What are the terms used in building a house?
Glossary of House Building Terms The following are definitions of some common terms you may run into as you review your blueprints, plan for home construction, or build your house. Baseboard. A molding that goes around the perimeter of a room at the base of the walls. Base Cabinet. A cabinet that generally rests on the floor with a toe-kick and ...
What is a wall cabinet called?
A wall cabinet is sometimes called an overhead cabinet. Wall cabinets are typically hung on the wall above a base cabinet and do not have a toe-kick or countertop.
What is a triangular wall section of a house?
This triangular wall section is called a gable. A pitched roof terminating in a gable at one or both ends. A gable roof where two roof pitches are used on either side of the triangular shape.
What is the difference between interior walls and outdoor walls?
Some walls are designed to be a border between the outside and the inside of the house. Others are interior and are not exposed to the outdoors at all. This difference creates some dramatic differences in structure and design.
What are the outside walls of houses made of?
There are 10 basic types of exterior wall: poured concrete, masonry (brick or stone), stucco, synthetic or artificial stucco, wood (shingles, shakes or planks), metal (steel or aluminum), vinyl, asphalt shingles, tile (slate or clay) or fiber cement (planks or panels).
What is the outside front of the house called?
A façade (/fəˈsɑːd/ ( listen)) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French façade (pronounced [fasad]), which means 'frontage' or 'face'.
What is a façade wall?
The façade of a building is the outside face or exterior wall of the building. Façades are built of materials such as, but not limited to, brick, wood, concrete, glass, steel, or curtain wall. It can also be known as veneer, referring to a non - structural outer wall or membrane of a building.
What is the façade of a house?
Pronounced 'fa'saad', put simply it means the appearance of the front of your home. First impressions count and the first thing people will see when they look at your new home is the façade. It tells people a little about you, your style, your flair – and provides a sense of the home's style inside.
What can be examples of traditional style house exteriors?
Below is an example of a traditional style house exterior. There are many different styles of homes, which may or may not contain the labeled parts...
Can I get roof repair services?
This information was provided by Opal Enterprises, an exterior home remodeling contractor in Naperville. Visit our home page for more information a...
What are the parts of the roof?
Primary Structure Gable – The triangular part of a wall where roof pitches meet and come to a peak. Ridge – The top peak of a gable roof running ho...
What is a special area in a house?
Specialty Areas. Dormer – An extra wall area that extends out from the roof plane often containing a window. Chimney – The large protective ventilation area for smoke normally from a fireplace . Porch – An open front extension around the entrance of the home, normally covered.
Where is the vent located on a roof?
Gable Vent – A vent located in the gable area of the wall. Roof Vent – This type of vent is located on the roof itself. Ridge Vent – This vent is placed along the roof ridge, which is the peak of the roof that runs horizontally.
What is trim board?
Trim – Decorative board around the edges of windows and doors. Header – Larger decorative trim boards and moldings above windows and doors. Grid/Grille – Thin inner window trim that visually divide glass. Some are strictly decorative and some also provide structural and stability benefits.
What is a hip on a pitched roof?
Hip – A downward sloping junction of the roof where sloping sides meet. This occurs on pitched roofs with sloping planes that join along their sides, like the edges of a pyramid. Rake – The rake is the outer slanting edge of a gable roof end that runs from the ridge to the eave.
What is a down spout?
Down Spout – The downward tubing to direct the water down and out from the gutters. For a free legal consultation, call 630-355-6557. The Sides. Edges and Ends. Frieze Board – Trim board at the top of the finished wall under the roof’s edge. Corner Post – The outer corner trim to seal off siding and wall edges.
Why do we need vents in the attic?
Roofs need ventilation to exhaust heat from the attic, which can become super-heated if it can’t escape. These vents also help to normalize the attic temperature in cold weather, which prevents condensation and moisture damage. Roof ventilation helps to improve energy efficiency and the home’s life span. There are many different types of roof vents that come in various shapes and sizes.
What is glass wall?
Glass Walls are glass panels that work as a transparent divider. They are made of high-quality safety glass and do not support any weight. Their primary functions are space management, provide an open space environment, and let daylight penetrate deep into the building.
How tall is a retaining wall?
In many states, retaining walls of over four feet in height need to be designed by an engineer who understands these factors and can create a safe and effective structure. 2.
Why are room dividers created with many openings?
Some room dividers are created with many openings so that air and noise can flow from one portion of the room to the other. From form to finish, walls are a vital element of design. First, let’s discuss some types of wall finish.
What does an exposed brick wall feel like?
Each wall is an integral part of the design of the room and will affect the atmosphere of the place. An exposed brick wall may create an industrial, rustic feel, while Venetian plaster could develop a sense of luxury. A space with many partitions will feel different than vast open space.
What is load bearing wall?
A load-bearing wall is usually constructed with sturdy, durable materials such as thick wooden beams, concrete, brick, or steel. The wall functions to hold up the weight of the house above it by distributing the weight down to the foundation.
Can you use tile on a wall?
You can use tiles on your wall for a decorative touch. While this finish is often seen in bathrooms and kitchens, it could also be used in other rooms of the house. Tile can be quite small, as in the case of mosaic work, or on the larger side. In bright colors, this type of finish would be very eye-catching.
Is a full wall a floor to ceiling?
If a structure extends from floor to ceiling, it is a full wall. Because of the top-to-bottom design, you’ll get maximal privacy. If more openness is desired, you might consider inserting moving panels which can be slid apart on some occasions, and closed on others.
House Parts Defined
Ever tried pointing out an architectural detail to somebody, only to fumble for what to call it? Or put in a call to a contractor to fix a part of your home and have to call it "you know, that thingamajig"? Don't worry, it's happened to all us.
Bargeboard
A board attached to the edge of a gable roof. In house styles such as Gothic Revival and Tudor, bargeboards often bear intricate carvings or colorful painted details. Also called vergeboard or gableboard.
Check Throat
The groove cut into the underside of a windowsill that prevents rainwater from reaching the wall.
Cricket
A second, small, pointed roof that diverts rainwater around something, such as a chimney, that projects out of a primary roof.
Efflorescence
The weathering on exposed bricks or stones that looks white and powdery. It appears when natural salts in the materials leach out and crystallize.
Enfilade
A series of doors to connecting rooms arranged so that there is one uninterrupted sight line.
Haunch
The curving part of an arch that's bookended by the peak of the arch and either a capital or molding abutment.
What is the horizontal board on the end of a gable roof called?
This is called an eave fascia. Fascia placed on the end of a gable roof end is called gable fascia.
What is a dormer in a house?
Dormer. A projection of vertical walls through the sloped roof plane with a window and its own roof ties into the home's main roof. Dormers allow the natural light to enter into upper floors or attic spaces. Dormers are particularly popular on Cape Cod house plans.
What is the eave on a roof called?
Sometimes referred to as the roof overhang. The eave on a gable end is sometimes referred to as the gable overhang.
What is a chair rail?
Traditionally used to protect the walls from chair backs, a chair rail is a molding that typically goes around the room's perimeter at the chair back height. This style of trimwork is particularly popular in Colonial, Georgian, and traditional homes.
What is a half hipped roof?
Also called a half-hipped roof since a part is hipped and part is gabled.
What is hip roof?
A home with a hip roof has a roof place sloped upward and toward the middle of the home. A hipped roof maintains all the eaves level all the way around the home.
What is a mansard roof?
A mansard roof is a hipped roof with two separate roof pitches within the same plane. It is often referred to as a hipped gambrel roof. It is a roof style that is often associated with classic French or European-style home designs.
What is a rake area on a roof?
The rake is the edge of the gable roof that runs parallel to the sloping roof edge and extends from the ridge or "peak" to the lower roof edges at the gable end walls of the home.
What is considered an exhaustive inspection?
Technically Exhaustive - An inspection is technically exhaustive when it involves the extensive use of measurements, instruments, testing, calculators, and other means to develop scientific or engineering findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
What is a chimney top seal?
Chimney flue top or chimney rain cap (if present), required for safe, proper draft and to avoid water damage to flues. 3. Chimney crown or chimney top seal, seals against leaks around the flue. See CHIMNEY "CAP" CROWN / TOP SEAL INSPECTION for detailed photos of these components.
Can a porch be free standing?
Yes the porch or deck, if attached to the house, is part of its structure in the sense of building code compliance regulations. Some building inspectors, if pressed, may exclude a deck or porch that is completely free-standing.
Is the original house a single gable roof?
It's quite possible that the original house is the larger rear single-gable roof, but a definitive answer can probably be found by inspectiong the details of framing in the two attic spaces and in the basement or crawl spaces of this home.
Is a porch considered a deck?
Rose. Yes in my opinion a porch or deck, if attached to the house, is part of its structure in the sense of building code compliance regulations. Some building inspectors, if pressed, may exclude a deck or porch that is completely free-standing.
