Jargon Buster A-Z

Squared and faced (usually limestone) stones for high quality/expensive finish.

A row of balusters joined to a horizontal handrail, for instance at the side of a landing.

A wide, normally timber, board, fitted below tiles or slates at the edge of a roof.

Timbers to which slates or tiles affixed

Angled section at bottom of a rendered wall which allows rainwater to drip off slightly away from the base of the main walls.

The cement finish between open pipes where they join in a manhole.

The cement finish between open pipes where they join in a manhole.

The name given to the way bricks are laid to form a wall. Common types are English, Flemish, Garden Wall, Stretcher.

A specialist company may guarantee its own work but the guarantee will prove worthless if the company fails. For a small additional payment an insurance is available which will pay for any necessary treatment in this event.

A door with diagonal support braces.

Ashes, coke or cinders formed into a building block (Breeze block).

The national body overseeing this type of specialist treatment.

An additional support to a wall, designed to resist outward thrust and add stability.

A window hinged at one edge, usually the top or one side.

Insulation, either of dry fibres or wef foam, within a cavity wall. In exposed positions the insulating material may bridge the cavity and allow damp into the building.

A main, external, wall built of two leaves of brick, stone or a type of block, and a space in between. Normally the inner leaf is load bearing and the function of the outer leaf is to protect the inner leaf from the weather, the two leaves are linked by ties, normally of metal. A cavity wall is usually more resistant to damp penetration than a solid wall, and has greater thermal insulation.

A watertight chamber to collect sewage effluent. It needs emptying at intervals. A cesspool is a liability.

A groove in plaster, brickwork, etc., to receive cables or pipes.

The part of a chimney below roof level normally projecting into rooms.

The part of a chimney above roof level.

The horizontal piece at the bottom of a window or door.

The end of a gutter.

A roof timber tying two rafters, to prevent them spreading; or the wider end of a pipe, into which another pipe fits.

Brick or stonework on top of a wall, to stop damp penetrating the top of the wall.

Brick or stonework projecting in steps from a wall, often to provide a support.

A roof without collars.

A cap to a chimney or flue pipe.

The top of an arch.

The lower 3ft or so of a wall separated by a decorative timber strip. It covers the area most likely to be affected by rising damp and protects against scuffing.

Often abbreviated as DPC. A layer of impermeable material built into a wall to prevent damp rising within it. Older DPCs are often of slates; more recently felt impregnated with bitumen; modern construction uses heavy duty polythene. A chemical DPC can be injected into an old wall, forming an impermeable layer within the masonry, although its efficiency varies with the type of construction. A vertical DPC requires to keep a room below ground level dry is known as tanking. DPCs are also installed in other parts of a structure.

A sheet DPC underneath a solid floor to keep the surface dry.

A window projecting from a roof slope.

A window with upper and lower sliding sashes.

Vertical pipe taking rainwater from roofs.

Commonly called the man-hole. Access point to a drain comprising a chamber with a removable cover at ground level.

The process of working lead to shape.

The lower edge of a roof adjacent to guttering.

Salts brought to the surface when moisture evaporates from the surface of brickwork or plaster.

A brick wall built with alternative courses of headers and

A vertical board at eaves level, often with guttering attached.

A vertical rainwater pipe.

A light or window over a door or casement.

A board or cement used to fill a gap.

Tapered timbers laid on the joists of a flat roof to provide a fall to gutters.

Strips of (usually) lead fixed to waterproof a joint, eg between a roof and a wall, or at the base of a chimney stack.

Cement work at the top of chimney stacks securing the terminal pot.

Brickwork with alternate headers and stretchers in each course.

Foundations for walls.

Underground drain taking away foul waste from the property to the main sewer or septic tank/cesspit.

Below the ground solid construction to support the main walls of the property.

A door made of rails, stiles, battens, and diagonal braces.

Handles, locks, etc. fitted to doors, windows and cupboards.

The top triangular part of a wall below two slopes.

Also known as a factory-made truss. Manufactured off site these roofing trusses are nailed together with plates at their junctions.

Brickwork of three courses of stretchers and one of headers.

An arch formed by bricks cut to the radial form.

A floor finished of polished crushed stone or aggregate.

Of wood or cast iron in order, and often of PVC or aluminium in modern properties. Collect roof water and discharge to drainage system via downpipes/fall pies.

A vertical timer fixed between rafters and ceiling timbers to provide extra support to a ceiling

The end of a brick.

A small water storage tank providing water to a central heating system. Also called feed/expansion tank.

Feature brickwork bonded in diagonal lines.

Angled roof slope to gable wall rather than building gable up to ridge level.

Tile provided at the junction between the hip and the roof pitch.

A funnel-shaped head to collect water from one or more pipes, connected to down-pipe below.

Roof tiles designed to lock together to prevent water driving in, without overlapping.

The side of a door or window opening.

Horizontal timbers supporting floors or roof structure.

A roughened surface to ensure adhesion (eg) cement rendering.

A central post of timber roof truss.

A drain laid with open joists, in a trench filled with gravel, to dispose of surface water.

The amount of which slate courses overlap.

Thin timber laths providing a key for plaster. A labour-intensive and out-of-date construction, now superseded by plasterboard.

A cavity wall is built with inner and outer leaves.

An addition abutting a higher wall.

A beam, normally of timber concrete, steel or stone, spanning a window or door opening.

Slats fixed at an angle or pivoting to allow ventilation.

A roof with two slopes, steep to the lower and flatter to the upper part. This is the way of providing additional accommodation in a roof space.

Brickwork, stonework or blockwork.

A generic term used for flexible sealant, e.g. around window openings.

A floor between principal floors.

A vertical division in a window opening.

The vertical post at the top and bottom of a stair, to which the handrail is fixed.

Brickwork used to infill a timber framework.

Usually a factory roof with windows facing north and slates or other roofing to south pitches. Provides natural light without head.

A projecting window, without a supporting wall, as with a bay window which does not have foundations to the ground.

A door with inset panels.

A curved roofing tile which fits over adjoining tiles.

A wall built up above roof level.

Plasterwork finish to the inside of a chimney flue.

Small strips of hardwood laid in an interlocking pattern on a solid floor.

The timber fillet separating sliding sashes in a window frame.

A wall dividing up the space within a building.

A wall separating, and shared by, adjoining properties.

The slope of a roof.

The projecting base of a wall.

The neat finishing of mortar joints in masonry.

A large horizontal timber, part of the roof structure, supporting the rafters, and normally supported by load bearing walls.

Bricks or stones, often contrasting, used at the corner of walls.

A sloping timber, part of the roof structure, supporting the tile or slate battens and probably resting on purlins.

A horizontal timber part of a door or window.

Irregular stone walling without courses.

The sand/cement finish to an external wall, or the first coat in plastering.

The horizontal top of a pitched roof.

The top course of slates or tiles, sometimes a different size from the rest.

A horizontal timber at the top of a pitched roof structure.

A specially shaped tile for covering and making weather tight the ridge of a roof.

Dampness originating in the ground and rising within a wall by capillary action, controlled by an effective damp-proof course.

Timber/steel section taking weight of main roof structure.

Fungal growth which causes breakdown of the cellulose which gives strength to timber. Can be wet or dry rot.

A rough render finish to external walls, usually made in gravel in sand/cement.

Rolled Steel Joist used to span openings.

Waterproof felt used to cover a roof structure before tiling.

A window frame sliding vertically or, less often, horizontally.

A tank sunk in the ground to dispose of sewage by purifying it, unlike a cesspool which is only for collection. It usually comprises two or three chambers to allow bacteria to purify the liquor, and an outflow to a land drain or soak away.

Structural movement caused by compression of the ground beneath the building.

Weathering and frost damage of masonry can be reduced by spraying with silicone-based liquid.

A substantial hole in the ground filled with rubble to dispose of surface water.

Lead components to waterproof the joint between (eg) a pitched roof and a chimney stack.

The underside of an arch or eaves.

A vertical pipe conveying sewage to the drains. Its upper end is usually vented above the eaves or through roof coverings.

Foul waste pipe from the building to the drainage system.

A low wall beneath a suspended ground floor providing interim support to floor joists.

A vertical side member of a door.

The side of a brick.

The sloping board up the side of a staircase.

A projecting or feature course of masonry.

A type of external decorative plasterwork.

A non loading-bearing internal wall built of timber covered with plasterboard or, in older buildings, lath and plaster.

Where the ground supporting the foundations moves causing damage to building.

Drain taking surface water waste from either drives or roofs.

Earthenware components made of baked clay.

The widening of a flue above the fireplace.

The inner and outer leaves of a cavity wall are tied together for stability at intervals.

A timer fillet inserted to raise the edge of the bottom course of slates.

Metal strips used to secure flashings or loose slates.

Timber boarding with a projecting lip fitting into a groove in the adjoining board.

Pointing on the underside of slate to prevent water penetration.

A (usually timber) triangulated structure designed to support the weight of a roof.

To strengthen foundations by placing concrete beneath them.

Raised section of flat roof covering at junction with adjoining vertical wall.

The internal angle where two roof pitches intersect.

An impermeable layer, often of polythene, fixed to prevent condensation and possible rot within a timber structure.

The edge of a roof.

A timber along a wall top, to carry floor joists or rafters.

A board fixed at the bottom of a door, or door opening, to prevent rainwater driving in.

Small holes left in a wall to allow moisture to drain out.

A type of timber infestation in which grubs eat their way along, and weaken timbers before flying away from a flight hole. There are various varieties of worm attack.

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