plan that shows the location of the home on the lot. Includes all easements, property lines, set backs, and legal descriptions of the home. Provided by the surveyor. 

Register – A grill placed over a heating duct or cold air return.

Ridge – The horizontal line at the junction of the top edges of two sloping roof surfaces. 

Roof jack – Sleeves that fit around the black plumbing waste vent pipes at, and are nailed to, the roof sheeting.

Roof valley – The “V” created where two sloping roofs meet.

R Value – A measure of insulation. A measure of a material’s resistance to the passage of heat. The higher the R value, the more insulating “power” it has. For example, typical new home’s walls are usually insulated with 4” of batt insulation with an R value of R-13, and a ceiling insulation of R-30.

Setback thermostat – A thermostat with a clock which can be programmed to come on or go off at various temperatures and at different times of the day/week. Usually used as the heating or cooling system thermostat.

Sewage ejector – A pump used to ‘lift’ waste water to a gravity sanitary sewer line. Usually used in basements and other locations which are situated below the level of the side sewer.

Sheathing, sheeting – The structural wood panel covering, usually OSB or plywood, used over studs, floor joists or rafters/trusses of a structure.

Sheet metal duct work – The heating system. Usually round or rectangular metal pipes and sheet metal (for Return Air) and installed for distributing warm (or cold) air from the furnace to rooms in the home.

Sheet rock – Drywall – Wall board or gypsum – A manufactured panel made out of gypsum plaster and encased in a thin cardboard. 

Shutter – Usually lightweight louvered decorative frames in the form of doors located on the sides of a window.

Siding – The finished exterior covering of the outside walls of a frame building.

Sill plate (mudsill) – Bottom horizontal member of an exterior wall frame which rests on top a foundation, sometimes called a mudsill. Also sole plate, bottom member of an interior wall frame. 

Slab, concrete – Concrete pavement, i.e. driveways, garages, and basement floors.

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

Stucco – Refers to an outside plaster finish made with Portland cement as its base.

Truss – An engineered and manufactured roof support member with “zig-zag” framing members. Does the same job as a rafter but is designed to have a longer span than a rafter.

Utility easement – The area of the earth that has electric, gas, or telephone lines. These areas may be owned by the homeowner, but the utility company has the legal right to enter the area as necessary to repair or service the lines.